“Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to slash “mind-boggling” NHS bureaucracy, as he said the service must either “reform or die”. The Labour leader cautioned that “well-meaning reverence” for the health service has “supplanted reality”, adding that it must not be seen as “off limits” for criticism…Sir Keir also outlined Labour’s plans to crack down on the “bureaucratic nonsense” that patients encounter every day in the health service…“Every patient will have their own experience of these mundane inconveniences and inefficiencies. Across the system and across the country each one adds up, resulting in a mind-boggling waste of time, energy and money, all of which could be better spent.” – Sunday Telegraph
“Jeremy Hunt has been “captured” by the Treasury, according to a Westminster insider. The chancellor is seen as the stumbling block in talks with the unions over disputes that have brought Britain grinding to a halt. The insider points to Hunt’s determination to boost growth by getting economically inactive people back into work while blocking pay rises for public sector workers. It is understood that the Treasury has told Steve Barclay to find savings in his health department if he wants to give nurses a pay rise. He has resisted the idea after having to find £250 million to plough into social care to free up hospital beds and ease the A&E crisis.” – Sunday Times
“Rishi Sunak has been warned by the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) and Tory backbenchers against “caving in” to the EU in negotiations over the Northern Ireland Protocol. Lord Dodds, the DUP’s leader in the House of Lords, told The Sunday Telegraph that he feared the Prime Minister was “softening people up” for concessions that would leave the Protocol intact. Last week, the UK and EU hailed a breakthrough in negotiations by striking a mini-deal to give the EU access to UK databases on trade flows of goods and animals from Britain to Northern Ireland.” – Sunday Telegraph
“Rishi Sunak is set to declare a new ‘war on woke’ by appointing a free speech watchdog and more closely vetting the appointment of Left-wing bishops, The Mail on Sunday understands. A ‘free speech tsar’, with the power to investigate universities which censure academics for their views, is expected to be announced shortly by the Prime Minister. Whitehall sources say that the favourite is Arif Ahmed, a Cambridge professor who has spoken out against the ‘cancel culture’ on campuses.” – Mail on Sunday
“Teachers have backed plans to strike next month after ministers refused to meet their pay demands, union sources said. Leaders of the National Education Union (NEU) are expected to announce the result on Monday of a ballot of its 300,000 members. A mix of national walkouts and regional strike action would start in February and could run until mid-March.” – Sunday Times
“The UK is to send Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine to bolster the country’s war effort, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has said. He spoke to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky in a call on Saturday, during which he confirmed he would send the equipment and additional artillery systems, No 10 said. Downing Street said the move shows “the UK’s ambition to intensify support.” The BBC understands the initial commitment is for 14 tanks. Around 30 AS90s, which are large, self-propelled guns, are also expected to be delivered.” – BBC
“The influence of Boris on events in Ukraine cannot be overstated. Had the UK been a member of the EU and bound by the spirit of “sincere cooperation”, we would have been held back by German financial interests and French diffidence. Boris used our freedom to arm the Ukrainians with the NLAW tank-busting weapon which made Putin’s advance fail. These started being supplied before the war began when Russia’s intentions were still not believed, even if they had become clear, and they were essential in giving the Ukrainians a chance. The attitude of the United States hardened and the EU borrowed a bit of Boris’s spine.” – Jacob Rees-Mogg, Sunday Express
“Rishi Sunak is nearing a deal with rebel Tory MPs over plans to jail social media bosses whose networks harm children. The PM and Culture Secretary Michelle Donelan have been in talks with the 50-strong group this weekend. The rebels want to amend the Online Harms Bill so chiefs of online giants who fail kids can be jailed for two years. Insiders are hopeful a compromise will be struck before the bill returns to Parliament next week. If not, the PM will face his first Commons defeat as Labour plan to back the amendment. Miriam Cates, the Tory leading the bid for change, said: “We’re not doing this to inflict a defeat on the Government – we want to win a victory for children.” – The Sun on Sunday
>Today: ToryDiary: The revolt over the Online Safety Bill encapsulates the bind Sunak is in
“SNP members are to be given the choice of using the next UK general election or the next Holyrood election as a de facto independence referendum. The party says its first choice is still for the UK government to agree to a referendum. But if that is not possible it could use the general election as a vote. The second option would be to treat the UK election result as a mandate for the party to contest the 2026 Holyrood election as an independence vote.” – BBC
“A Conservative think tank has said the welfare system is not providing enough support for people, and has called for the introduction of a “minimum income”. Bright Blue, backed by some senior Tory MPs, says households need a minimum income to meet the cost of living. Former work and pensions secretary Stephen Crabb said the welfare system has “significant gaps and weaknesses”. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) insists it still “offers a vital safety net to millions of people”. The government is currently considering options to reform the welfare system to encourage more people back into employment.” – BBC
“The British Museum bought the collection from Lord Elgin, who had acquired it with the permission of the authorities. Elgin had not planned to remove the carvings. Rather, he wanted to sketch and measure them. But he changed his mind when he saw passers-by carting them off…Our legal order is based on the concept of ownership. If your grandparents had bought your house from my grandparents, I would have no right to turf you out…Claims of common ownership deny real ownership. They elevate the collective over the individual, and categorise us by group – often arbitrarily.” – Daniel Hannan, Sunday Telegraph