“Donald Trump’s foreign advisers say they have held constructive discussions with British diplomats as No 10 prepares for a Republican victory in next week’s US presidential election. The tightening of the race for the White House has coincided with a flurry of British diplomatic activity in Washington. One of Mr Trump’s foreign advisers – George Papadopoulos, a London based-lawyer – told The Times that he had had “very productive talks with representatives of the Foreign Office”. Sir Kim Darroch, Britain’s ambassador to the US, has meetings scheduled with senior members of Mr Trump and Hillary Clinton’s teams. One minister said there had been a “period of complacency” when it appeared nearly certain that the Democratic candidate would win last month.” – The Times (£)
“Many Trump supporters are old. Young evangelicals, for example, have rejected him in large numbers. The Republican nightmare may begin to die out. But inside the Democrats the march away from the mainstream is being led by a gathering number of young Americans. Hillary Clinton might be the last of the “New Democrats”, as her husband christened them, for some time.” – The Times (£)
>Today: Garvan Walshe’s column: Erdogan’s crackdown is turning Turkey into a second Russia
>Yesterday:
“Theresa May was last night urged to scrap the £90billion-a-year State Pension – as it’s “unfair” on millions of poorer Brits. A think tank claimed that as well as the huge cost, it’s the wealthy who benefit the most from the current system as they live longer, the prime minister was told. Centre for Policy Studies expert Michael Johnson said: “Chelsea Man can be expected to live until 88 whereas someone in the ward of Tottenham Green may die at 71. “So Chelsea Man gets 23 years’ worth of state pension and Tottenham Green gets five – but they both pay in the same amount of National Insurance during their working lives.”” – The Sun
Comment:
>Yesterday:
“Justice Secretary Liz Truss will today declare that prison is ‘not working’ as she unveils plans to sack failing governors and hire thousands of extra guards. In a scathing article, she blasts a failing system that is causing ‘incalculable’ harm to the British public – and costing every family £630 a year on reoffenders. She pledges to finally hold prison bosses to account if they fail to tackle drug abuse, violence and extremism behind bars.” – Daily Mail
More law enforcement:
“Thousands of foreigners fleecing the NHS will be barred from Britain under a new crackdown on rampant ‘health tourism’ by the Home Secretary today. Amber Rudd will unveil plans to stop a migrant’s partner or spouse coming to the UK from outside the EU if they have an outstanding debt of just £500 with the National Health Service. Those already in the UK will also face the threat of being refused ‘leave to remain’ if they have run-up a debt- effectively meaning they will be booted out of the country. The move comes just a week after the National Audit Office (NAO) said the Government’s attempts to recover £500million lost every year to health tourism have proved a complete flop.” – The Sun
More migration:
Comment:
“It caused an almighty row when it was pulled down in the 1960s as part of a brutal reconstruction of one of London’s busiest railway stations. Now the Euston Arch may be on the verge of rising again as part of a grand plan to combat a “cult of ugliness” on the public transport network. John Hayes, the transport minister, suggested this week that the arch would be rebuilt as part of a major upgrade of Euston to be completed at the same time as the launch of high-speed rail services from the station in 2026.” – The Times (£)
“Tensions at the top of government have increased after a secret cabinet committee paper revealed that Liam Fox’s department has divided countries he wants Britain to trade with into “gold” and “silver” categories. The international trade secretary has provoked irritation by listing the countries he considers ripe for a deal, but risks offending others ranked as lower priority. The paper also recommends taking preparatory steps for future trade deals, even though no decision has been made to leave the customs union. There are understood to be a few “eyebrow raising” entries among the countries listed. Yesterday Dr Fox called for deeper trade relations with Iran.” – The Times (£)
Comment:
>Today: ToryDiary: Brexit’s new Irish question. Or British question, if you prefer.
>Yesterday:
“Theresa May has been named The Spectator’s politician of the year at a remarkable awards ceremony dripping with acid-laden jokes that laid bare the tensions, betrayals and bitterness of Brexit. Mrs May was presented with her award by George Osborne, the man she sacked as chancellor, and took to the stage wearing a hard hat and high-vis jacket – poking fun at Mr Osborne’s tendency to dress as a construction worker. But the prime minister, not normally noted for her sense of humour, then launched into a series of risqué remarks, including a suggestion that Boris Johnson, the foreign secretary and a former leadership rival, was being lined up for political euthanasia.” – FT
“Labour distanced itself from Keith Vaz yesterday as a frontbench shadow minister suggested the MP should never have stood for election to the Justice Committee. Mr Vaz is facing a possible police inquiry and a Commons standards investigation into an alleged sex and drugs controversy… More than 150 Tory MPs, including ten Cabinet ministers, lined up to back Mr Vaz for the job, claiming they were simply trying to uphold Parliamentary convention, which allows political parties to nominate their own MPs for committee roles. But Labour appeared to desert Mr Vaz last night.” – Daily Mail
More Labour:
More Parliament:
Comment:
Editorial:
“Ukip’s biggest donor Arron Banks has warned the party could be about to “die or fade into the background”. The tycoon also said his close ally Nigel Farage could return again as leader to stabilise the party. Asked if Ukip was finished, Mr Banks told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “It could be, it’s at a crossroads.” He expressed his doubts over whether Ukip has a future as he warned the “pressure cooker” has exploded.” – Daily Telegraph