“Britons must never again be forced to pay exorbitant energy bills, Liz Truss will declare on Thursday as she promises more North Sea drilling and ditches the fracking ban. Annual energy bills will be frozen at around £2,500 for the average household both this winter and next, and green levies will be scrapped. Businesses will get protection from energy price rises in a pandemic-style government intervention that could end up costing more than £150 billion… A Number 10 source said Ms Truss wanted to “revolutionise energy supply” in Britain so the soaring bills being seen would never be repeated.” – Daily Telegraph
>Today: Ed Birkett in Comment: Freezing energy prices comes with big risks. A better policy would be targeted help – and a windfall tax with a difference.
“Liz Truss is set to give the green light to fracking as part of her landmark energy package today. Insiders expect her to rip up the moratorium in England which has banned it since 2019, to help boost our own supplies. A landmark report is expected to say that it can be done safely under certain conditions. But it will only be allowed to take place when local communities agree to it. Locals will be wooed into backing new projects with the promise of hugely discounted energy bills.” – The Sun
“Addressing MPs in the House of Commons chamber on Wednesday, former prime minister Theresa May wryly observed that of the UK’s three elected female prime ministers all have hailed from the Conservative party. Not only is Liz Truss the UK’s third female PM, but her new cabinet is also the most ethnically diverse ever, with none of the great offices of state — Number 10, the Treasury, the Foreign Office and the Home Office — held by a white man. With Kwasi Kwarteng as the UK’s first black chancellor of the exchequer and Wendy Morton as the first Conservative female chief whip, the party’s front benches look very different to two decades ago.” – FT
Aides:
>Today: ToryDiary: Why Truss’s sweeping reorganisation of the Downing Street operation could spell trouble for her
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: The ABBA reshuffle. The winner takes it all.
“Liz Truss handed out a string of middle-ranking jobs to prominent Rishi Sunak supporters as she held out an olive branch. Robert Jenrick, a high-profile backer of the former chancellor in the Tory leadership race, was made a minister in the Department of Health and Social Care. Mark Spencer, a fellow supporter, was given a role in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, while Victoria Prentis and Jeremy Quin got ministerial posts in the Department for Work and Pensions and the Home Office. Ms Truss faced some criticism on Tuesday night when she sacked a series of Mr Sunak’s supporters from the Cabinet, raising fears that she was not interested in bringing the Conservative Party together.” – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
>Yesterday:
“The new chancellor has promised a shift in economic policy towards an “unashamedly pro-growth agenda” rather than worrying about redistribution. Kwasi Kwarteng promised “to do things differently” as he acknowledged the need for higher borrowing over the winter to help households with their energy bills. However, he promised “fiscal discipline over the medium term” by ensuring the economy would grow faster than government debt, saying this would require deregulation and tax cuts. After meeting key City figures… Kwarteng said that he wanted to deal with economic problems through growth, with a goal of getting the underlying rate up to 2.5 per cent.” – The Times
Comment:
>Yesterday: Ryan Bourne’s column: Truss needs to make her borrowing work for the markets. Which may mean her spending review rethinking whole functions of the state.
“Ministers have signalled an end to “nanny state” measures as Therese Coffey, the Health Secretary, admitted she is not a “role model” for the country. On Wednesday, Ms Coffey set out her top four priorities as “A, B, C, D – ambulances, backlogs, care, doctors and dentists” and vowed to “stand up for patients”. Questioned about her own smoking and drinking habits, and whether she “could possibly do with losing a pound or two”, the Health Secretary said her focus was on “how we deliver for patients”… Ms Coffey, who has also been appointed Deputy Prime Minister, has long taken a libertarian stance on public health matters.” – Daily Telegraph
“Liz Truss’s Government will go back to the drawing board on a new Bill of Rights to tackle the Channel migrants crisis, it emerged last night. The new Prime Minister’s team confirmed that the human rights reforms – which began their passage through Parliament this year – are being ‘reviewed’. Ministers will redraft the proposals so they are clearly targeted on ‘illegal immigration’, such as small boats arriving from France, insiders said. The move is likely to result in delays to other crucial aspects of the Bill, such as boosting free speech. The new ministerial team believes parts of the proposed legislation were not as ‘targeted, effective or comprehensive as they could be’, sources said.” – Daily Mail
“New UK prime minister Liz Truss is set to water down draft legislation designed to make the internet safer in response to rightwing Conservative MPs’ concerns about its regulatory over-reach and restrictions on free speech. The proposed “online safety bill” is designed to force tech platforms such as Google, Facebook and Twitter to tackle harmful content on the internet — ranging from issues such as threatening behaviour to racist and sexual abuse. The groundbreaking draft legislation is being watched closely by regulators around the world and has been vigorously opposed by tech companies which could end up facing huge fines if they breach the new law.” – FT
“Liz Truss hired two hard Brexiteers to drive through her plans to override the Northern Ireland Protocol as she vowed on Wednesday to resist EU pressure. The Prime Minister appointed Chris Heaton-Harris and Steve Baker, both former chairmen of the European Research Group, to head up the Northern Ireland Office. At her first PMQs, she pledged not to compromise on ripping up the Irish Sea border, which has enraged Unionists and led to the collapse of the Belfast assembly. James Cleverly, the new Foreign Secretary who will take over responsibility for leading talks with the EU, is also a staunch Brexiteer.” – Daily Telegraph
>Today: Stephen Booth’s column: The Northern Ireland Protocol. A re-set under Truss? Perhaps, but the core differences are about policy, not personalities.
>Yesterday: Sir Jeffrey Donaldson MP in Comment: Our new Prime Minister must deliver the Northern Ireland Protocol Bill to help the whole United Kingdom