“President Biden touched down in Belfast last night with a promise to “keep the peace” as he prepares for a historic half-day of diplomacy to help restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland. The US leader was greeted at the steps of Air Force One by Rishi Sunak, whose new Brexit deal he touted alongside the Good Friday agreement as a vital safeguard to the peace process. Biden’s visit to the province marks the 25th anniversary of the peace deal, and precedes a three-day visit to the Republic of Ireland, during which he will meet distant relatives and connect with the Irish heritage he cherishes. A big security operation is in place in Belfast, with more than 300 officers drafted in from the rest of the UK amid warnings of potential political violence.” – The Times
“Joe Biden’s schedule this week shows why he is hailed as “the most Irish of US presidents” after JFK. While the main political purpose of his trip was to celebrate the Good Friday agreement anniversary and shore up power-sharing in Northern Ireland, he is due to spend only half a day in Belfast before the fun part. Biden, 80, is indulging himself in a two-and-a-half day coast-to-coast swing through Ireland, the country he considers integral to his identity, taking in not one but two ancestral homes. By doing so — and bringing along his sister Valerie Biden Owens and son Hunter for the craic — he will not only affirm the Irishness he often proclaims but also risk offending unionists he hopes to encourage back into government in the North.” – The Times
”Hospitals could be forced to partially shut A&E departments later this week after being left with “very fragile” staffing cover for striking junior doctors. NHS bosses have struggled to get enough senior doctors to work during the four-day strike, which began at 7am on Tuesday, and they are particularly worried about the ability to provide safe care during night shifts. Health chiefs said the timing of the strike, during the Easter school holidays, meant cover was “thinner” than during previous industrial action, with a “real hike in [the] threat to patient safety”. The walkout over pay affects all hospital departments in England and will continue until Saturday morning. The British Medical Association (BMA) is demanding a pay rise of 35 per cent”. – The Times
“The leader of the British Medical Association has gone on holiday this week after orchestrating the biggest strike in NHS history. Dr Robert Laurenson, the 28-year-old co-chairman of the union’s junior doctors committee, was notably absent from picket lines and the media rounds on Tuesday. It later emerged that he had taken the week off work to attend a friend’s wedding — despite having the fate of hundreds of thousands of NHS patients in his hands. It means Laurenson is likely to be getting paid this week, if he has taken annual leave for the holiday, while urging tens of thousands of colleagues to sacrifice their pay for four days to strike.” – The Times
“Labour insiders have declared a series of attack ads a “triumph” after the party avoided spending a single penny on the controversial social media campaign. The party has clocked 22 million views on Twitter for its original attack ad claiming that Rishi Sunak thinks paedophiles should be spared jail. The advert was posted on the party’s official profile last week and has the most views of any Twitter post in Labour’s history. It has been followed up with a series of related posts making eye-catching claims about Sunak’s record on gun crime and his wife’s tax status. But Labour has not placed the adverts on other social media websites even though Facebook and Google typically account for the vast majority of online campaign spending during elections.” – The Times
“With sinking heart I crank up my indignation levels one more time, for yet another unedifying instalment in a game show that’s been running all my political life. “How low can politicians go?” (Cue shouts of “Lower! Lower!”) Starter for ten was Boris Johnson accusing Keir Starmer of letting Jimmy Savile off when director of public prosecutions: a dirty little lie. Now Starmer hits back, accusing Rishi Sunak of wanting to keep child-abusers out of jail, another dirty little lie. In Alice in Wonderland the Red Queen organises a croquet game using flamingos and hedgehogs. To take swings at each other, Tories and Labour use abused children. I know, I know. “If you throw enough mud” etc. I’d remind Starmer, though, of an important “but”. You hear it typically after “He may not set the pulse racing, but . . .” “But” he comes across as decent.” – The Times
“Liz Truss will tomorrow blame the “anti-growth movement” and “woke culture” for opening the western world up to threats from China. The former prime minister will say that “low taxes, limited government and private enterprise were what won the Cold War”, but that authoritarian regimes were being allowed to rise again because the model was being “strangled into stagnation” by redistribution and woke culture. She is due to urge conservatives around the globe to “mount a fightback for freedom”, and “get real about the threat from authoritarian regimes and their unwitting allies in the anti-growth movement”. Delivering the Margaret Thatcher Freedom Lecture at the Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington tomorrow, Truss will draw on the values she attempted to instil in her short-lived time in No 10, as she warns there is now “a global battle between free societies and dictatorships”. – The Times
“Rishi Sunak faces growing calls to distance himself from Emmanuel Macron’s “foolish” comments on China and Taiwan, after the French President sparked international backlash for suggesting growing tensions in the region were not Europe’s business. The French leader prompted outcry earlier this week after saying Europe should avoid being drawn into any potential conflict between the US and China over Beijing’s increasing grip over Taiwan. Mr Sunak, who has yet to issue any comment on the remarks, now faces growing pressure from Tory backbenchers to formally denounce Mr Macron’s stance.” – the i
“City of London police have launched an investigation into alleged sexual misconduct at the Confederation of British Industry in the wake of the Guardian’s reports of complaints against senior figures at the organisation. Britain’s most prominent business group is battling to secure its future after more than a dozen women employed by the CBI claimed to have been victims of various forms of sexual misconduct, including an allegation of rape during a staff party. In a day of turmoil, the CBI announced on Tuesday morning it had dismissed its director general, Tony Danker, who had previously been suspended following separate allegations regarding his conduct, which were revealed by the Guardian last month.” – The Guardian
“Few political parties, or indeed voters, will welcome reports that Humza Yousaf intends to challenge in court the UK government’s decision to veto the Gender Recognition Reform Bill. Yousaf, who won the contest to succeed Sturgeon, was the only candidate who supported the legislation and stated over the weekend that his “starting principle” was to go to court. If, as claimed by the Scottish Conservatives, this is a tactic by Yousaf to divert attention from his party’s ongoing tumult over its finances and the arrest last week of Sturgeon’s husband and former SNP chief executive, Peter Murrell, then it is a curious one with little chance of succeeding.” – Daily Telegraph