“Ministers will make it harder for new properties to be turned into holiday homes under plans to see off a Tory rebellion on planning rules. Michael Gove, the housing secretary, is in talks with a group of up to 60 Conservative MPs who are threatening to inflict a string of Commons defeats on the government that would severely restrict housebuilding in England. Gove is considering restrictions on properties built in tourist hotspots. Owners could be forced to submit a “change of use” planning application to the council if they wanted to let them to short-term visitors. Gove is also preparing to impose further sanctions on developers who delay building on land that they already own with planning permission. This could result in “use it or lose it” powers to rescind planning permission unless building has begun within a year.” – The Times
>Today: ToryDiary: How the Conservatives reached a 30-year high for house building – and why nobody noticed
“The state pension age could be raised due to the ‘pretty hairy’ state of the public finances, Cabinet minister Mel Stride has hinted. The Work and Pensions Secretary told MPs an ongoing review of the age at which Britons become entitled to the state pension would be published within the next six months. Mr Stride revealed that life expectancy rates, the cost of the state pension and ‘integenerational fairness’ were all factors being considered. But he shied away from recommitting to a previous assessment that Britons should expect to spend around one-third of their adult life in retirement. The state pension age is currently 66 for men and women and will rise to 67 by 2028, while the Government has previously said it will then rise again to 68 by 2039.” – Daily Mail
Editorial:
“Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt’s popularity has plummeted among Conservative Party members in the wake of tax rises in the Autumn Statement. Mr Sunak’s approval rating means he is now sixth from bottom in the monthly league table of Cabinet approval ratings published by the ConservativeHome website. The Prime Minister was the fifth most popular frontbencher in the previous survey, published on November 3, with a net approval rating of 49.9 per cent. But his first full month in office, which included the announcement of £24 billion of tax rises on November 17, has seen this fall to just nine per cent. Mr Hunt, the Chancellor, is now in negative territory on minus 9.9 per cent, a fall of 30 percentage points on his previous rating (29.7 per cent).” – Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Our Cabinet League Table: Sunak drops from fifth from top to sixth from bottom. Hunt in negative ratings. Wallace stays top.
“Rishi Sunak has given an impassioned defence of private schools, accusing Sir Keir Starmer of failing to understand aspiration during personal exchanges across the dispatch box. The prime minister accused Labour of putting “resentment” before “opportunity” by wanting to charge VAT on private school fees, after Starmer criticised his former school. At prime minister’s questions, the Labour leader said that “Winchester College has a rowing club, a rifle club and an extensive art collection; it charges more than £45,000 a year in fees” as he asked why the school benefited from £6 million in tax breaks… Starmer’s focus on private schools followed criticism of his policy by the Daily Mail, which has pleased Starmer’s team by raising the profile of the issue.” – The Times
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: If the Tories want to defend independent schools that will take policy, not rhetoric
“Rishi Sunak has created a dedicated unit to co-ordinate the UK government’s response to a threatened “winter of discontent”, as more than 10,000 ambulance workers became the latest public sector employees to vote for strike action. The prime minister has put Cabinet Office minister Oliver Dowden in charge of preparing contingency plans to cope with a wave of walkouts, anticipating future ones and overseeing Whitehall’s approach. The move comes as concerns mount in government over the threat posed by widespread industrial action, particularly in the public sector: James Callaghan’s Labour administration was fatally weakened by the “winter of discontent” of 1978-79.” – FT
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“The first Westminster byelection since the resignation of Boris Johnson and Liz Truss and the financial fallout from the mini-budget takes place on Thursday. Polls will close at 10pm in the City of Chester constituency in the first electoral test for Rishi Sunak. The byelection was triggered by Labour MP Chris Matheson resigning in October after allegations of sexual misconduct. Parliament’s bullying and harassment watchdog and the standards commissioner found he had violated the Commons’ sexual misconduct policy. The byelection comes after a year of turmoil for the Conservatives, including byelection losses in Wakefield and Tiverton and Honiton in June and the Partygate scandal, which contributed to Johnson’s resignation in July. His successor, Truss, resigned after only 45 days in office.” – The Guardian
“Boris Johnson told his local constituents that kicking him out as PM to make way for Liz Truss was “a mistake”. The ousted former PM vowed to carry on supporting Rishi Sunak publicly from the backbenchers, but repeatedly slammed the decision to push him out. One audience member told the Jewish News of the event in Ruislip: “It was clear throughout the conversation he felt he was wrongly removed. And it’s clear he definitely still has political ambitions.” He even joked “if I rise again” in a thinly-veiled suggestion he may try again for the top job. BoJo pulled out of last month’s Tory leadership race, paving the way for Rishi Sunak to become PM. But he told his constituents he “absolutely” wants to stay as their local MP – slapping down suggestions he could follow his Dad, Stanley, and Matt Hancock into the I’m a Celebrity Jungle.” – The Sun
“More than 43,000 people have crossed the Channel to the UK so far this year, figures show. A Red Wall Tory MP has hit out over a “lack of political will” to deal with Channel migrant crossings. Marco Longhi’s comments come after immigration minister Robert Jenrick confirmed that plans to use controversial pushback tactics against small boats making the dangerous journey from France have been abandoned by the Home Office. Mr Jenrick said there were only “limited circumstances” that dinghies could be turned around safely, adding there were “no current plans” to go ahead with the move. But the Dudley North MP told Express.co.uk: “Home Office incompetence and the lack of political will has meant that pushback has not even been attempted since it was approved.”” – Daily Express
More:
>Today:
>Yesterday: David Simmonds MP in Comment: To stop deaths in the English Channel, the Government must explore alternative asylum arrangements
“Raging MPs have hatched a plan to stop politicians like Matt Hancock going on reality TV shows in the future. The Lib Dems have tabled a Commons motion – dubbed the “Bushtucker Bill” – calling for parliament to ban MPs from abandoning their constituents to seek TV fame and fortune. If the motion is chosen by Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle, it will be debated on by all MPs in the future. Hancock sparked outrage when he ditched the Commons for camel testicles and joined this year’s I’m A Celeb line-up. He got paid a whopping £400,000 fee for the gig. The disgraced West Suffolk MP shocked the nation by ending the competition in third place on Sunday.” – The Sun