“The vast majority of patients must be able to use the NHS app to see their test results, order prescriptions and book appointments within a year, a GP recovery plan has ordered. Retired GPs working from home will be used to staff the NHS 111 helpline under plans published to ease pressure on family doctors. Rishi Sunak insisted that “not everyone needs to see a GP” as he set out the plans for far more patients to be treated by pharmacists, physiotherapists and other staff to free up doctors’ appointments. However, in a blow to his pledge to cut waiting lists, Steve Barclay, the health secretary, admitted that the NHS had missed a target to eliminate waits of more than 18 months for routine operations by last month.” – The Times
>Today:
“Rishi Sunak last night vowed to stand up for the quiet majority against ‘woke’ attempts to downgrade women’s rights and British history. The Prime Minister hit back at Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who told his top team yesterday that the Government had made a ‘major strategic blunder’ by wading into the so-called culture wars. Sir Keir, who has repeatedly struggled to define what a woman is, said his party should stop talking about the subject and focus instead on the economy and the NHS. But, in an interview with The Daily Mail, the Prime Minister said subjects like the protection of single-sex spaces, the defence of Britain’s history and sex education were not ‘niche issues’…Sir Keir has repeatedly struggled to define what a woman is…” – The Daily Mail
“Rishi Sunak has chosen a Cambridge professor as the UK’s first free speech tsar to crack down on cancel culture at universities, the Telegraph understands. Arif Ahmed, a philosophy professor who has given free speech lessons to Cambridge students, will be confirmed as the selected candidate this weekend, according to a government source. The new champion will have the power to investigate universities and student unions in England and Wales that wrongly restrict debate. The director will also advise the sector regulator on imposing fines for free speech breaches. Prof Ahmed has repeatedly warned that free speech is under threat and has also been involved in multiple rows on the topic at Cambridge University.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Suella Braverman and Alex Chalk have told the House of Lords not to defy the “will of the British people” by blocking the government’s radical immigration plans. The Illegal Migration Bill will be debated for the first time in the upper chamber on Wednesday and the government is braced for opposition from across the political spectrum. Ministers fear that peers will significantly water down measures in the bill that are seen as vital to achieve Rishi Sunak’s pledge to “stop the boats”, including powers to detain all illegal migrants and the ability to ignore rulings by the European Court of Human Rights. Peers are also expected to table numerous amendments to the bill, including a greater commitment to open safe and legal routes for refugees fleeing war-torn countries…” – The Times
“Communities secretary Michael Gove is poised to bring forward long-awaited legislation to stop UK councils and other public bodies boycotting Israel. Gove wants to stop public bodies adopting “their own foreign policy” and is concerned at the way councils are using their financial power to try to exert influence in the Middle East, according to people close to him. Ministers are set to approve the bill, promised in the Conservative party’s 2019 manifesto, that would stop public bodies in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland bringing in “boycott, divestment and sanctions” (BDS) policies against controversial foreign regimes. The policy is now in its final “write round” stage, where Gove’s cabinet colleagues can express a view on the policy.” – The Financial Times
“Britain is poised to formally proscribe the Wagner group of mercenaries as a terrorist organisation to increase pressure on Russia. The group has played a central role in President Putin’s invasion of Ukraine and is leading attempts to take the eastern town of Bakhmut, which has become a focus of the war for both sides. A government source said that, after two months of building a legal case, proscription of the group was “imminent” and likely to be enacted within weeks. Proscription would make it a criminal offence to belong to Wagner, attend its meetings, encourage support for it or carry its logo in public, putting it on the same footing as groups such as Islamic State and al-Qaeda. It would also impose financial sanctions, which would be significant…” – The Times
“Ministers are considering major reforms to the controversial EU Working Time Directive in an attempt to save businesses £1 billion a year and to take advantage of the UK’s new Brexit freedoms. The EU-era law limits the amount of time most people have to work to 48 hours a week on average, including overtime. The Department for Business and Trade is looking at removing the requirement on firms to record the number of hours each staff member works. They say the change would not compromise workers’ rights and believe the reduction in red tape could save companies more than £1 billion… Kemi Badenoch, the business secretary, is currently going through more than 4,000 pieces of EU legislation which are still on the UK’s statute book despite Brexit.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Boris Johnson “squared up” to the future King after Charles privately described the government’s Rwanda deportation scheme as “appalling”, a key aide during his premiership has said. Guto Harri, who was Johnson’s director of communications in Downing Street, said the pair had a “showdown” at last year’s Commonwealth heads of government meeting in Kigali, after the King’s views on the Rwanda policy were reported in The Times. “They did have a bit of a showdown,” Harri told LBC, “for the reason that the man who is now King criticised what was an extremely popular [and] a very central government policy on the eve of the two of them going to the very place of the heart of the story: Rwanda.”…Harri said Charles appeared to deny making the remarks…” – The Times
>Today:
“Liz Truss will travel to Taiwan next week to express solidarity with its people following her criticism of China’s “aggressive behaviour and rhetoric”. The former prime minister will deliver a keynote speech and is expected to meet senior members of the Taiwanese government in a visit likely to provoke a furious backlash from Beijing, which has repeatedly warned the West to cut bilateral ties with the island it claims as its own. Ms Truss has made a robust approach to China one of the central planks of her post-premiership, calling for the establishment of an “economic Nato” to stand up to the rising global power at a major Tokyo conference earlier this year. By contrast, her successor in No 10 has been seen to take a softer line on Beijing…” – The Daily Telegraph
“Britain is locking up too many prisoners, says Sir John Major, as he urged ministers to consider alternatives to jail for low-level offenders. In a speech to the Prison Reform Trust (PRT), the former prime minister said Britain had the highest imprisonment rates in western Europe, yet, he said, “I find it hard to believe we British are uniquely criminal.”In the year to June 2022, 43,000 people were sentenced to a prison term, of which fewer than two in every five had committed a violent offence. “Was prison the correct, or fair, sentence for all the 26,000 non-violent offenders? Some, perhaps … but all? I am not sure that it was,” said Sir John… Former justice secretary David Gauke and prisons minister Rory Stewart proposed a similar strategy…” – The Daily Telegraph
“Lee Anderson today warned that Labour taking power at the next election puts Brexit at risk. The deputy chairman of the Conservative Party claimed Sir Keir Starmer would “drag the UK back into the EU” if he enters 10 Downing Street after next year’s general election. The Ashfield MP pointed to the Labour leader’s repeated U-turns and his previous backing for Remain and a second referendum. Mr Anderson’s comments come as results from last week’s local elections suggest Labour could fall short of an overall majority at Westminster when the UK goes to the polls for a national vote. The SNP has vowed to “undo Brexit as far as possible” as its price for propping up Sir Keir if there is a hung parliament.” – Daily Express
“Andrew Bridgen is joining the anti-woke Reclaim Party after being expelled by the Conservative Party for claiming Covid vaccines were the “biggest crime against humanity since the Holocaust”, the Telegraph understands. The move, expected to be announced at a press conference on Wednesday, would give Laurence Fox’s party its first MP in the House of Commons. Mr Bridgen was stripped of the Conservative whip and forced to sit as an independent in January after Jewish groups demanded action over his “unconscionable” remarks. The Tories confirmed last month that he had been formally kicked out of the party on April 12 following the recommendation of a disciplinary panel. He had been given 28 days to appeal from that date.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Far from being a mainstream movement, republicanism belongs to the great tradition of English eccentricity; people with an unpopular, niche pursuit, who are fanatically convinced that said pursuit is of much greater interest or importance than it is. Though scepticism of monarchy is fairly common, its placard-wielding cousin should be seen as a quaint pastime, closer to Morris Dancing or Esperanto. For the serious hobbyist, their pursuit can be all-consuming – and there’s nothing wrong with that… An overwhelming sense of joylessness emanates from its followers, who pride themselves on being “rational” and “evidence-based”. In practice; they are more likely to be found snarking on Twitter… They specialise in meanness of spirit and purse…” – The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
“Keir Starmer has repeatedly refused to rule out a deal with the Liberal Democrats if Labour fails to win a majority at the next general election during an interview after last week’s local elections. The Labour leader has said he is focused on securing a Labour majority government “with a workable majority”, which he believes is achievable based on the party’s performance in that vote. Labour officials have expressed their delight at the party’s performance last week, including taking the Kent council of Medway, which the party has not controlled since it was created in 1998. Labour gained more than 600 council seats, while the Conservatives lost nearly 1,000. Pollsters called the results a terrible night for the Tories…” – The Guardian