“Rishi Sunak has demanded reform of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) to be “fair” to Britain over its plans to deport illegal migrants. The Prime Minister met Siofra O’Leary, the president of the court, to make a direct appeal for changes to its rules to prevent a repeat of the last minute “rule 39” injunction where a single judge blocked the first deportation flight to Rwanda at the eleventh hour in June last year. They met in Reykjavik, Iceland, at a summit of the Council of Europe, the 46-member group of countries that the UK played a key role in founding at the end of the Second World War… The Prime Minister has previously described the rule 39 procedures as “opaque,” failing the “natural justice test” and decided by unnamed judges behind closed doors.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Rishi Sunak is facing the prospect of three by-elections after being advised that Conservative MPs nominated by Boris Johnson for a peerage will have to stand down from the Commons. The former prime minister has put forward Alister Jack, the Scotland secretary, Nadine Dorries, a former culture secretary, Nigel Adams, a close ally, and Alok Sharma, the Cop26 president, for seats in the Lords. The plan had been for them to continue as MPs until the next election and then join the upper chamber. However, the House of Lords Appointments Commission, the body that vets peerages, has advised the Cabinet Office that doing so would be constitutionally improper. It means that the MPs would have to stand down if they wished to take up a peerage.” – The Times
“Nigel Farage, a driving force behind Britain’s departure from the EU, has declared that Brexit has “failed”, as Eurosceptics rail against the government’s failure to carry out a big cull of EU law or cut migration. Farage, former leader of Ukip, blamed the Conservative government for botching the delivery of Brexit, including controlling migration, telling the BBC’s Newsnight programme: “Brexit has failed.” Downing Street insisted that Rishi Sunak, a Brexit supporter, thought Britain’s departure from the EU had been a success, citing the ability of the UK to shape its own farm policies as an example of the benefits. Opinion polls have recorded a big drop in support for Brexit in recent months.” – The Financial Times
>Today:
“Planning reforms this year will make it easier for farmers to build on their land, Downing Street announced yesterday following Jeremy Clarkson’s high-profile council battle over extending his farm. The prime minister laid out plans to cut red tape to help farmers “diversify their business” as he welcomed supermarket, food and farming representatives to Downing Street for the Farm to Fork Summit. Among the 80 guests invited to discuss challenges in the sector was Kaleb Cooper…A spokesman for the prime minister said: “The idea is that farmers will not have to get local authority consent, effectively, when they are trying to diversify their businesses — whether that’s shops, farm shops, that kind of thing.” A consultation will be published later this year, he added.” – The Times
>Today:
“Ministers have yet to agree on a series of measures proposed by the home secretary to cut immigration amid cabinet infighting over the issue. Suella Braverman drew up a range of proposals this year after a private briefing paper by Home Office officials in August predicted that numbers will continue to hit record levels unless the government takes action. There are signs that she is becoming increasingly frustrated at the failure of cabinet ministers to agree to plans to reduce legal migration. Rishi Sunak has prioritised tackling the illegal arrival of small boats. Braverman used a speech to the National Conservatism conference on Monday to warn that the government must bring numbers down before the next election to stop Britain’s reliance on foreign labour…” – The Times
>Today:
“Top ministers are at war over the Foreign Secretary “going soft” on Iran, The Sun can reveal. Security minister Tom Tugendhat and Home Secretary Suella Braverman both want to declare the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) a terror organisation. But they have been blocked by James Cleverly despite mounting pressure from MPs to proscribe the group, which they say presents “clear and present danger” to the UK. Now senior Tories have accused the Foreign Secretary of being “in hock to the blob” after repeatedly vetoing attempts to outlaw the group. They say he is “too closely led by officials” and should overrule anyone advising him against the move. But defenders of Mr Cleverly say intelligence gathering is more important than the gesture.” – The Sun
“Michael Gove is launching a crackdown on “renegade” landlords after warning that Britain does not have enough houses to get people onto the property ladder. The right to evict tenants without having to prove any fault, so-called Section 21 notices, will be scrapped in the Renters’ (Reform) Bill, which is laid before Parliament on Wednesday. But critics will see it as another attempt by the Government to tie the hands of landlords…Mr Gove, the Communities Secretary, argued that the change is aimed at countering only the “minority” of landlords who are poorly treating their tenants. In return, enhanced protections will be given to landlords who want to move renters on in order to sell a property, house a relative or because of tenants’ anti-social behaviour.” – The Daily Telegraph
“The head of the Royal College of Nursing is to meet the UK health secretary after the union leader appealed directly to the prime minister to “get the job finished” by finalising a pay deal for nurses by July. RCN members in England last month rejected an offer that would have given nurses two one-off payments covering the 2022-23 financial year, worth up to £3,789 — on top of a previously promised rise of about 4 per cent…However, a majority of the 14 unions that make up the NHS Staff Council backed the deal. The RCN will next week open a ballot to seek a further six-month mandate for strike action. Pat Cullen, RCN general secretary, disclosed the meeting with Steve Barclay in her keynote speech on Tuesday at the union’s annual conference in Brighton.” – The Financial Times
“Ministers are calling for facial recognition technology to be “embedded” in everyday policing, including potentially linking it to the body-worn cameras officers use as they patrol streets. Until now, police use of live facial recognition in England and Wales has been limited to special operations such as football matches or the coronation. Prof Fraser Sampson, the biometrics and surveillance camera commissioner, said the potential expansion was “very significant” and that “the Orwellian concerns of people, the ability of the state to watch every move, is very real”. The government’s intentions were revealed in a document produced for the surveillance camera commissioner, discussing changes to the oversight of technology and surveillance.” – The Guardian
“Evidence from international surveys shows that being a regular reader can lessen or even eliminate the effect of a disadvantaged background on a child’s educational attainment…Which is why one of my driving ambitions in my periods as schools minister since 2010 has been on improving the teaching of reading, particularly through the tried and tested approach of systematic synthetic phonics. Yesterday, the international survey of the reading ability of nine to 10-year-olds, the Pirls index, reported that England was fourth out of 43 comparable countries that tested pupils of the same age. This is a remarkable achievement and is a tribute to the dedication and commitment of the 250,000 primary school teachers who have embraced phonics.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Liz Truss warned that a Cold War has already begun and that the West has to choose between appeasing Beijing or taking action to prevent war. Ms Truss, the shortest-serving UK prime minister ever at just 44 days in office, is using a trip to Taiwan this week to address domestic political issues – in particular, pressing sitting Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and his government to take a stronger stance against China. “There are those who say they don’t want another Cold War,” Mr Truss said in a speech on Wednesday at the Prospect Foundation, a Taiwan think tank… Ms Truss represents hawkish views in the Conservative Party that opposes the Government’s approach to China, which favours engagement in some areas such as trade and climate change…” – The Daily Telegraph
“Sir Keir Starmer has vowed to make Labour the party of housebuilding by relaxing planning restrictions and allowing more homes to be built on the green belt. In an interview with The Times, the Labour leader accused the Conservatives of killing “the aspiration of homeowning for a whole generation” and warned that housebuilding was on course to fall to the lowest level since the Second World War. He said that Labour would give councils and residents more power to build on green belt land to meet local housing need. The government has committed itself to enhancing protections for such land. Starmer said that he would make it easier to build infrastructure for new housing developments.” – The Times
“SNP ministers have overruled their civil servants and ordered taxpayers’ money be spent finishing a scandal-hit ferry at a nationalised shipyard despite accepting it would be cheaper to start from scratch…Gregor Irwin, the Scottish government’s most senior mandarin in charge of the economy, said that he could no longer conclude that building the vessel at Ferguson Marine provided “value for money” for the public…He told Neil Gray, the SNP’s wellbeing economy minister, that the Public Finance and Accountability (PFA) Act required him to obtain “written authority” for construction to continue at the yard…Mr Gray said that he accepted “that the value for money assessment concludes that it would be cheaper to reprocure a new vessel” at a different yard.” – The Daily Telegraph