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Today’s political headlines include Raab’s demands to exit backstop after three months, Military to recruit foreign soldiers, Hancock calls on people to take responsibility for their own health and Jeremy Heywood has died aged 56. 

Raab demands right to exit backstop after three months
According to The Daily Telegraph, Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has demanded the right to withdraw the UK from the Irish backstop after just three months, in a meeting which reportedly ‘stunned’ Irish officials but was contradicted by Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington when he visited Dublin three days later. The Guardian adds that EU officials are putting the probability of a Brexit deal being reached at ’50-50′, but that the British want to make ‘decisive progress’ on the backstop by Friday in the hope of achieving an EU summit to agree the deal on 22 November. The Times says that, despite press reports that a deal is close, Theresa May spent the weekend phoning Cabinet members in a bid to allay concerns that she is about to trigger a summit without domestic political agreement.

Military to recruit soldiers who’ve never lived in the UK
The Daily Telegraph reports the Ministry of Defence is to announce today that it will allow foreign nationals who never lived in the UK to serve in the armed forces. Under the plans, a requirement for Commonwealth applicants to have lived in the country for five years will be abandoned. This follows a recruitment crisis, blamed on ‘the ongoing disaster that is the Capita recruitment contract’ by Commons Defence Committee member Mark Francois.

Hancock calls on people to take responsibility for their own health
The Guardian claims that Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock has ‘triggered a row’ by using a speech today to call for people to make healthier lifestyle choices, which he asserts ‘isn’t about penalising people’. Professor Simon Capewell of Liverpool University warns this is ‘victim-blaming’ people who’ve ‘been overwhelmed by a toxic environment’.

Former Cabinet Secretary Jeremy Heywood dies aged 56
The BBC reports on the death, aged 56, of former Cabinet Secretary Sir Jeremy Heywood. Heywood, who stepped down just two weeks ago, served four prime ministers in different roles, becoming Cabinet Secretary in 2012.Gordon Brown described him as a ‘leader of exceptional ability’, while Tony Blair called him ‘a quite outstanding public servant’.

Banks denies Russian funding
Interviewed on the BBC’s Andrew Marr Show, Leave.EU founder Arron Banks, who is under investigation by the National Crime Agency, claimed that ‘there was no Russian money and no interference of any type’. He also told Marr that in hindsight he thought that ‘we would have been better to remain’ in the EU.

People would pay more tax to fund social care
A poll conducted for the Daily Mirror shows that 56% of people would pay more National Insurance to fund ‘more and better social care’, with 54% willing to pay more income tax. 74% of those surveyed expressed concern about the level of care they expected to receive in their old age.

Hinds calls for more spending on schools
The Daily Mail says that Education Secretary Damian Hinds is calling for billions of pounds worth of spending for schools ahead of next year’s spending review. Interviewed by the paper, Hinds claimed that education was ‘a different category of spend’ because it ‘is about investment in our skills base’.

Johnson tells ministers to reject Brexit plans
Writing in The Sun ahead of tomorrow’s Cabinet meeting, former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson calls for ministers to reject Theresa May’s Brexit plans, which he describes as a ‘stinker’ that will leave the UK as a ‘vassal state’ for the ‘first time in a thousand years.’

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Today’s political headlines include Crouch’s resignation over the gambling machine stake cut delay, Banks investigated over Brexit donations, Cameron’s aim to return at Foreign Secretary and Rudd was failed by officials. 

Crouch resigns over gambling machine stake cut delay
The Daily Telegraph reports that sports minister Tracey Crouch has resigned over a decision to delay the reduction in the maximum stake for fixed-odds betting terminals. She warned in her resignation letter that £1.6bn would be lost in machines because of the delay and claimed that ministers had made ‘commitments’ to MPs with ‘registered interests’, a reference to those who have received donations from the industry. The paper warns that 35 backbench Tories could back an amendment to the finance bill on the topic later this month.

Banks investigated over Brexit donations
The Times reports that Brexit donor Arron Banks is being investigated by the National Crime Agency over allegations that he hid the source of illegal overseas donations. The investigation concerns a loan of £2m to Better for the Country by Banks and his insurance companies and a further gift of £6m from Banks on behalf of Leave.EU. Damián Collins, Chair of the Commons Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee has called for Banks ‘to put beyond doubt and suspicion that Russian money was not involved in the referendum effort’.

Cameron aims for return to frontline politics
The Sun asserts that David Cameron has told friends that he would like to return to frontline politics and wants to be Foreign Secretary, claiming that he is now bored. The paper adds that Boris Johnson has given up on his ambition to be the next Conservative leader, fearing being humiliated by finishing fourth or fifth.

Rudd failed by officials, leaked report shows
The Times says that a leaked report shows that Amber Rudd was failed by senior officials while she was Home Secretary, leading her to have to resign after telling a committee of MPs that there weren’t targets for the removal of illegal immigrants. The report, to be published today, reveals that mistakes by officials led to Rudd not being properly informed.

Labour to remove hunting loopholes
In an exclusive, The Guardian reports that a Labour Government would strengthen the 2004 Hunting Act in order to remove loopholes. According to campaigners, hunting is continuing under the cover of trail hunting, with convictions falling to historic lows and the National Wildlife Crime Unit suffering cuts to its funding.

EU proposes new backstop compromise
The Financial Times claims that the EU’s Brexit negotiators have floated a new compromise backstop proposal in which the withdrawal agreement would contain a ‘bare-bones’ all-UK customs union with the EU, avoiding the need for a second customs treaty after Brexit, while Northern Ireland would be in a deeper customs union. This temporary measure would remain in place until a permanent trade agreement is in place

Labour MPs defy whip and vote to oppose tax cuts
The Guardian reports that twenty Labour MPs, including Lisa Nandy, Lucy Powell and Yvette Cooper, defied their whip to vote with the Liberal Democrats against the Government’s tax cuts for middle and high earners. Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said that he did not oppose the cuts because he didn’t want to ‘take money out of people’s pockets’.

Councils told to prepare for no-deal Brexit
According to The Mirror, a leaked briefing reveals that councils are being told to prepare for three months of disruption in a no-deal Brexit. The minutes of a recent Local Resilience Forum meeting reveal that councils should plan for ‘reasonable worst case scenarios’ such as runs on fuel, food and banks, and to report to central government every eight hours.

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Today’s political headlines cover Osborne’s ‘regrets’ about his time in Government, patronising schools funding, clawing back the tax cut and no-deal Brexit to cause a recession. 

Osborne admits to ‘regrets’
Interviewed by BBC Newsnight, former Chancellor George Osborne admitted to ‘regrets’ about his time in Government, including getting immigration policy wrong and playing into the message that ‘everything Brussels did was a challenge’. He said that each of these had contributed to the Government losing the EU membership referendum. He also regretted not repairing the banking system quicker, but defended his austerity policies.

Chancellor’s ‘little extras’ for schools branded patronising
The Daily Mirror says that teachers and parents have criticised the Chancellor over his claim that schools would receive £400m from the Budget to ‘buy little extras’. Shadow Education Secretary Angela Rayner described the move as ‘utterly insulting’ while Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Secretary, said that schools faced a £2bn funding shortfall.

Government to claw back half of Budget tax cut
The Daily Mail reveals that small print in the Budget means that half of the tax cut for higher-rate taxpayers would be taken back by the Government through increased National Insurance contributions. Former Pensions Minister Steve Webb, who now works for the insurance and pensions firm Royal London, said that Hammond ‘should have come clean and mentioned this in the Budget speech’.

No-deal Brexit would cause recession, ratings agency claims
The Guardian reports that the rating agency Standard & Poor’s has warned that a no-deal Brexit would lead to rising unemployment and falling incomes, leading to a recession. It warned that the chances of a no-deal Brexit had increased to the point where they might threaten the UK’s credit rating.

Number of Brits applying for Irish passports doubles
The Times says that the number of British residents applying for Irish passports has nearly doubled since the EU referendum, with 44,900 applications received between January and June. The paper adds that Caroline Nokes, the immigration minister, admitted yesterday that UK citizens could face delays at EU airports after Brexit. The Guardian adds that Nokes also told MPs that employers would have to check if EU nationals have the right to work in the UK after a no-deal Brexit, but didn’t know how they would be able to do so.

Ambassadors to be recruited from business leaders
The Daily Telegraph claims that Jeremy Hunt is to announce today that the UK will begin hiring business leaders rather than civil servants as ambassadors. The change forms part of a plan to recruit more ‘under-represented groups’ and will lead to the UK adopting a more US style of diplomacy, the paper claims.

Hancock to tackle assaults on NHS staff
According to the BBC, Health and Social Care Secretary Matt Hancock will today set out new measures to reduce the number of assaults on NHS staff. More training on dealing with violent situations will be given to staff, while prosecutions will be sped up. Inspectors will examine NHS trusts’ plan to protect staff and a new recording system will be brought in.

McDonnell criticised for backing tax cuts
The Guardian says that Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell is facing a backlash from his own MPs after he said that Labour would not oppose the tax cuts for high earners in the Budget. He said that ‘we’re not going to take money out of people’s pockets’, but has been criticised for his stance by MPs including Yvette Cooper and David Lammy.

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Today’s political headlines follow yesterday’s Autumn Budget and cover Hammond’s spending, Labour’s criticisms, the Brexit ‘double deal dividend’ and the digital services tax.

Hammond’s ‘giveaway’ Budget
The Times calls yesterday’s Budget ‘the biggest giveaway’ since the Conservatives came to power in 2010 as Hammond used his windfall from higher growth and lower deficit forecasts to ease austerity with £103bn of extra spending. Headline measures include tax cuts for 32m workers and funding for the NHS spending increase announced earlier in the year, as well as emergency cash injections for schools, freezes on beer and spirit duty and more money for Northern Ireland.

Labour criticises Budget for ‘broken promises’
The BBC reports that Labour has attacked claims by the Chancellor that austerity is ending, with Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell warning that benefit cuts are continuing and Jeremy Corbyn suggesting that the Budget was full of ‘broken promises’. The Resolution Foundation thinktank notes that changes to income tax thresholds will give the poorest families £30, compared to £410 for the richest.

Hammond promises Brexit ‘double deal dividend’
The Daily Telegraph says that Hammond promised a ‘double deal dividend’ if the UK reaches a Brexit deal with the EU as the economy would benefit from the ‘end of uncertainty’. However, he warned that an emergency Budget in the spring was possible if the outlook ‘changes materially’ and he would take ‘whatever action is necessary’.

Tech firms targeted with digital services tax
The Guardian reports that Hammond is targeting US tech firms such as Google, Facebook and Amazon with a digital services tax, as the UK can no longer wait for a global consensus on the route forward. He expects the tax to raise more than £400m a year, but the Office of Budget Responsibility believes that the major tech companies might pay just £30m each.

£3bn boost for Universal Credit
The Sun says that almost £3bn was spent on a rescue package for Universal Credit, reversing over half of the cuts made to the benefit by George Osborne. As a result, the paper calls Hammond ‘Mr Increditable’. The Chancellor claimed that 2.4m families would benefit from £630 more a year.

Budget welcomed by business groups
According to the Financial Times, the Budget was welcomed by business groups. The CBI said it offered ‘significant support for investment’ and the Federation of Small Businesses said that it was Hammond’s ‘first small-business friendly Budget’, particularly welcoming the freezing of the VAT threshold. However, business groups have also warned of the continuing uncertainty caused by Brexit. 

Hammond kills off PFI
The Times reports that Hammond has committed to no longer use PFI schemes following the collapse of Carillion earlier this year, with existing schemes to be managed by ‘centres of best practice’. According to the paper, the Treasury is looking at new funding models, such as a national infrastructure bank.

Unpopular measures hidden in the detail
The Daily Mirror reveals 13 details from the Budget it says Hammond ‘won’t want you to read’. They include the poorest in society not benefitting, a new plastic tax taking four years to introduce, a six-month delay to cutting stakes on fixed-odds betting terminals and a tax on vaping.

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Today’s political headlines include Hain’s claims that Sir Philip Green was responsible for the injunction dominating the press, Javid admits officials illegally requested DNA samples, DWP in denial over Universal Credit and May postpones her plans to present revised Brexit proposals. 

Hain claims Sir Philip Green was responsible for injunction
As The Daily Telegraph reports, Lord Hain used parliamentary privilege to claim that the businessman Sir Philip Green was the subject of an injunction preventing the paper from running a story. Following the revelation, MPs including Liberal Democrat leader Sir Vince Cable and Frank Field suggested that Green should lose his knighthood. Green refused to comment on events in Parliament but denied any ‘unlawful sexual or racist behaviour’.

Javid admits officials illegally requested DNA samples
The Times reports that Home Secretary Sajid Javid admitted yesterday that officials from his department had been illegally requiring DNA samples from people who wanted to stay in or visit the UK. Those affected include children of Gurkhas and Afghan translators who worked for the British military, but the scale of the error isn’t known. Javid said that those affected would be reimbursed.

Department of Work and Pensions ‘in denial’ about Universal Credit
The Daily Mirror says that a new report by the Commons Public Accounts Committee has found that Universal Credit is creating ‘unacceptable hardship’ for many claimants, accusing the Department of Work and Pensions of being ‘in denial’ about the benefit and being unable to make improvements as a result.

May postpones plans to present revised Brexit proposals to Cabinet
According to The Sun, Theresa May cancelled plans to present revised Brexit proposals to her Cabinet yesterday because they were not ready. In a reference to Attorney General Geoffrey Cox, who has emerged as a critic of May’s strategy, a source told the paper that the plan needed ‘Cox-proofing’. The paper suggests that May has just ten days to agree her offer to the EU if a November summit of EU leaders to discuss it is to go ahead.

Hannan claims EU citizens in UK will be able to vote
The Guardian reports that Brexiteer MEP Daniel Hannan told his colleagues via WhatsApp that he had seen part of the draft Brexit withdrawal agreement and that it would give EU citizens voting rights in England and Northern Ireland (they are devolved in Scotland and Wales). He described this as an ‘odd decision’, claiming that bilateral agreements should be reached with each country instead.

Defence to be given £500m bail out in Budget
In an exclusive, The Sun reveals that Chancellor Philip Hammond is to announce a £500m bailout for the Ministry of Defence in Monday’s Budget. However, he has insisted that the department will not get ‘special treatment’ and its long-term funding will be settled in spring’s spending review.

Raab warns of French ‘go slow approach’ in no-deal Brexit
The Daily Mail says that Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has warned that the UK should be ready for a ‘go slow approach’ by the French in the case of a no-deal Brexit, although he believes that border issues in such a scenario could be ‘alleviated’ through ‘pragmatism on both sides’.

MPs recommend that FCA regulates commercial lending
The Financial Times carries details of a new report by the House of Commons Treasury Committee, which concludes that commercial lending should be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The committee’s inquiry followed scandals over the way small businesses were treated by RBS and HBOS.

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