“Rishi Sunak warned of a “critical” 24 hours ahead as the first evacuation flights carrying stranded British citizens left Sudan. The prime minister said he could not guarantee that an airfield north of Khartoum would remain open for much longer despite the arrival of 120 soldiers including Royal Marines to facilitate the departure of up to 4,400 people from the Sudanese capital. British citizens have been told to make their own way to the airfield…Other countries including Saudi Arabia have organised convoys out of the city, although these have involved much fewer people. Sunak defended the decision to prioritise the removal of British diplomats after Germany appeared to accuse the UK of abandoning its people in a war zone.” – The Times
“No 10 is set to urge European Union countries to open passport e-gates to British tourists to avoid further scenes of chaos at European ports. Sources said the Government would encourage other member states to follow Spain and Portugal in allowing UK holidaymakers to use e-gates…Rishi Sunak is understood to be keen to build on the success of the Windsor Framework and the improved relations with Brussels to secure less burdensome travel to Europe for Britons. “We always want to look at ways to minimise unnecessary waiting times, whether it is coming into the UK or travelling overseas,” the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said. Mr Sunak could raise the plan with Ursula von der Leyen…at the G7 summit in Japan next month.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Schools will be told to bar children who want to change their gender from using lavatories or changing facilities of the opposite sex under new government guidelines. The guidance highlights existing legislation stating that separate lavatories must be provided for boys and girls aged eight years and over. The rules, which are due next month, are expected to point to exemptions in the Equality Act that allow schools to provide “same-sex services” as long as they are “objectively justifiable”. A recent report by Policy Exchange, a conservative think tank, found that at least 28 per cent of schools were not maintaining single-sex lavatories and 19 per cent did not have single-sex changing rooms.” – The Times
“Rishi Sunak is due to announce that the government has successfully recruited 20,000 police officers since 2019, as critics point out that a similar number have been cut by Tory-led administrations since 2010. In a statement, the prime minister said: “When I stood at the steps of Downing Street six months ago, I made clear that I would do whatever it takes to cut crime and make our communities safer. At the heart of that pledge is recruiting 20,000 additional police officers. “We await the final statistics … but, as I have previously set out, I am confident we are on the cusp of meeting that promise.” Before the 2019 election, the Conservatives under Boris Johnson pledged to recruit 20,000 more police officers in England and Wales by March 2023.” – The Guardian
“Suella Braverman will urge police to stop pandering to political correctness and focus on basics, such as stop and search, to tackle crime. On Wednesday, as it is expected to be confirmed that ministers have hit their target of recruiting an extra 20,000 officers, the Home Secretary will demand that police concentrate on “delivering criminal justice, not social justice”. In a speech at the launch of a new “back to basics” think tank, Mrs Braverman will tell police she wants them to focus on pursuing criminals and not “pandering to politically correct preoccupations”. She is expected to include stop and search as part of the “common sense policing” she believes should be pursued without fear or favour.” – The Daily Telegraph
“The Foreign Secretary said he was prepared to fly to China in a bid to promote engagement with Beijing, but rejected accusations that he was going “soft” on Xi Jinping’s authoritarian regime. James Cleverly said it was “almost inevitable” that he would visit China and rejected calls to “pull down the shutters” on ties with the country, despite tensions over human rights, Taiwan and Pacific security. “I’ve engaged with senior Chinese foreign ministers, both Wang Yi and Qin Gang. There will probably be opportunities to engage with the Chinese officials or ministers here in the UK. At some point, I think it’s almost inevitable that I will do so in China as well.” He said no date had been set for a visit. Mr Sunak [has said that] the “golden age” of UK-China relations was over…” – The Daily Telegraph
“A Chinese invasion of Taiwan would destroy world trade, and distance would offer no protection to the inevitable catastrophic blow to the global economy, the UK’s foreign secretary, James Cleverly, warned in a set piece speech on Britain’s relations with Beijing. In remarks that differ from French president Emmanuel Macron’s attempts to distance Europe from any potential US involvement in a future conflict over Taiwan, and which firmly support continued if guarded engagement with Beijing, Cleverly said “no country could shield itself from the repercussions of a war in Taiwan”. He added that he shuddered to think of the…ruin that would ensue…China he acknowledged represented a ruthlessly authoritarian tradition utterly at odds with Britain’s own.” – The Guardian
“Chalk has attained cabinet rank as justice secretary, and he has a relatively brief period to demonstrate his talent before — as seems highly likely — the Tories lose office and he loses Cheltenham. The challenge for Chalk is great, for the system is in a mess…This is why I suggest that Chalk, who pronounced support for the rule of law upon appointment, chooses as one of his earliest steps to drop Raab’s so-called British Bill of Rights. For more than a decade the Tories have been chuntering about the Human Rights Act and the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). Some of it was justified…But much of it was just irritation at losing a tiny number of cases, combined with purism about sovereignty.” – The Times
>Today:
“The UK government said on Tuesday that its target to reduce sewage overflows by 2050 would be enshrined in law, as it sought to head off a growing political storm over water pollution in England and Wales. Thérèse Coffey, environment secretary, told the House of Commons the Conservatives’ plan was “credible and costed” and accused her opponents of “cheap shots” and “diatribes”. The Labour and Liberal Democrat opposition parties have seized on public anger over water companies dumping raw sewage in waterways and coastal areas…Tory MPs on Tuesday afternoon saw off a Labour “opposition day motion” that would have allowed it to take control of Commons business one day next month to pass a water quality bill.” – The Financial Times
“Soaring numbers of migrants who arrive in the UK illegally via small boats undermine Britain’s “cultural cohesiveness” because they tend to live “completely different lifestyles”, the immigration minister has said. Robert Jenrick said the “excessive” number of illegal migrants “threatens to cannibalise” Britain’s natural compassion to people fleeing danger overseas. He said protests by far-right activists outside hotels, where refugees and police were attacked, are “a warning to be heeded, not a phenomenon to be managed”. In a speech in which he predicted mass migration would become “one of the defining characteristics of the 21st century”, he…refused to expand on how the lifestyles of Channel migrants differed or how they threatened social cohesion.” – The Times
>Today:
“More than 40 Tory MPs have urged Rishi Sunak to force tech firms to introduce tougher age checks barring children from accessing online pornography and other harmful content. In a joint letter, the MPs – including former Cabinet ministers Priti Patel, Nadine Dorries and Sir Iain Duncan Smith – backed amendments to the Online Safety Bill that would require firms to introduce age verification ensuring “beyond reasonable doubt” that children were not exposed to adult content online. Bosses would face up to two years in prison if they persistently failed to apply “proportionate” age checks to deny children access to porn and other harms including suicide, self-harm and eating disorder content.” – The Daily Telegraph
“The Bank of England’s independence has withstood 25 years of economic shocks but is not necessarily proof against “political vandals”, two key architects of the UK’s monetary and fiscal framework said on Tuesday. Former…chancellor George Osborne told the House of Lords economic affairs committee that he saw no need to make substantial changes to the monetary policy arrangements put in place by the previous Labour government when he took office in 2010. But he stressed that they relied on good working relations between the principal actors. “You can prescribe in legislation all sorts of frameworks . . . but if the individuals concerned don’t make it work, you are going to start grinding through the gears of the British constitution,” he said.” – The Financial Times
“They say the definition of insanity is mindlessly repeating the same action over and over again, hoping to achieve better results: in America they call that politics. After months of speculation, it’s official: Joe Biden will run for president again in 2024. Given recent developments in the Republican Party, the great joust of verbal incontinence that will be a Biden vs Trump rematch looks the most likely outcome…Should this result in Biden returning to the White House, we should be clear about the consequences. Given his age, Kamala Harris, his vice president, could well find herself president during his second term. Some politicians just do not command confidence, radiating unease with every syllable. Harris is a shining example of the breed…” – The Daily Telegraph
“ A Labour government would make the spiking of drinks a specific criminal offence, Sir Keir Starmer has said. Starmer revealed he worries about his 12-year-old-daughter over the coming years because of the number of cases of women having drinks tampered with. Speaking to ITV’s This Morning, Starmer said: “Drinks are spiked . . . usually of young women out and about and the spiking of the drink has an effect on them and is often a step towards sexual assault of some sort…Almost 5,000 cases of needle and drink-spiking were reported to police in England and Wales in the 12 months to September. But currently spiking is covered by a range of different criminal offences…Starmer has made crime a focus of Labour’s local elections campaign…” – The Times
“Scotland’s former first minister Nicola Sturgeon has denied she resigned in anticipation of police action against her governing Scottish National party, saying she could not have imagined in her “worst nightmares” the events since she stepped down…“I understand the view that some people have that I knew this was about to unfold and that’s why I walked away,” Sturgeon said. “Nothing could be further from the truth. I could not have anticipated in my worst nightmares what would have unfolded over the past few weeks.” The former first minister said she had not been questioned by police, but declined to comment further on the investigation. It was her first return…to the devolved parliament in Edinburgh since being succeeded…by Humza Yousaf. – The Financial Times