“Britain’s economy shrank by much more than expected in July as strikes hit healthcare and education. Gross domestic product (GDP) shrank 0.5pc in July – the quickest pace in seven months – according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Economists had expected a contraction of 0.2pc ahead of the Bank of England’s decision next week on whether to raise interest rates to 5.5pc. The economy had grown by 0.5pc in June when it rebounded following the extra bank holiday for the Coronation. It comes a fortnight after the ONS admitted its previous assumptions about the UK economy were too gloomy after revising figures to add nearly 2pc to the size of the economy as of the end of 2021. Meanwhile…the IMF said it expects the UK economy to grow by 0.4pc this year…” – The Daily Telegraph
“Ministers are considering a £600 million raid on state pension increases this year as they acknowledged the triple lock would eventually have to be dropped. Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, is considering using a lower measure of earnings to calculate how much the state pension will rise under the triple lock. While No 10 insisted yesterday that the government was committed to the triple lock, Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, acknowledged that it was “not sustainable” in the long term because of spiralling costs. The triple lock guarantees that the state pension, presently paying £203.85 a week, will rise by the highest of the inflation rate, earnings, or 2. 5 per cent… One senior source said that excluding bonuses from the…calculation was being seriously considered.” – The Times
>Yesterday:
“Rishi Sunak learnt of the arrest of a parliamentary researcher accused of spying for China in a “timely fashion”, but still pressed ahead with stepping up engagement with Beijing. Government insiders told the Financial Times that Sunak and UK foreign secretary James Cleverly were told of the Metropolitan Police’s actions close to the time of the arrest in March. Downing Street and the Foreign Office declined to specify the exact date. Security figures said senior ministers would be swiftly informed of such incidents, especially in any case involving parliament. The arrest of the researcher has become a political problem for Sunak as Conservative MPs with a hardline stance on China use it as ammunition to attack the prime minister’s policy of engagement with the country.” – The Financial Times
“Chinese surveillance technology will be banned from government buildings and military bases under new rules set to pass the Commons on Wednesday. Downing Street will fire the starting gun on a sprint to remove cameras linked to Beijing from any site where sensitive information is held or discussed. The new powers will enter into force after the Procurement Bill, which sets the buying rules for public bodies, clears its final parliamentary hurdle. Its passage comes amid alarm at Westminster after a researcher was arrested on suspicion of spying for China… China-sceptic Tory MPs said the new rules, which they pressed No 10 into agreeing, would significantly bolster Britain’s defences against Beijing.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Labour will try to block government plans to water down river pollution rules in a move that could stop thousands of homes being built. The party is preparing to join Tory rebels in the House of Lords to kill off an attempt by ministers to disapply “nutrient neutrality” regulations, which would have imposed a moratorium on house building in significant parts of the country. The decision significantly increases the prospect of the government being defeated when peers vote on a government amendment to disapply the rules…Ministers are already facing a rebellion among Conservatives, including from the former minister Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park and Lord Randall of Uxbridge, a former environmental adviser to No 10.” – The Times
“Rishi Sunak faces a fresh migration blow as the first flight to Rwanda is set to be delayed until at least December. Months after the take off was promised by Home Secretary Braverman, the Supreme Court is to fast-track the top case. But that will only happen after they return from their summer holiday in October. The court has not sat since July — but Government insiders have been told to prepare for the whole thing to be wrapped up within six weeks. That includes the long-awaited decision on whether the scheme to send wannabe asylum seekers there is legal. The PM has made a promise to “stop the boats” central to his campaign ahead of a possible election next year. In March, insiders hoped flights could begin in September…” – The Sun
“Former Conservative leadership contender Penny Mordaunt has unveiled plans for three multi-purpose ships to “fly the flag” for the UK and act as a replacement for the Royal Yacht Britannia. The vessels would be capable of performing a range of roles from disaster relief to research, and the cleaning up of oceans. Built in British shipyards, they could also be used in operations to tackle illegal migration, as well as for communication purposes. Unlike Boris Johnson’s £250 million plan for a replacement for the Royal Yacht Britannia, the proposed vessels would be commercially built and operated and funded exclusively by the private sector. The first of the ships is expected to cost £150 million, with the other two likely to cost “significantly” less.” – The Daily Telegraph
“The public will be able to track outbreaks of colds, flu and other respiratory viruses online from later this month when the Government launches a new version of its Covid dashboard. Alongside its existing updates on coronavirus, the UK Health Security Agency will publish a daily data of trends in other viruses in a “next-generation dashboard”, to increase public health awareness. During the pandemic, the Covid dashboard played a critical role in controlling its spread and became the most-viewed government website ever, with one million unique users and more than 70 million hits per day at its peak as people logged on at 4pm to find out the latest data. Health officials hope that they can translate this popularity into increasing public awareness of other less well known bugs…” – The I
“Vapes…work particularly well for many would-be quitters because they go with the grain of human behaviour rather than demanding a hair-shirt approach. They mimic the physical activity of smoking while carrying a fraction of the risk (vapes do not burn tobacco, or produce tar or carbon monoxide). Disposable vapes offer the same convenience as cigarettes. You can buy one on the move, with no worries about refilling or charging your device. The Government’s imminent ban on disposable e-cigarettes may seem trivial, but it’s a vivid example of making the perfect the enemy of the good… It would be absurd to outlaw booze for all ages just because some children manage to sneak a bottle of Frosty Jack’s…from the iffy offy down the road…” – The Daily Telegraph
“Human rights laws including the ECHR have become a serious risk to national security and are thwarting efforts to stop terrorists, Ben Wallace…has warned. Speaking for the first time since he stepped down from his Cabinet role, Mr Wallace attacked the “lunacy” of legislation that he said was protecting terror suspects plotting against Britain from abroad by preventing their capture. He told The Telegraph that, because of international treaties such as the European Convention on Human Rights, defence secretaries were forced to choose between killing individuals, generally by drone, or leaving them to continue plotting… He warned that the situation left the UK unable to conduct raids like the one carried out by the USA on Osama bin Laden’s compound.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Dan Rosenfield was one of seven peers proposed by Johnson in his controversial resignation honours list having worked for the prime minister as his chief of staff in Downing Street. However, the newly elevated Baron Rosenfield of Muswell Hill, has annoyed some of his former colleagues in Westminster by deciding not to take the Tory whip and instead sit as a non-affiliated peer in the second chamber. His decision means that he does not have to support government legislation in the second chamber or take positions aligned with the Tories. Allies of Rosenfield said he had taken the decision because, since leaving Downing Street, he moved into the private sector and was now employed as a director of Centrica, the energy company that owns British Gas.” – The Times
“A former civil servant has accused counter-terrorism police of using a selfie with Jacob Rees Mogg as evidence that he was a “far-Right extremist”. Andrew Hale-Byrne, a former trade official, was arrested in October 2020 during Operation Asperite, the now-concluded investigation into the leak of government memos sent by Kim Darroch, the former British ambassador in Washington. Lord Darroch resigned in July 2019 following the disclosure of his comments describing Donald Trump, the former US president, as “inept”. The former ambassador’s resignation was welcomed by some Brexiteers, including Nigel Farage, who urged on social media for “a non-Remainer who wants a trade deal with America” to fill the post.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Sir Tony Blair has warned that Sir Keir Starmer will inherit “a country that’s in a mess” if Labour wins next year’s UK general election, and that the party must accept it will not be able to tax and spend its way out of trouble. The former… prime minister praised Starmer for saving Labour from “the brink of extinction”, and insisted he will not be a back seat driver if his party returns to office in an election expected next year. But in an interview with the Financial Times, Blair said Starmer would confront a much worse economic situation than the one he inherited from John Major’s Tory government when he won his first election in 1997. “If Keir Starmer wins the election, which I think he’s got a good chance of doing, he’ll be the sixth prime minister in eight years,” said Blair.” – The Financial Times
“Labour will bring forward legislation to improve workers’ rights within 100 days if it wins the next election, Angela Rayner pledged today as she urged unions to come together and support the party’s election campaign. In a speech to the TUC conference in Liverpool, Rayner said that a Labour government would prevent companies such as Amazon using loopholes in the law to avoid recognising unions in the workplace. She also pledged to introduce a new form of collective bargaining that would allow unions to negotiate pay and conditions across entire sectors of the economy such as social care. Rayner, the party’s deputy leader, claimed that the new deal for unions and employees was a “cast-iron” manifesto commitment…” – The Times
>Today: