“Rishi Sunak has lifted the ban on onshore windfarms in the face of a Tory revolt and said he would consider lower energy bills for communities who support them. The Prime Minister agreed with rebel MPs that decisions on whether turbines can be erected will revert to local communities, and that there will no longer be a requirement for near-unanimous support. He backed down after 34 Tory MPs, including Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, signed an amendment in support of onshore wind. It comes just a day after he scrapped mandatory house-building targets in the face of another backbench rebellion. Following talks between ministers and rebels on Tuesday, Mr Sunak also agreed that communities which agree to support onshore wind turbines could be rewarded with lower bills.” – The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
“Rishi Sunak is under pressure from Tory MPs to accelerate new strike-busting legislation, as Britain faces the biggest wave of industrial action since the tail-end of Margaret Thatcher’s government. More than 1mn working days will be lost to strike action in December — the worst disruption in any month since July 1989 — based on unions’ current plans for action by postal and rail workers, NHS staff and civil servants. On Tuesday, ministers accused the RMT rail union of “holding the country to ransom” by scheduling walkouts over Christmas, after it rejected a 9 per cent two-year offer from Network Rail. The union has also rejected a separate 8 per cent offer from train operating companies. But unions have accused ministers of wrecking a potential deal…” – The Financial Times
>Today:
“Britain will build a new stealth fighter plane with Japan and Italy by 2035…The sixth-generation Tempest jet would be able to fly both piloted and unmanned while armed with hypersonic weapons and crucially dodge modern radar. It will also be able to go head to head with swarming drones in aerial combat and could even deploy cutting-edge direct energy cannons. Rishi Sunak is due to ink an historic defence accord with the two allies within days to jointly build the fighter of the future after years of talks. It will mark a notable change in direction after years of working with multiple EU countries on the Eurofighter Typhoon which dates back to the 1980s. BAE Systems and the Ministry of Defence have already pledged more than £2 Billion to the Tempest project through the Future Combat Air System…” – The Sun
“Rishi Sunak and Joe Biden will today announce a deal to keep the lights on in Britain – using gas produced by fracking in the US. The Prime Minister and President have agreed a UK-US Energy Security and Affordability Partnership to lessen the risk of winter blackouts and further reduce dependence on Russia for gas and oil. As part of the major initiative, Downing Street said the US will aim to export at least nine to ten billion cubic metres of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) to UK terminals over the next year – more than double the amount exported in 2021. Ahead of the announcement today, Mr Sunak said last night: ‘Together the UK and US will ensure the global price of energy and the security of our national supply can never again be manipulated by the whims of a failing regime…’” – The Daily Mail
“The chancellor will urge the UK’s largest banks to do all they can to support those struggling to pay their mortgage during the cost-of-living crisis when he holds his first talks with chief executives on Wednesday. Jeremy Hunt will host a roundtable with heads of major mortgage lenders, including Debbie Crosbie of Nationwide, HSBC UK’s Ian Stuart and NatWest’s Alison Rose to discuss the impact of rising interest rates and living costs on customers. The consumer champion Martin Lewis has also been invited to No 11 after warning that rising energy bills, inflation and interest rates could result in a “perfect storm” for homeowners in the spring…The chancellor is expected to tell lenders they should do everything they can to support borrowers…” – The Guardian
“Rapists and murderers will not be let out early to solve prison overcrowding, the Deputy PM insists. His promise comes after ministers were forced to ask police chiefs to use cells to hold inmates last week, as the prison population hit 82,000. Dominic Raab told The Sun he “makes no apology” for putting criminals behind bars for longer. And he pointed the finger at strike action by the Criminal Bar Association, saying it had led to more people being held on remand. Mr Raab insisted: “We will not be releasing anyone like Labour did, I guarantee that.” He was speaking at a call-handler training session ahead of the launch of a new 24/7 rape helpline. Survivors will have access to round-the-clock support with a new chat system and phoneline — supported by £6million of government cash.” – The Sun
“The culture secretary has questioned the sustainability of the BBC, attacked the corporation’s bias and criticised cuts it made to local radio. Michelle Donelan said the BBC had a “great way to go” on impartiality, an issue she raised in her first meeting with Tim Davie, the director general and Richard Sharp, the chairman. Giving evidence to MPs on the Digital, Culture and Media Select Committee, Donelan said it was “undeniable that the licence fee is not a long-term sustainable model in its own right” because of dipping viewing figures. She suggested there could be a “mixed model where the licence fee is propped up by other sources of funding”… Last month Ofcom said the BBC committed “significant editorial failings” in its reporting of an antisemitic attack on Jewish students.” – The Times
“Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan yesterday personally ‘guaranteed’ the Online Safety Bill will become law amid fears it might run out of parliamentary time. Speaking to a committee of MPs, she said she was ‘comfortable’ with her assurance…Concerns had been raised that the long-awaited Bill was in jeopardy after a five-month delay and new measures being added that will further stall progress. Bereaved families who lost children after being exposed to online harms attended Westminster on Monday urging the Government to ensure the Bill was passed in time. Having spoken to the group, included the parents of teenager Molly Russell, who was found dead after being bullied online, Ms Donelan said she could ‘completely understand why they’re at the end of their tether’.” – The Daily Mail
“The government has ruled out making any intervention in the market to help farmers or consumers with high food prices, the environment secretary, Thérèse Coffey, has said. Food prices have soared in the past year, in part owing to higher input prices such as energy, fertiliser and animal feed. Last month, food price inflation hit a fresh high of 12.4%, with poorer households hit hardest. Farmers have also complained that supermarkets are driving down the prices they pay to producers at the farmgate, leaving them making tiny profits. A report published last week by the food charity Sustain found farmers made less than a tenth of a penny in profit from a supermarket loaf selling to consumers for £1.14, and just a penny in profit from a £2.50 block of mild cheddar cheese.” – The Guardian
“Foreign Office minister Andrew Mitchell today admitted he was ‘rather surprised’ that Britain still sent foreign aid cash to China – as it’s now more than 12 years since he tried to stop taxpayers’ money going to the world’s second-largest economy. Appearing before the House of Commons’ International Development Committee, Mr Mitchell conceded it was ‘virtually impossible’ to defend UK foreign aid being sent to either China or India. He told MPs that such spending was ‘extremely difficult’ explain to the ‘hard-pressed’ British public. The minister acknowledged it did ‘great damage’ to the reputation of Britain’s wider development budget. But Mr Mitchell did attempt to defend money being spent in China on areas such as scholarships for students at UK universities…” – The Daily Mail
“Labour has been accused of “testing the water” for a possible post-general election coalition with the SNP by offering the Scottish government new powers to sign international agreements. A recommendation buried in Labour’s 174-page Commission on the UK’s Future says Scotland should be allowed “to enter into international agreements and join international bodies in relation to devolved matters”. These could include the Erasmus student exchange scheme, which is only open to EU countries. The suggestion has alarmed senior figures in the Foreign Office, which represents the UK’s four nations on the international stage. One source said it appeared Labour was making an early offer to form a government with the SNP if…there is a hung Parliament after the next election…” – The Daily Telegraph
“Nicola Sturgeon suffered a ‘personal humiliation’ last night as a rebel Nationalist MP seized control of the party’s Westminster group. Stephen Flynn was elected by his fellow MPs as the new SNP leader in the House of Commons after defeating Alison Thewliss, the favoured candidate of those most loyal to the First Minister. It completes a rebellion by a group of politicians who want more divergence from party HQ after Ian Blackford was ousted last week and led to claims Miss Sturgeon’s ‘once-iron grip on her party is slipping’. Mr Flynn, previously the SNP’s business spokesman at Westminster, won the contest by 26 votes to 17. Minutes after he was elected, he denied he had completed a coup – but said a ‘fresh approach’ was needed.” – The Daily Mail