Archive for: Political Services

Today’s political headlines include the Tory MPs united in criticism of May’s Brexit plans, EU leaders are prepared to help May sell deal to Parliament, calls for petrol and diesel cars to be banned by 2032 and the 13 MPs accepting pver £100,000 of gifts and trips from Saudis. 

Tory MPs united in criticism of May’s Brexit plans
The Times claims that Theresa May’s concessions in Brussels have annoyed all wings of her party, leaving her ‘facing the most perilous week of her premiership’. It says David Davis has rung ministers to call for a change of plan, while Remain-backing Tories such as Nick Boles and Anna Soubry have also criticised May’s approach. The Sun adds that the proposed extension to the transition period was backed by the inner Brexit cabinet last week on the condition that it was at most three to six months long, while a meeting of Brexiteer cabinet ministers accepted it on Monday. The Daily Telegraph reports that Scottish Secretary David Mundell has told Theresa May that he could not accept an extended transition period.

EU leaders prepared to help May sell deal to Parliament
According to The Guardian, EU leaders are to help Theresa May to build a ‘coalition of the reasonable’ in Parliament to avoid a no-deal Brexit. German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that ‘all avenues’ to find a deal should be followed, while European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker apparently told leaders that May needed ‘help’ to sell a deal to MPs.

Committee calls for new petrol and diesel cars to be banned by 2032
The Financial Times has details of a new report by the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee which calls on the Government to ban sales of almost all new petrol and diesel cars by 2032, claiming that the Government’s current 2040 target was ‘vague’ and ‘unambitious’. The committee claims that this will help the UK meet climate targets and develop technology it could export.

MPs accept over £100,000 from Saudis this year
In an exclusive, the Daily Mail reveals that British politicians have accepted £106,418 in gifts trips and other benefits from the Saudi Arabian regime so far this year – three times higher than the equivalent figure for 2016. Eight Tory and five Labour MPs have been on trips to the country, with the Conservative Leo Docherty describing them as ‘working visits that take time and effort to a serious purpose’.

Mercer claims he ‘wouldn’t vote’ if he wasn’t an MP
The Times reports on an interview of Tory backbencher Johnny Mercer in which he claims that he ‘wouldn’t vote’ in an election, there was ‘absolutely no chance’ that he would stand for Parliament if he was asked to now as he was ‘not comfortable’ that his values were the same as those of his party, and that the Government is a ‘shit show’.

Mordaunt speech interrupted by protester
The Guardian says that International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt was interrupted by a protester who invaded the stage during a speech to a conference on sexual abuse in the aid sector. The whistle-blower Alexia Pepper De Caires accused Mordaunt and her department of trying ‘to control women who are speaking out in this sector’.

Petraeus warns prosecuting veterans risks damaging military
The Daily Mail reports that General David Petraeus, the former head of the US military, used a speech at the thinktank Policy Exchange to warn that prosecuting military veterans could put the relationship between the British and American armed forces ‘at risk’ and leave the UK’s military capabilities ‘greatly diminished’.

MPs accept over £2m of free overseas trips
BBC analysis shows MPs have accepted over £2m of free overseas trips in the last two years, over half being funded by foreign governments. The most common destination was Israel and the Palestinian territories and nine of the ten biggest recipients were Conservative MPs.

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Today’s political headlines include May’s call for the EU to give ground on negotiations, the UK to fund list of suspected aid charity predators, Barnier and Fox suggest extending the Brexit transition and the UK’s debt to the EU still £36bn after a no deal scenario. 

Theresa May to call on EU to ‘give ground’ in negotiations
The BBC says that Theresa May is to urge EU leaders to ‘give ground’ on the Brexit backstop when she addresses them before a dinner later today. The Guardian adds that at a meeting of her Cabinet yesterday Theresa May told ministers to ‘stand firm’ but a number of ministers, including Geoffrey Cox, Michael Gove and Jeremy Hunt, expressed concern about the backstop and the status of Northern Ireland, with Chief Whip Julian Smith warning that an indefinite backstop would not pass through the Commons.

UK to fund list of suspected aid charity predators
The Times reports that the International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt is to announce that the UK will use £2m of aid spending to launch a global register of suspected sexual predators in the aid industry. The new Soteria programme will work from hubs in Africa and Asia, allowing NGOs to vet employees.

Barnier and Fox suggest extending Brexit transition
According to the Financial Times, the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier has said that he would be prepared to extend the transition period by a further year if the UK accepted a ‘two-tier’ Irish backstop. Separately, The Times reports that International Trade Secretary Liam Fox has suggested extending the transition period for a ‘few more months’ in order agree a free trade deal and avoid needing to implement the backstop.

UK would still owe EU up to £36bn even if no trade deal is agreed, Hammond says
The Daily Telegraph claims that Chancellor Philip Hammond told the Cabinet that the UK would have to pay the EU up to £36bn even if it fails to agree a trade deal. Legal advice suggests that the UK is only likely to save £6-9bn if there is no trade deal, as the UK would be unlikely to persuade international arbitrators that it no longer had to pay the remainder.

MPs accused of politicising bullying inquiry
The Guardian says that MPs have accused each other of politicising the inquiry into bullying in Parliament amid calls for Speaker John Bercow to quit. He has indicated that he will remain in post until next summer, with Labour’s Emily Thornberry saying that it was ‘not the time’ for a change and Margaret Beckett claiming that ‘the constitutional future of this country’, in the form of Brexit legislation, ‘trumps bad behaviour’.

Hunt calls on Johnson to back May
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt calls on his predecessor Boris Johnson and Brexiteer cabinet ministers to back Theresa May ‘to the hilt’, warning that if they don’t ‘the danger is that Brexit will be derailed altogether’. He urged EU leaders not to repeat the ‘mistake’ of the pre-referendum negotiations with David Cameron.

Lib Dems say multinationals should publish tax returns
The Financial Times reports that the Liberal Democrats are calling for multinational companies to be forced to publish their tax returns in order to tackle tax avoidance. Leader Sir Vince Cable claimed that the move would ‘shame’ firms into paying more tax and would make the UK ‘a world leader in tax transparency’.

MPs call for children to be taught how to behave around dogs
The BBC has details of a new report by the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee that claims that there needs to be more education for children on how to behave around dogs in order to avoid injury. It also calls for a review of the causes of dog aggression and training for owners whose dogs misbehave.

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Today’s political headlines include May’s refusal to back the draft Brexit deal, the Government’s loneliness strategy, police infiltration in the SWP and Hancock’s controversial claims he has not received any letters about Universal Credit. 

May refuses to back draft Brexit deal as ministers start implementing no-deal plans
The Daily Telegraph claims that Theresa May refused to back a draft Brexit deal that had been negotiated by UK and EU officials yesterday because she worried that the Cabinet would not support it. Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab headed to Brussels for an unscheduled meeting at which he set out the UK’s concerns, with all talks now suspended until a summit of EU leaders on Wednesday. The Times adds that ministers have now been told to start implementing plans for a no-deal Brexit, while The Guardian says that the ‘pizza group’ of pro-Brexit Cabinet members convened by Andrea Leadsom will meet tonight to discuss May’s proposed deal, with backbenchers suggesting that they should now quit the Government.

Government launches loneliness strategy
The Daily Mail reports that Theresa May is launching the Government’s loneliness strategy, encouraging GPs to refer lonely people to activities such as dancing and cookery classes, walking clubs and art groups. Other parts of the strategy include £1.8m for community cafes and gardens and getting postal workers to check on lonely people during their rounds.

24 police officers infiltrated SWP
In an exclusive, The Guardian reveals that the police used 24 undercover officers to infiltrate the Socialist Workers Party (SWP) between 1970 and 2007, four of whom deceived women into sexual relationships. The paper and the Undercover Research Group have compiled a database of groups infiltrated by the police since 1968, showing that the SWP accounts for one-third of the cases identified. Only three far-right groups are listed.

Hancock claim not to have received any letters about Universal Credit contradicted
The Daily Mirror reports that despite Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock claiming that he had received ‘no letters at all’ about Universal Credit, he was actually sent an email on the subject by a constituent just three days before. Separately, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon warns in the paper that Universal Credit is ‘not fit for purpose’.

Hammond’s ability to raise taxes limited
The Financial Times says that a number of factors are limiting Philip Hammond’s ability to raise taxes at the budget: opposition amongst Tory MPs to changes to pension tax relief, Eurosceptic and DUP protests about the Government’s Brexit strategy, and Theresa May’s claim at the party conference that the end of austerity was ‘in sight’.

Russians targeting British spies
According to the Daily Mirror, the Foreign Office has warned that Russian spies are trying to make former MI6 officers and diplomats turn traitor. A memo claims that ‘Russian services regard both current and former members of the service as high-priority targets’ and warns them that ‘close relations’ might be threatened.

Former ministers should be held to account for decisions, thinktank says
The Daily Telegraph says that the thinktank the Institute for Government has recommended that former ministers should be required to appear before parliamentary committees in order to give evidence on mistakes made while they were in office and that civil servants should regularly produce feasibility and risk assessments for major projects.

Leasehold reform to be consulted on
The Financial Times carries details of the Government proposed leasehold reforms, on which a consultation will be launched today. Under the proposals, annual ground rents on new leasehold properties will be capped at £10 and the sale of most new houses as leasehold will be banned, with exemptions for shared ownership and community-led schemes.

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Today’s political headlines include the DUP’s threat to withdraw support from Government, May to launch plans for ethnicity pay gap reporting, Home Office guidelines may have been breached and Major compares Universal Credit to the poll tax. 

DUP threatens to withdraw support from Government over Brexit plan
The Daily Telegraph says that Theresa May will today ask her Brexit ‘war cabinet’ to agree a plan under which the UK would stay in a customs union with the EU until a permanent trade deal is agreed, with UK and EU negotiators having agreed to an all-UK backstop in principle. However, the DUP has described this plan, under which Northern Ireland would remain in the single market for goods, as a ‘sell out’ and is threatening to vote against the Budget later this month, abstaining from a vote on the Agriculture Bill last night to show that it is serious. The Times adds that Brexiteer ministers including Penny Mordaunt, Esther McVey and Liam Fox will not be at the meeting, leaving some of them unhappy.

May to launch plans for ethnicity pay gap reporting
The BBC reports that Theresa May is to announce plans today to force companies to reveal their ethnicity pay gap, a comparison between the pay received by employees form ethnic minorities and their white counterparts. She will also launch a Race at Work Charter, committing firms to increasing recruitment and progression of ethnic minority employees.

Home Office guidelines on migrant detention may have been breached
The Guardian has published an investigation into migrants held in detention centres, finding that over half of its sample were either suicidal, seriously ill or victims of torture, with almost 56% defined as being an ‘adult at risk’. People in this category should only be held in extreme cases, so the paper suggests that Home Office guidelines have been breached.

Major compares Universal Credit to the poll tax
Speaking to the BBC, former Prime Minister Sir John Major has criticised the Government’s Universal Credit policy, warning that it risked encountering the same issues as the poll tax. While he described the theory behind the policy as ‘entirely logical’ he cautioned that it was being brought in ‘too soon and in the wrong circumstances’.

Corbyn to announce plans to teach children about UK’s role in slavery and colonialism
According to the Daily Mail, Jeremy Corbyn is to announce plans to teach about the UK’s role in slavery and colonialism in schools today, claiming that the Windrush scandal shows that this is ‘more important now than ever’. The paper adds that Education Secretary Damian Hinds will use a speech today to attack Labour’s plans for a ‘common rule book’, to abandon free schools and freeze the academies programme.

25 high-priority no-deal Brexit plans in trouble
The Times reports that 25 of the less than 100 high-priority no-deal Government workstreams are in trouble, with 13 ‘off-track’. Sir Amyas Morse, the head of the National Audit Office, warned that the Government had left business in a ‘very difficult position’ and said it was ‘not implausible’ that flights between the EU and the UK could be grounded.

Blair concerned about services sector after Brexit, following new research
The Financial Times says that Tony Blair has expressed concern about the future of the UK’s services sector post-Brexit, following the release of new research by the National Institute of Economic and Social Research showing that if the UK traded with the EU on World Trade Organization terms, the lost trade would reduce the size of the economy by 2.1% by 2030.

Pro-remain Tories to form group to rival Rees-Mogg’s Eurosceptics
The Guardian claims that a group of up to 30 remain-backing Conservative MPs are planning to form a movement to rival Jacob Rees-Mogg’s European Research Group and vote down Theresa May’s Brexit deal if she moves towards a Canada-style model, with a number of the MPs hoping that this will lead to a second referendum.

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Today’s political headlines include Brexiteers warnings that the UK must not stay in EU customs arrangements after 2022, the Government is attempting to bring Labour MPs on side to back Brexit, McDonnell calls for an end to Universal Credit and pension tax relief to be cut to fund NHS spending boost. 

Brexiteers warn that the UK must not stay in EU customs arrangements after 2022
The Times claims that Brexiteers, including Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab, are now warning Theresa May that, while they are prepared to give her room for manoeuvre in the Brexit talks, she must not keep the UK in the EU’s customs arrangements beyond the next election in 2022. However the EU has insisted that the proposals cannot be time-limited. Some Leavers have suggested that they will use the budget to put pressure on May.

Government tries to get Labour MPs to back Brexit deal
According to The Daily Telegraph, Government whips have held talks with up to 25 Labour MPs in a bid to persuade them to vote through the Government’s Brexit deal, nullifying opposition from Eurosceptic backbenchers. However, this has infuriated the Conservative Eurosceptics, some of whom are now threatening to vote against parts of the budget, with the European Research Group meeting tomorrow to set out plans for a ‘guerrilla campaign’.

McDonnell calls for end to Universal Credit
As the BBC reports, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell used various interviews over the weekend to claim that Universal Credit ‘will have to go’ as it is not ‘providing the safety net that people expect when they need support’ and is ‘just not sustainable’. He also said that Labour was considering reducing the length of the working week.

Pension tax relief to be cut to fund NHS spending boost
The Daily Telegraph says that it expects Philip Hammond to use the budget to cut pension tax relief in order to pay for the NHS’s £20bn funding boost. Steve Webb, the former Lib Dem pensions minister who now works for Royal London, warned that the move is ‘no way to run pensions’ as the ‘people who will be affected are being prudent, making their own provision for retirement – which the Government repeatedly tells us they want us to do’.

Japan would welcome UK to Trans-Pacific Partnership
Interviewed by the Financial Times, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has said that his country would welcome the UK to the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal ‘with open arms’. He warned against a ‘disorderly Brexit’ and said that while the UK would no longer be a gateway to Europe after Brexit, it was still ‘equipped with global strength’.

Hammond considers reward for landlords who sell to tenants
The Guardian claims that Philip Hammond is considering using the budget to bring in a so-called ‘good landlord’ tax break. This would reward those who sell properties to existing tenants. The plan has been thought up by the thinktank Onward, which proposes that landlords should not pay capital gains tax if a property is sold to tenants who have occupied the property for three years or longer, funded by curtailing other buy-to-let tax benefits.

Field claims Government always knew impact of Universal Credit
The Sun says that Frank Field, Chair of the Commons Work and Pensions Committee, has claimed that the Government always knew that the rollout of Universal Credit would leave some families up to £200 a month worse off. He told the paper that ‘The frailest shoulders have borne most of the budget deficit reduction strategy “successes”’.

Haldane appointed to chair new Industrial Strategy Council
The Financial Times reports that Andy Haldane, the Bank of England’s Chief Economist, is to be appointed as the chair of the new Industrial Strategy Council. The body will hold the Government to account and improve the implementation of the policy, which aims to improve the UK’s poor productivity.

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Today’s political headlines include Hunt’s warning of further sanctions against Russia, Varadkar’s call for new border plans, the EASA has turned down the CAA’s request for an aviation plan and Food bank usage up 52% in Universal Credit areas. 

Hunt warns of further sanctions against Russia as new plot is revealed
The Times reports that Western countries joined forces yesterday to expose a Russian GRU unit which tried to hack the Office for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons a month after the Salisbury attack. Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt warned that the ‘hard evidence’ would lead to further sanctions against the country.

Varadkar calls for new border plans to be published quickly
The Guardian reports remarks made by the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Brussels yesterday, in which he called on the UK to publish the revised plan for the border ‘as soon as possible’ so that a deal could be reached by November. European Council President Donald Tusk criticised Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt’s ‘unwise and insulting’ comparison of the EU and the USSR, and claimed that the EU was willing to offer a ‘Canada-plus-plus-plus deal’.

European agency turned down UK’s request for joint no-deal aviation plan
Correspondence seen by the BBC shows that the Civil Aviation Authority tried to reach a joint no-deal transition plan with the European Aviation Safety Agency but was turned down in July. EASA told the BBC that ‘discussion about technical details would not be useful since the framework for which we need to prepare is not known.’

Food bank usage up 52% in areas where Universal Credit rolled out
The Financial Times warns that research by the Trussell Trust shows that use of food bank increases by 52% over twelve months in areas where Universal Credit has been rolled out, compared to 13% in areas where it hasn’t. The benefit is due to be rolled out to 2.1m further families between 2019 and 2023.

Ending austerity could cost £20bn
The Times says that the Institute for Fiscal Studies has warned that the cost of ending austerity, as promised by Theresa May in her conference speech, will be £20bn if it includes an increase in public sector wages. Downing Street and the Treasury have not explained what the Prime Minister meant in her speech.

Wealthy move assets out of UK owing to Corbyn fears
According to the Financial Times, which has spoken to a number of wealth managers, many of the UK’s ‘super-rich’ are moving assets out of the country or even planning to emigrate, because of the prospect of a Government led by Jeremy Corbyn. One wealth manager told the paper that ‘most people are much more worried about Corbyn than Brexit.

No-deal Brexit leaves a million workers exposed to pay cuts and job losses
The Sun carries details of new research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which warns that a no-deal Brexit would leave almost a million blue collar workers in industries such as car-manufacturing and chemicals ‘highly exposed’ to job losses and pay cuts, with the biggest pain felt in the Midlands and Northern Ireland.

McDonnell joins McStrike
The Daily Mail reports that Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell joined striking workers from firms including McDonald’s, TGI Fridays, Wetherspoons, Uber and Deliveroo at a protest in Leicester Square yesterday. The workers are calling for a minimum wage of £10 an hour and the end of ‘precarious’ contracts.

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Today’s Conservative Party Conference headlines include May’s Conference speech, but being cross at Boris, DUP could topple the Government, and NHS must embrace technology. 

May insists a bright future lies ahead
The Times is reporting ahead of Theresa May’s speech today, in which she will tell her Party that the ‘best days lie ahead’ for Britain. May will seek to unite the Conservatives ahead of a crucial period in the Brexit negotiations, with the European Commission set to formally respond to the outlined Chequers proposal next week.

May ‘cross’ at Boris speech
In an interview give to the BBC, May expressed her frustration at comments made by former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, who yesterday gave a speech to over a thousand people at the conference. May’s irritation centred on Johnson’s remarks regarding Northern Ireland, which she said reneged on Britain’s guarantee to Northern Ireland.

DUP could topple Conservative government
The Guardian is reporting that DUP leader in the Commons Nigel Dodds has reiterated the party’s belief in no border being imposed in the Irish sea. Dodds threatened to vote down May’s deal if it resulted in checks imposed between Northern Ireland and Britain, saying they would not support a Prime Minister that detached Northern Ireland from Britain.

NHS must embrace technology
The Telegraph has reported on comments made by Secretary of State for Health Matt Hancock at a fringe event, in which he encouraged the sector to adopt technological innovations and follow the lead of driverless cars. Hancock said the NHS would suffer if it waited any longer in introducing new technology.

EU figures angry with May’s immigration plan
The Guardian has picked up on opposition to the Prime Minister’s post-Brexit plan amongst senior EU politicians, with leader of the EPP group Manfred Weber and the EU’s Brexit coordinator Guy Verhofstadt both expressing concerns. May set out her vision to end free movement and low-skilled migration once the UK leaves, with EU figures calling for a united front against attempts to pick-off benefits of membership.

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Today’s Conservative Party Conference headlines include Philip Hammond’s remarks that Boris is unfit to be PM, May’s Chequers compromise, the Conservatives have lost their way and Hunt’s opinion that the EU is a prison.  

Boris is unfit to be PM
The Daily Mail reports on remarks made by the Chancellor, Philip Hammond, in which he said that Boris Johnson is unfit to be Prime Minister. Hammond has also said that Johnson’s greatest achievement is his Boris bikes. Hammond criticised the lack of detail Johnson provides in his suggestions and said he does not know how his own proposals work.

May to compromise on Chequers
The Sun reports that Theresa May could be willing to compromise on her Chequers plan. At a national convention meeting it is rumoured that May has admitted she may not be able to keep all aspects of her plan. This comes after the PM has faced stiff opposition to her proposals from those in her party.

Conservatives have lost their way
The BBC report on remarks made by Conservative donor, Michael Spencer, who is concerned about the party losing its way. In an interview Spencer did not endorse Theresa May saying that her future depends on her ability to deliver Brexit.

Hunt compares EU to ‘prison’ of Soviet Union
Sky report on a speech made by Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt to the conference where he compared the EU to the Soviet Union. He said the EU was set up to promote and protect the values of freedom and not prevent people from leaving. Hunt also called on the party to unite so it can appeal to the entire country.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Corbyn’s offer to back May’s Brexit deal if it’s ‘sensible’, May losing Cabinet support over no-deal plan and bringing the Budget forward. 

Corbyn offers to vote for May’s Brexit deal, but only if its ‘sensible’
The Guardian reports that Jeremy Corbyn has warned Theresa May that Labour MPs will vote against her Brexit deal unless she is willing to keep the UK in the customs union and protect consumers’ and workers’ rights. He also used his conference speech to promise that Labour would support a ‘sensible deal’. The BBC adds that Corbyn is visiting Brussels today, where he will hold talks with the EU’s chief negotiator Michel Barnier and attend the renaming of a square win honour of the murdered MP Jo Cox.

May’s no-deal plan losing Cabinet support
The Times claims that Theresa May is losing the support of her Cabinet over her plan to pursue a no-deal Brexit if her Chequers proposals are rejected by the EU. Ministers reportedly sharing this point of view include Dominic Raab, Jeremy Hunt, Michael Gove and Sajid Javid, who want her to consider a Canada-style free trade deal but are not thought to have a plan for the Irish border in this scenario.

UK not turning way from international co-operation, May says
The BBC reports that Theresa May told the UN General Assembly that Brexit did not mean that the UK was turning away from international co-operation, but it was a ‘clear demand for decisions and accountability to lie closer to home’. She has also used her visit to the USA to discuss a ‘big and ambitious’ trade deal with President Donald Trump.

No-deal Brexit ‘catastrophic’ for farmers
The Guardian says that the NFU is warning that a no-deal Brexit would be ‘catastrophic’ for British farmers, after the EU confirmed that the UK would have to wait six months to become an approved third-country supplier. As part of this process 6000 different meat-processing plants would need to be audited and approved, with similar checks on other food suppliers.

Budget brought forward
According to the Financial Times, Chancellor Philip Hammond has ‘rushed forward’ the Budget to 29 October in an attempt to prevent it from being caught up in the final stages of the Brexit negotiations, which are currently expected to be concluded at a special European Council meeting on 17-18 November.

EU steps up no-deal preparations
The Daily Mail reports that the EU is stepping up its preparations for a no-deal Brexit because of threats from Labour to vote down any deal agreed by Theresa May. A leaked memo warns that EU countries could be forced to take unilateral action in order to mitigate the impact of such a scenario.

Corbyn attacked for not apologising to the Jewish community
The Daily Telegraph says that Jewish leaders have attacked Jeremy Corbyn after he used his conference speech to complain about Labour’s ‘tough’ summer and accused the media of ‘lies and half-truths’ rather than apologising for anti-Semitism. Instead he claimed that it was the ‘row’ which had led to ‘immense hurt and anxiety in the Jewish community and great dismay in the Labour Party’.

NHS will waste funding boost unless efficiencies are made
Writing in The Times, Lord Carter of Coles, who has conducted a series of reviews of NHS efficiency for the Government, warns that unless the service seriously cuts down on waste the £20bn extra funding promised by Theresa May will be wasted. His final report, published today, finds that pointless ambulance journeys cost £500m a year.

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Today’s Labour Party Conference Headlines include Labour’s ‘war on the water rats’, Labour’s nationalisation plans causing concern among business leaders and the possibility of a second referendum under Labour. 

Labour’s ‘war on the water rats’
The Daily Mirror’s headline describes Shadow Chancellor John McDonell’s nationalisation plans as a ‘war on the water rats’. During his speech yesterday, McDonnell pledged to put a stop to ‘profiteering in dividends and vast executive salaries’ and announced that the water industry would be the first to be nationalised under Labour. He said that current bosses would be fired and that control would be handed to workers, councils and customers.

Nationalisation could damage prosperity
The headline of The Daily Telegraph features a warning from Business leaders that Labour’s nationalisation plans could ‘put prosperity at risk’. The newspaper reports that business leaders are deeply concerned about Labour’s plans, saying that it would put the economy into the ‘deep freeze’ and ‘crack the foundations’ of prosperity.

Labour MPs plan to vote down May’s EU withdrawl deal
The Evening Standard reports that according to Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer, the Labour Party is preparing to vote down Theresa May’s EU withdrawal deal in Parliament. The newspaper reports that in his speech to conference today, Starmer will warn that Tory ‘division, chaos and failure’ over Brexit is putting the country’s future prosperity at risk.

Labour could offer the chance to remain in the EU
The BBC writes that Starmer has claimed there is a possibility of Labour backing a second referendum offering voters the chance to remain in the EU. This came following John McDonnell’s comments that any vote should be on the terms of the Brexit deal, rather than on staying in the EU. Today, conference will debate and vote on a motion to keep a new referendum on the table if Labour is unable to force a general election.

Shadow Energy Secretary to announce ambitious clean energy plans
The Guardian reports that Shadow Secretary for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Rebecca Long-Bailey will today announce the Labour Party’s commitment to reducing greenhouse gas emissions to zero by 2050. The current aim is to reach an 80% reduction. Long-Bailey will set out new energy proposals, including the aim to generate 85% of electricity through renewable and low-carbon sources, and the doubling of windfarms by 2030.

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