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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 political headlines include the Dancing Queen promising to end austerity, UK accuses Russia of cyber attacks, the Brexit deal push and Ireland backs British backstop proposals. 

‘Dancing Queen’ promises end to austerity
The Times reports that Theresa May used her conference speech to announce the end of austerity, promising to increase public spending post-Brexit. Appearing on stage dancing to ABBA’s Dancing Queen, the Prime Minister also announced a cap on council borrowing to build new homes, promised quicker diagnoses for cancer patients (citing the story of her goddaughter who died of cancer last year) and, in a victory for The Sun, confirmed that fuel duty would be frozen.

UK accuses Russia of cyber attacks
The Guardian reports that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has accused Russia’s intelligence services of a number of ‘reckless and indiscriminate cyber-attacks’ which were ‘in flagrant violation of international law’, including the 2016 hacking of the Democratic National Committee headquarters.

May starts Brexit deal push
According to The Sun, Theresa May will today start a ten-day push to get EU leaders to agree a Brexit deal, aiming to get a deal agreed at a summit on 16-17 October, which will be translated into legal text while a framework on future trade is negotiated, before both are formally agreed at a further summit in November.

Ireland backs British backstop proposals
The Financial Times says that Ireland has given its backing to a proposal from Theresa May to break the impasse over the Irish border backstop in the Brexit negotiations. Under the plan, if no other solution is found to the border problem, the whole of the UK would remain in a customs union with the EU (which has already been rejected by chief negotiator Michel Barnier) and agree that Northern Ireland would remain subject to single market regulations.

France would prefer no-deal Brexit to compromise
The Daily Telegraph reports that France’s Europe minister, Natalie Loiseau, has warned that it would prefer the UK to leave the EU without a deal than accept a compromise which undermines the EU’s integrity. The paper adds that it believes that a new British proposal will leave the UK in a de-facto customs union with the EU, with Northern Ireland aligned with single market rules.

Tory mayoral candidate under fire for remarks about multiculturalism
The Guardian reports that the Conservative candidate for Mayor of London Shaun Bailey used a pamphlet that he wrote for the Centre for Policy Studies a decade ago to claim that accommodating Muslims and Hindus ‘robs Britain of its community’ and risked turning it into a ‘crime-riddled cesspool’.

Johnson paid £275,000 for Telegraph column
The Sun reports that Boris Johnson is being paid £275,000 for his column in The Daily Telegraph, which is double the salary he received while he was Foreign Secretary and ten times the average salary. According to the Register of Interests, he spends ten hours a month on the column, giving him an hourly rate of £2,300.

RBS and Nissan warn of Brexit consequences
Ross McEwan, the Chief Executive of RBS, has told the BBC that a ‘bad Brexit’ could lead to a recession and that as a result the bank was becoming more cautious about lending to certain sectors, especially retail and construction. The Guardian reports that Nissan has warned that an end to ‘frictionless trade’ with the EU would have ‘serious implications’.

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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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