“Rishi Sunak is poised to announce that he is scrapping the northern leg of HS2 and reinvesting “every penny” in regional road and rail schemes. The prime minister believes the rationale for HS2 is based on “old assumptions” and will abandon plans to build the line between Birmingham and Manchester. However, following intense cabinet lobbying, he is expected to say that the line will terminate at Euston in central London rather than Old Oak Common in west London. He is likely to confirm the decision tomorrow in his speech to the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.” – The Times
>Today:
“Trans women will be banned from female hospital wards under the Health Secretary’s plans to restore “common sense” to the NHS. On Tuesday, Steve Barclay will announce proposals to push back against “wokery” in the health service that has led to women’s rights being increasingly sidelined. The changes would give men and women the right to be cared for on wards only shared by people of their own biological sex, and to have intimate care provided by those of the same sex. Mr Barclay said the plan would mean the return of “a common-sense approach to sex and equality”, ensuring that women’s dignity was protected and their voices heard.” – Daily Telegraph
“Let us stop taxing and banning things,” former Prime Minister Liz Truss has said, at her return to the Conservative Party conference. Addressing a supportive audience, she called for corporation tax cuts, fracking and the building of 500,000 new homes in England every year. And she said politicians were keener on “protecting newts” than changing rules making it easier to build…Truss’s speech calling for tax cuts got a warm reception from the Tory faithful who fought to get into the packed-out event.” – BBC
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: The Truss government. Day Twenty-Seven.
“Jeremy Hunt has pledged to “rethink the way the state works” as he announced a plan to freeze civil service recruitment and cut the size of Whitehall down to pre-pandemic levels. In his speech to the Conservative party conference in Manchester, the chancellor said the government was imposing a “one-in one-out” cap on new hires to prevent a projected rise in civil service number of 40,000 next year. He claimed this could save the taxpayer £1bn next year and was just a first step towards reducing the size of the state and cutting taxation.” – The Times
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Andrew Gimson’s Party Conference sketch: Hunt the model schoolboy looks as if he is actually enjoying himself
“Britain is the best country in the world to be black in, Kemi Badenoch told the Tory party conference today. The Business Secretary used a tub-thumping speech to blast Labour over its ‘woke’ views and for using Brexit to repeatedly talk down Britain. She lashed out over trans rights, Remainer defeatism and the pace of reaching green targets. Mrs Badenoch rejected the ‘narrative of hopelessness’ for ethnic minorities that suggests ‘British society is against you and you’re better off asking for reparations’. She said the Tories were in line with civil rights campaigner Martin Luther King because they believe ‘people should be judged by the content of their character, not the colour of their skin’. ” – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: Video: “This is the best country in the world to be black because it’s a country that sees people, not labels.” – Badenoch
“Douglas Ross has revealed that he has opened secret talks with rebel SNP politicians who he hopes will bring down their party’s coalition deal with the Scottish Greens. The Scottish Tory leader revealed that he had been approached by multiple nationalist MSPs who are unhappy with the Scottish Government’s direction of travel, amid growing controversy over net zero plans agreed as part of the pact with the far-Left party. While Mr Ross refused to reveal which MSPs he had held discussions with, he singled out Kate Forbes, who was narrowly defeated by Humza Yousaf for the leadership, as an SNP politician articulating “serious concerns” over her party’s agenda.” – Daily Telegraph
“Councils could be blocked from fining drivers under a crackdown on the “sinister” misuse of so-called 15-minute cities, the Transport Secretary has said. In a speech at the Conservative Party conference on Monday, Mark Harper said he was “calling time” on their misuse by looking at ways to cut off access to driver licence databases if councils used them to police traffic restriction measures. The 15-minute city is based on the idea that a person can access amenities within a quarter of an hour by walking or cycling. In some cases, this could result in traffic restrictions being brought in for drivers.” – Daily Telegraph
“Former PM Theresa May has said the UK’s net zero target should be seen as “the growth opportunity of the century”, not an “act of economic harm”. Mrs May said the UK had a chance to lead “the green revolution”, in a speech at the Conservative conference. The former PM’s government passed a law that committed the UK to net zero carbon emissions by 2050. At a conference event, Mrs May said she did that ‘because climate change is the greatest threat to civilisation’.” – BBC
“A faction of right-wing Tory MPs last night unveiled a manifesto wish-list to cut taxes, slash immigration and quit the European Court of Human Rights. The New Conservatives caucus of 2019ers produced five demands for Rishi Sunak to adopt heading into the election. Railing against soaring migration, Tory MP Tom Hunt, said: “It is not xenophobic to – when you walk into your town centre – to not want to feel like you’re living in a foreign country.” Ex-party chairman Jake Berry vowed to vote against any more tax rises and said Tory bosses would not dare expel would-be rebels because it would wipe out their majority.” – The Sun
“Rishi Sunak was handed a list of 100 regulatory changes to make a success of Brexit by Tory MP Sir Iain Duncan Smith at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester on Monday. Sir Iain used a speech at a fringe event named “Making the intellectual, evidence-based case for Brexit and its benefits”, hosted by the Centre for Brexit Policy, to explain how he thought the UK could be doing better at capitalising on its freedom from the EU. Making the case for a return to English Common Law, he said: “This is the single biggest reason why I voted to support Brexit. I recommended 100 regulatory changes that would ease market conditions across financial services, through agriculture, into the manufacturing industry… across the board.” – Daily Express
“Recent policy announcements on matters such as gas boilers or 20mph zones have some electoral power for the Tories if they illustrate a wider contrast in values with a Labour Party that cares less about the impact on the average person. Rishi Sunak has the advantage that he really does like to question received wisdom and is appalled by wishful thinking and grandiose targets for future years that have not been thought through. His values are strong: I’ve watched him at work in Yorkshire and have witnessed someone who judges others entirely on merit, includes everyone he can, and is disarmingly honest and passionate about the opportunities of the next generation and their future skills.” – William Hague, The Times