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Today’s Political Headlines include Gove’s ban on puppy farming, Javid’s Windrush apology overshadowed, botched criminal reforms and the EU’s monitoring of the UK’s access to financial markets after Brexit. 

Gove bans puppy farming
The Daily Mirror is celebrating the victory of the Lucy’s Law campaign to end puppy farming, which it had supported. Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary Michael Gove has announced that the Government is to ban the sale of puppies by pet shops, online dealers and third parties, claiming that too many pets ‘have been brought up in squalid circumstances, in circumstances of pain and suffering and misery which should never be inflicted on any living thing’.

Javid’s Windrush apology overshadowed by new removal and detention figures
The Guardian claims that an apology by Home Secretary Sajid Javid to 18 members of the Windrush generation who were ‘most likely’ treated ‘wrongly’ by the Home Office has been overshadowed by new figures that reveal that 164 Windrush people may have been wrongly detained or removed, although the precise details of these cases have not been determined.

Suspected serious criminals released without conditions after botched reforms
According to The Times, the use of police bail has fallen by 90% year-on-year, leading to high-risk suspects being ‘released under investigation’ without conditions. The paper attributes the changes to ‘poorly planned’ and ‘rushed’ Government reforms, described by an unnamed senior police officer as ‘a disaster’.

EU will strictly monitor UK’s access to financial markets after Brexit
The Financial Times reports that the EU official responsible for financial services, Valdis Dombrovskis has warned that the bloc will strictly monitor the UK’s right of access to its market after Brexit. He said that the EU was not offering the UK ‘super equivalence’ and that assessments would need to be conducted ‘sector by sector and legislation by legislation’. The Guardian adds that the UK’s no-deal impact paper for financial services is expected to be published in the first batch, due on Thursday, although this could change.

Corbyn accuses May of abandoning ‘moral duty to refugees’
The Guardian says that Theresa May has been criticised by Jeremy Corbyn for abandoning the UK’s ‘moral duty to refugees’, after the outsourcing firm Serco threatened to evict up to 330 refugees in Glasgow. He will meet some of the families affected by the firm’s action.

EU citizens will not be ‘turfed out’ in no-deal Brexit
The BBC reports that Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab has promised to ‘move swiftly’ to safeguard the status of EU citizens during a no-deal Brexit, saying that it was ‘inconceivable’ that they’d be ‘turfed out’. According to The Times, Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark has been holding urgent talks with Irish officials in an attempt to secure Northern Ireland’s electricity supply in the event of a no-deal Brexit, in order to avoid having to publish contingency plans involving the use of generators.

Low tax councils to be hit hardest by funding changes
The Financial Times carries details of new research by the Institute for Fiscal Studies which shows that a redistribution of central government funding for local authorities could force boroughs with low council tax rates to bear more of the cost of services, while benefiting councils with high tax rates.

Chris Williamson praises pro-Assad blogger
The Daily Mail says that the Corbyn-supporting Labour MP Chris Williamson has ‘sparked fury’ by praising Vanessa Beeley, a pro-Assad blogger, at the Beautiful Days festival this weekend. Around a year after the MP Jo Cox was murdered, Beeley described her as ‘a warmongering Blairite and White Helmet Al Qaeda advocate’.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the Government taking control of HMP Birmingham, EU migrants to be offered the right to stay in the event of a no-deal Brexit, Corbyn’s takeaway with the Hamas leader, and ending aid to rebel-held areas of Syria. 

Government takes control of ‘violent’ Birmingham prison
The Times reports that the Government has taken control of HMP Birmingham from G4S. The move follows the Chief Inspector of Prisons Peter Clarke’s call for the Government to open an independent inquiry into ‘appalling violence and squalor’ at the prison. He also warned of drug use, bullying and loss of control by prison staff. This is only the second time that the Government has taken over a private prison.

EU migrants to be offered right to stay in no-deal Brexit
The Daily Telegraph has obtained details of the UK’s policy towards EU migrants in the event of a no-deal Brexit. According to leaked cabinet papers, the UK will try to take the ‘moral high ground’ by allowing them to continue to live in the UK, use the NHS and claim benefits. The plan is to be set out in one of the no-deal technical papers, the first of which will be published on Thursday.

Corbyn had takeaway dinner with Hamas chief
The Sun reveals that Jeremy Corbyn admitted in a column for the Morning Star in 2010 that he had held a ‘long meeting’ and a takeaway dinner with Khaled Mashal, the Hamas leader, who the paper claims is a ‘renowned Holocaust denier’. Polling conducted for the paper finds that 47% think Labour had a serious problem with anti-Semitism, with 27% thinking that Corbyn is an anti-Semite. The Times adds that Labour MP Chris Williamson has been reprimanded following a complaint that he had belittled anti-Semitism accusations.

Aid to rebel-held areas of Syria to end
The Times says that the UK is to halt its support to the opposition in Syria, admitting that the rebels have lost the conflict. The Foreign Office and the Department for International Development have decided that the aid programmes are unsustainable, with the last rebel-held area expected to be attacked by President Assad’s forces imminently.

Adonis warns Labour will be ‘finished’ if it backs Brexit in an election
The Guardian reports that Lord Adonis has claimed that the Labour Party would be ‘finished’ if it backs Brexit at the next election. New polling shows that the Conservatives would be 4% ahead of Labour in a snap election if Labour adopted an anti-Brexit position, but 9% ahead if Labour was pro-Brexit, with the Liberal Democrats just 2% behind Labour.

MPs call for increased staffing budget because of Brexit
In an exclusive, The Daily Telegraph claims that MPs have been lobbying the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) for an increase in their staffing budget because Brexit is increasing their ‘workloads’. The former Chairman of the Committee on Standards in Public Life, Sir Alistair Graham, has warned that the system is ‘open to abuse’ and that Ipsa should be ‘very cautious about raising budget’.

Tory MPs express entryism fears
The Guardian reports that Conservative MPs including Anna Soubry, George Freeman, Nicky Morgan and Phillip Lee have expressed concerns about entryism in the party after Leave.EU urged its supporters to join so that they could vote for Boris Johnson or Jacob Rees-Mogg in the next party leadership election.

Wright considers addressing conference as a hologram
According to The Times, Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Secretary Jeremy Wright is considering addressing the Conservative Party conference as a hologram, under plans that he inherited from his predecessor Matt Hancock, designed to highlight the work being done by British businesses with the technology.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Len McCluskey’s input in the anti-Semitism row, Hunt says no-deal Brexit would be a mistake, £10m crackdown on drugs and phones in prisons and the vaping report. 

Len McCluskey accuses Jewish leaders of ‘truculent hostility’ towards Labour
The Guardian reports that Unite general secretary Len McCluskey has accused Jewish leaders of ‘truculent hostility’ towards Labour, but also called for the party to adopt the full International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism. Margaret Hodge has told Sky News that when she was investigated for confronting Corbyn over antisemitism, it made her think about ‘what it felt like to be a Jew in Germany in the 30s’.

Hunt says no-deal Brexit ‘would be a mistake we would regret for generations’
The BBC says that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, who has just completed a tour of northern Europe has warned that a no-deal Brexit ‘would be a mistake we would regret for generations’ and refused to rule out accepting EU environmental and social legislation. The Times reports that Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Secretary Greg Clark warned in a meeting with Austrian and Finnish counterparts that if the European Commission rejected the UK’s proposals it would cause ‘lasting economic harm’ to millions across the continent. The Sun adds that the UK will publish its first batch of technical notices for a no-deal Brexit next week, covering topics including farming, fishing, customs and cigarette packets.

£10m crackdown on drugs and phones in prisons
The BBC reports that the Ministry of Justice is to invest £10m to counter the proliferation of drugs and mobile phones at ten of England’s most ‘challenging’ prisons. The policy will see the introduction of new body scanners and sniffer dogs, prison governors sent to military-style colleges and repairs and improvements to windows and perimeter walls.

Committee’s vaping report causes ‘outcry’ from scientists
The Daily Mail claims that a new report by the Commons Science and Technology Committee on vaping has caused ‘outcry’, with leading scientists describing it as ‘one-sided’. The report recommends reconsidering bans on vaping in public places, making it easier to obtain vaping devices on prescription and relaxing advertising restrictions.

Lord Sheikh claims calls for his expulsion from Tories are ‘politically motivated’
The Times reports that Lord Sheikh has claimed that Zac Goldsmith and Robert Halfon’s calls for him to be expelled from the Conservatives for attending the same event in Tunisia as Jeremy Corbyn are a ‘politically motivated’ attack. He denies meeting Hamas and says that he did not participate in the wreath-laying ceremony.

BMA warns of ‘potentially catastrophic consequences’ of no-deal Brexit
The Financial Times says that the British Medical Association has ‘stepped up’ its warnings about a no-deal Brexit, claiming that it poses ‘potentially catastrophic consequences for patients, the health workforce, services and the nation’s health’. A briefing paper suggests that care for those suffering from rare diseases and cancer would be disrupted, while the country’s response to pandemics would also be put at risk.

Ministers considering ‘inheritance insurance’ plan to fund social care
In an exclusive, The Sun reveals health ministers are considering proposals for ‘inheritance insurance’, under which elderly people would take money out of their pension on a tax-free basis and buy insurance to pay for their care. The insurer would guarantee to protect their home, allowing it to be passed onto their children.

New apprenticeships fall by 31% as business groups call for reforms
The Financial Times reports that new figures show that there has been a 31% drop in the people starting apprenticeships. Business groups have warned that the Government is in danger of missing its target of 3m apprenticeships by 2020 and called for it to take action.

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Today’s Political Headlines include Ministers considering the closure of the road outside Parliament, Grayling criticised by the RMT, Labour dismissing Corbyn cemetery claims and Brown to attack child poverty. 

Ministers consider closing road following attack on Parliament
The BBC reports that police are searching three addresses in the Midlands and a man has been arrested on suspicion of terrorism after a car hit pedestrians and cyclists outside Parliament before colliding with a barrier yesterday. The Daily Telegraph says ministers are now in talks about closing the road outside Parliament in order to prevent future attacks and have committed £5m to fund a feasibility study.

Rail union accuses Grayling of imposing ‘pay cap’
The BBC reports that the RMT has accused Transport Secretary Chris Grayling of trying to impose a ‘pay cap’ on its members by basing future rail fare and wage increases on the lower Consumer Prices Index measure on inflation, rather than the higher Retail Prices Index.

Labour dismisses cemetery visit claims as ‘false and misleading’
The Guardian says that the Labour Party has dismissed what is calls ‘false and misleading’ claims about Jeremy Corbyn’s visit to a Palestinian cemetery in Tunis, insisting that he was actually attending a memorial for victims of an Israeli air strike on the PLO headquarters in 1985, not commemorating Salah Khalaf, the mastermind of the 1972 Munich terror attack. The Times adds that Corbyn is facing an inquiry into claims that he failed to declare who paid for the visit and The Daily Telegraph reports that he has been condemned for making a Muslim Brotherhood salute during a visit to Finsbury Park mosque.

Brown to attack child poverty
The Guardian reports that Gordon Brown is to make a ‘scathing attack’ on the failure to address quickly rising child poverty levels today. He will use an event at the Edinburgh International Book Festival to claim that it is a national disgrace that the number of children below the poverty line is due to increase to over five million by the early 2020s.

May promises ‘new generation of council homes’ amid scepticism from sector
The Financial Times says that Theresa May used the launch of yesterday’s green paper on social housing to promise ‘a new generation of council homes to help fix our broken housing market’. However, the paper reports that councils and housing associations are sceptical that the proposed measures go far enough and criticised the absence of new funding.

Report calls on UK to strengthen Arctic military presence
The Daily Mirror has details of a new report by the Commons Defence Committee which warns that the UK needs to expands its Arctic military presence in order to combat Russian expansion. As the Arctic ice sheet retreats, oil and minerals are being exposed and the report claims that the UK is behind in the race to exploit these.

Hunt starts second tour of European capitals
The Financial Times reports that Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt has embarked upon a second tour of European capitals, visiting Finland, Latvia, Denmark and the Netherlands in an attempt to gain support for the UK’s Brexit proposals. The paper says that this underlines ‘the new activism of the Foreign Office on Brexit since the resignation of Boris Johnson’.

Chief executives’ pay grew by nine times that of the average worker
The Times carries figures from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development and the High Pay Centre which show that the pay of FTSE100 chief executives increased by 23% in the last year, while that of the average worker grew by just 2.5%. Rachel Reeves, who chairs the Commons Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Committee, said that this was a sign that ‘something is going very wrong’.

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Today’s Political Headlines include the widows of the Munich massacre victims calling for Corbyn to apologise, the Muslim Council calling for an investigation into Boris, May’s fanciful customs plan and the Government’s £100m pledge to end rough sleeping. 

Widows of Munich massacre victims call for Corbyn to apologise
The Daily Mail reports that widows of the victims of the Munich massacre have called for an apology from Jeremy Corbyn after details of a trip he made to the Tunisian cemetery where members of terrorist group Black September are buried were revealed in Saturday’s Mail. Labour claimed that Corbyn was there to commemorate victims of an Israeli air strike on a PLO base, but in an article written at the time he said he had laid wreaths on other graves.

Muslim Council calls for investigation into Johnson as Islamophobic incidents increase
The Guardian says that the Muslim Council of Britain is to write to the Prime Minister to demand a full disciplinary investigation into Boris Johnson, claiming that there has been an increase in Islamophobic incidents since his article on the burqa was published. Data from the Tell Mama project shows that there has been an increase in abuse towards women wearing niqabs and hijabs in the last week.

May’s customs plan is ‘fanciful’, experts say
According to The Times, trade experts have described Theresa May’s planned customs deal with the EU as ‘fanciful’, questioning the pledge that most businesses would pay the correct or no tariff at the border, and the assertion that businesses would be able to reliably track goods in order to prevent smuggling. The paper says that if her proposal fails, she would have to choose between remaining in the customs union or pulling out completely.

Government pledges £100m to end rough sleeping
The BBC reports that the Government has promised to end rough sleeping in England by 2027 in its new Rough Sleeping Strategy, to be announced by Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary James Brokenshire today. It has promised to spend £100m ‘to help people turn their lives around’, including spending on mental health, substance misuse and housing.

Johnson calls for stamp duty cut
The Daily Telegraph carries a column by Boris Johnson, in which he claims that ‘absurdly high’ stamp duty should be cut and targets for affordable housing should be ditched in an attempt to increase rates of building. He claims that developers have become an ‘oligopoly’, land-banking and building poor-quality homes.

Minister apologises after Tory tweet leaves Chris Boardman ‘genuinely sick’
The Mirror says that Chris Boardman, the Olympic medal-winning cyclist whose mum was killed while cycling, has claimed that he was left ‘genuinely sick’ by a Conservative claim that new laws would protect ‘our most vulnerable road users’ from cyclists, leading transport minister Jesse Norman to issue an apology and the party to delete the tweet in question.

Moderate Tories set up ‘pragmatic Brexit’ group
The Daily Telegraph reveals that a bloc of 50 moderate Conservative MPs led by Simon Hart and Andrew Percy have established the Brexit Delivery Group, which aims ‘to find a pragmatic Brexit outcome’ and challenge the European Research Group. The party’s head of policy, Chris Skidmore, has called for the party to unite and to talk about domestic issues.

Stewart calls on military to boost prison leadership
The Times reports that prisons minister Rory Stewart is asking for assistance from military leaders to set up a military-style staff college for prison governors, although he has abandoned the idea of making governors wear uniforms. The paper adds that prison sources have cast doubt on the idea that the military’s experience is relevant.

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