Today’s Political Headlines – 4 January 2018

A round-up of the latest political headlines, including Michael Gove’s farm subsidy U-turn, the Government has been accused of failing to stop the NHS crisis, Labour’s minimum wage increase could lead to job losses and money from dormant bank accounts being spent on good causes.  

Michael Gove in farm subsidies U-turn
The Times reports that Michael Gove, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Secretary, will announce a U-turn, maintaining farm subsidies until March 2024. Gove has criticised the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy for paying farmers according to the amount of land they own, but is expected to admit that reforms, such as linking subsidies to wildlife protection, will be delayed. However, the largest landowners may see payments capped before 2024.

Government accused of failing to stop NHS crisis
The Guardian reports on claims that the Government is failing to stop a growing crisis in the NHS, with at least 21 hospital trusts on black alert. John Kell, the Patients Association’s head of policy, said: ‘The policy decisions that have left the NHS in this position are taken by the government’. The Daily Telegraph adds that some hospitals have called on families to look after elderly patients at home, and that Prime Minister Theresa May said, ‘The NHS has been better prepared for this winter than ever before, we have put extra funding in.’

Labour’s minimum wage increase could lead to job losses
The Institute for Fiscal Studies has concluded that Labour’s minimum wage increase could put jobs at risk, The Daily Telegraph says. As workers become more expensive to employ, low-paid jobs could be replaced by robots and automation, but it is not clear where the tipping point is. However, the analysis also says there is a case for a higher minimum wage, but that it should be based on evidence rather than a ‘political bidding war’.

Money from dormant bank accounts to be spent on good causes
The Financial Times reports that up to £330m from dormant bank and building society accounts will be spent on ‘a fairer society’. Money from accounts that have been unused for 15 years will be spent by the Big Lottery Fund, Big Society Capital, and local charities.

Government defends appointment of Toby Young
The Department for Education has defended the appointment of Toby Young to the board of the new Office for Students. The appointment had been criticised over comments he has made about women, working class people and eugenics, according to The Guardian. Young has deleted tens of thousands of his old tweets, whilst a departmental spokesman said that he had ‘expressed his regrets’.

Tony Blair: Labour will become ‘the handmaiden of Brexit’
Tony Blair has warned that Labour risks becoming ‘the handmaiden of Brexit’ if it continues to be timid over the issue, in an article on his own website. He argues that the party should ‘be on the high ground of progressive politics, explaining why membership of the European Union is right as a matter of principle, for profound political as well as economic reasons.’ Separately, The Times reports that Blair warned Donald Trump’s aides that British intelligence may have spied on them during the election.

Research on political party members published
Queen Mary University of London has published research on the members of different political parties. The Guardian claims that Conservative members are ‘a breed apart’, with stronger tendencies towards socially illiberal and authoritarian attitudes, and different views on Brexit.

Anti-slavery tsar under investigation
The Times reports that Kevin Hyland, appointed as anti-slavery commissioner when Theresa May was Home Secretary, is under investigation after Unseen, the charity that runs the modern slavery helpline, raised ‘serious concerns’ about his conduct.

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