Rishi Sunak has been warned by senior Conservatives that he would face a significant rebellion and certain defeat in the House of Commons if he tried to take Britain out of the European Convention on Human Rights. Sunak is drawing up legislation designed to stem the flow of migrants across the English Channel on small boats that officials admit would take Britain to “the boundaries” of international law. “The prime minister wants to introduce legislation that meets our international obligations but he also recognises that the law as it stands is not working,” said one government insider…But in seeking to appease the right of the Tory party on small boats, Sunak risks prompting a rebellion on his left flank, adding to the problems he is facing in enacting his agenda.” – The Financial Times
“Liz Truss will call for a tough approach to the threat posed by China in her first speech since leaving Downing Street, in a fresh challenge to Rishi Sunak. The former prime minister has returned to the political fray, with a series of interventions planned in the coming weeks. She broke her silence with an essay in The Telegraph, which defended her tax-cutting agenda in an implicit criticism of Mr Sunak. On Monday, Ms Truss is expected to reiterate her case in her first on-camera interview since stepping down. The interview will be with The Spectator magazine and broadcast on YouTube. Her return is set to culminate in a speech in Japan on Feb 17, in which she will warn that the threat posed by China is not being taken seriously enough.” – The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
>Yesterday:
“Rishi Sunak’s plans for a bonfire of EU laws could be “disastrous” and would enable ministers to bypass parliament, a cross-party group of peers has warned. In a letter to The Times, peers including former Tory and Labour cabinet ministers, Liberal Democrats and a former lord chief justice warn that the government’s plans are “rushed and chaotic” and will diminish the role of MPs and peers. The prime minister has pledged to scrap, amend or retain all EU-derived laws by the end of the year. As many as 4,000 pieces of legislation on the British statute books are derived from EU laws, but the government has yet to state which are in scope. The peers are concerned that the laws will automatically be scrapped at the end of the year without any discussion or scrutiny.” – The Times
>Today:
“It is true that the Tories are polling about 20 percentage points behind Labour. But those rushing to blame Rishi Sunak have short memories. The party trailed Labour throughout 2022. When Boris Johnson departed amid controversies about Covid rule-breaking and misleading Parliament, the Tories were 11 points behind. When the Liz Truss mini-Budget spooked the bond markets and brought the economy to the brink, they were 30 points behind. Sunak has narrowed the gap, but the damage done last year is clear. The road to recovery is long, and time is short… That is the choice that now confronts the Conservative Party: the original thinking and hard work required by reality, or the pointless comfort of fantasy that leads unavoidably to national irrelevance.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Rishi Sunak was made aware of Dominic Raab’s “unacceptable” behaviour towards a fellow cabinet minister last summer, The Times has been told. The justice secretary had allegedly tried to get Robert Buckland sacked as Welsh secretary in August after he publicly criticised Raab’s British bill of rights. Buckland told Sunak about his “intimidating” and “unacceptable” behaviour at the time, sources told The Times. However, a source close to Sunak denied that he was aware of the threat. “These claims are untrue. No allegations of threatening behaviour against the then-Welsh secretary were raised with the MP for Richmond,” the source said. Raab had told Buckland during a phone call not to go ahead with an article he was due to write for The Daily Telegraph…” – The Times
“The Church of England is “lagging behind” by refusing to marry gay couples, Rishi Sunak’s special envoy on LGBT rights has said. Lord Herbert of South Downs expressed hopes that it would follow other Anglican churches which now provide Christian ceremonies for same-sex partners. However, he warned that any legislation to force the Church of England to change its mind would be “appalling” and urged MPs to show respect for religious freedom. His remarks came with a fierce debate expected on the issue when Church leaders gather in London for the General Synod next week. At the governing council, bishops will consider a proposal to allow clergy to offer blessings to gay couples while keeping the ban on marrying them.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Motorists will be given the cost of fuel at every petrol station across the country, enabling them to make instant comparisons, under government plans to prevent garages inflating prices. Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has asked officials in the Treasury and the business department to look into a system to require petrol stations to submit details of their prices to a central body. The scheme is being modelled on a Northern Irish initiative that collates the cost of petrol across the province and has been credited for being partly responsible for keeping prices lower than in the rest of the UK. The latest figures from the RAC show that motorists in Northern Ireland are paying an average of 145p for a litre of petrol compared with an average of 151p in the southeast of England.” – The Times
“Arming Ukraine is ‘the only path to peace’, Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said yesterday, as Kyiv stepped up calls for the West to send warplanes. Writing in a Maltese newspaper ahead of a visit to the island, Mr Cleverly said: ‘Like all authoritarian rulers, Putin responds only to strength in his opponents. Giving Ukrainians the tools they need to finish the job is the swiftest – indeed the only – path to peace.’ It came as Ukraine’s defence minister expressed confidence that Western allies will agree to Kyiv’s request for fighter jets. Oleksii Reznikov said Ukraine had already had everything from its ‘wish list to Santa’, bar jets. ‘There will be planes, too,’ Mr Reznikov predicted. So far, Ukraine has won support from Baltic nations and Poland in its quest to obtain Western jets.” – The Daily Mail
“Return tickets are set to be scrapped as Rishi Sunak gives the green light to long-awaited sweeping reforms of Britain’s railways. Mark Harper, the Transport Secretary, will next week announce plans for new ticketing arrangements as he outlines how the Government will address a crisis on the railways. The rollout of “single-leg pricing” will be unveiled, The Sunday Telegraph has been told. It means that two singles will equal a return – making return tickets redundant – having proved a success during trials with passengers. Mr Harper will also commit to Great British Railways (GBR), a new public body that will bring the operation of track and trains under the same place for the first time. GBR was first unveiled by Boris Johnson and Grant Shapps in May 2021…” – The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
“The energy watchdog will be given powers to examine companies’ behaviour and actions directly with consumers following the prepayment meter scandal. Grant Shapps, the business secretary, said that Ofgem had had “the wool pulled over their eyes” after taking at face value what energy companies were telling them about customers who had fallen behind with their bills. He said Ofgem had not listened to customers and the regulator needed access to go directly to customers to find out if there was malpractice. Shapps also said there needed to be a better response from Ofgem to customers after figures revealed there were 33,000 complaints lodged with the regulator about prepayment meters last year.” – The Times
“Today’s NHS strikes will put more lives at risk than ever before, the government has warned. In the biggest walkout in the history of the health service, nurses will strike across 73 trusts in England today and tomorrow, with more than 50,000 operations and appointments expected to be cancelled as a result. More than 10,000 ambulance staff will also strike today — the first time they have done so at the same time as nurses. Physiotherapists will strike on Thursday, with ambulance staff walking out again on Friday… Grant Shapps, the business secretary, accused ambulance unions of risking lives by refusing to provide a national guarantee that emergency calls would be answered… Nurses will call off strikes if they are offered a further 3 per cent…” – The Times
>Yesterday:
“Nicola Sturgeon has been told to “eat some humble pie” and abandon her gender reforms after support for the Scottish National Party (SNP) plummeted as she recorded her worst-ever approval rating. A new poll, carried out in the wake of the scandal over transgender rapist Isla Bryson being placed in a female jail, suggests that the nationalists are haemorrhaging support due to Ms Sturgeon’s controversial positions on transgender rights. Her personal approval rating has fallen to minus four, YouGov research found, the lowest recorded since she took over from Alex Salmond in 2014. Meanwhile, support for both independence and the SNP in Holyrood elections dropped by six points in a month.” – The Daily Telegraph