“Rishi Sunak today vowed to slash NHS waiting lists in record time as he announced a major expansion of hospital beds and ambulance vehicles. The PM was at Teeside University in Middlesborough to reveal his two year recovery plan for the embattled health service. In his second “PM Connect” Q&A with health workers, Mr Sunak pledged the “largest and fastest ever improvement in emergency waiting times in NHS history”. A staggering 7 million Brits are currently sitting on hospital waiting lists. Outlining his four point plan, the PM promised to increase hospital capacity, expand staffing levels, speed up discharges and improve NHS 111… The NHS is hanging on by a thread with waiting lists toppling millions.” – The Sun
“The social care minister faced a backlash yesterday after claiming that patients are ‘very comfortable’ engaging with remote appointments. Helen Whately, pictured, said the NHS will monitor up to 50,000 patients a month in their own homes rather than in hospital under plans to free-up beds. The ‘virtual wards’ will involve patients wearing watches or finger sensors that monitor their vital signs and report back to doctors, who will hold video consultations. Patients were often denied face-to-face GP appointments during the Covid-19 pandemic as family doctors switched to phone and video. It sparked concerns from MPs and health charities that diseases such as cancer were being missed and it excluded people without broadband.” – Daily Mail
“The UK is on course to be the only major economy to shrink this year owing to Jeremy Hunt’s tax raid and higher borrowing costs, according to the International Monetary Fund. The IMF downgraded its 2023 UK growth forecast by more than any other G7 nation, blaming the prospect of a deeper recession on “tighter fiscal and monetary policies”. It leaves the UK economy languishing behind Germany and even sanctions-hit Russia, with both countries expected to eke out modest growth this year. It comes as Rishi Sunak is under pressure from Tory MPs to deliver a plan for growth, and following criticism from business leaders including Marks & Spencer chairman Archie Norman and Sir James Dyson of the Government’s economic approach.” – Daily Telegraph
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>Today: David Willetts’ column: There’s a gap between what the Conservatives preach about less regulation and what they practice for their own voters
>Yesterday:
“Strikes are set to cripple the country on Wednesday as up to half a million workers take part in mass strike action. Teachers, rail workers, and civil servants are all taking part in industrial action to protest pay and working conditions. It comes as firefighters have voted to strike for the first time since 2003 after real-terms earnings “drop by 12 percent”, accusing Sunak of “misjudging” the public mood. The Prime Minister and Chancellor have accused striking workers of risking Britain’s economic recovery as the IMF downgraded growth once again due to skyrocketing inflation and high interest rates. The IMF predicts a contraction of 0.6 percent against the 0.3 percent growth forecasted last October.” – Daily Express
“Rishi Sunak has warned ministers that they will face the sack if they are found to have acted improperly as he pledged to restore integrity to politics. The prime minister claimed he had acted “decisively and swiftly” by removing Nadhim Zahawi from office for breaching the ministerial code over his tax affairs, insisting: “That’s that.” Sunak said he would take “whatever steps are necessary to restore the integrity back into politics”, a signal that he will act if ministers are found to have breached the rules… The prime minister faced criticism over his decision to appoint Zahawi in the first place and the delay in sacking him. Zahawi is said to be furious about his treatment and claims that he was only given a 30-minute meeting to make his case. This claim has been rejected by Downing Street.” – The Times
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>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Zahawi claims his sacking was unfair
“Dominic Raab has been formally criticised by a permanent secretary he worked with in evidence to the official inquiry into his behaviour. As the deputy prime minister faces mounting questions about his future, he is understood to be facing claims of routinely humiliating civil servants across several government departments, with dozens of officials now having made formal allegations against him. Rishi Sunak, the prime minister, said that he acted “swiftly and decisively” in sacking Nadhim Zahawi as the Conservative Party chairman on Sunday after an investigation found that he had repeatedly broken the ministerial code by failing to declare an investigation and tax penalty from HMRC.” – The Times
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“Britain’s armed forces have been “hollowed out and underfunded” the Defence Secretary admitted today. Ben Wallace’s confession to MPs came as Whitehall talks about a cash boost heated up ahead of March’s Budget. PM Rishi Sunak pointed to increasing the Ministry of Defence budget a “record amount” in 2021. Bute would not be drawn on further rises while in Darlington, County Durham, yesterday. An updated global threat review is due on March 7, with Chancellor Jeremy Hunt acknowledging the need for more money for defence. Treasury insiders say the promised cost of replenishing ammunition, weapons, tanks and artillery will be met.” – The Sun
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>Yesterday: James Sunderland MP in Comment: Parliament must ensure that Veterans UK is fit for purpose
“The Tories will not be forgiven if they do not stop Channel migrant crossings, Suella Braverman has warned the party. In an interview with The Telegraph, the Home Secretary said the Government needed to halt the small boat crossings if the Conservatives were to win the next election. She said the party’s reputation for competence was “on the line”, issuing a rallying call for MPs to unite behind plans to halt the crossings in the face of “formidable forces” that she said would seek to stop them. Ministers anticipate major opposition in the Lords and a surge of court challenges to a new Bill that would give the Government powers to bar migrants who arrive illegally from claiming asylum in the UK.” – Daily Telegraph
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>Today: ToryDiary: The Government’s decisive action against Sturgeon’s gender bill paid off. There is lesson here for Sunak over small boats.
“A UK government plan to review or revoke all EU laws left on the UK statute book by the end of 2023 became tougher on Monday after it announced that another 1,000 pieces of legislation had been added to the pile scheduled for reform. In an update to its “dashboard” of leftover EU laws, the government said the number of pieces of legislation covering more than 400 unique policy areas now came to 3,700. It also admitted the list was not exhaustive and would need to be updated quarterly as more laws were discovered. The plan to review so much law, so quickly, has attracted fierce criticism from business groups, legal experts, trade unions and environmental groups. They warn that rushing the review will create costly and destabilising legal uncertainty.” – FT
“Rishi Sunak was warned on Monday not to trade off the power to overrule the EU in Northern Ireland in order to strike a deal with Brussels as he vowed to forge ahead with post-Brexit reforms. Two former UK negotiators said the Prime Minister must press ahead with a new law to give the Government the right to rip up EU red tape. Lord Frost, who led the trade talks with Brussels, told The Telegraph the Government should drive through the Protocol Bill even if a pact with the bloc was struck. Hugh Bennett, who served on Lord Frost’s team and was a special adviser to Boris Johnson and Liz Truss, added that dropping the Bill would be “a major strategic mistake”.” – Daily Telegraph
>Today: Mark Francois MP in Comment: As Barnier once said of Brexit itself, the clock is ticking – this time round, on the Northern Ireland Protocol
“Having been invited to address the cabinet at their dinner at Chequers last week, I told them that I was there as a living exhibit of how bad things could get. I described to them the full horror, for me, of the shattering defeat of 1997. As the only cabinet member at Conservative headquarters throughout the long night of the Labour landslide, it was I who had to give the ludicrous interviews — “it’s early days yet, we need to see more results”; I who greeted the vanquished Michael Portillo; and I who watched John Major resign in front of me. Then it was I who took over a party in ruins. Essentially, I told them, I became the Tory leader in 1997 because half my colleagues were wiped out and I didn’t know what else to do.” – The Times
>Yesterday: Parliament: With the process of re-adopting MPs winding down, the focus shifts to selections in winnable seats