“The United States sent warships and fighter jets to support Israel on Sunday night in a show of strength against Hamas. Joe Biden deployed the US Navy’s most advanced aircraft carrier, six other ships and a number of advanced jets to the Eastern Mediterranean, as Israel’s allies, including the UK, rallied to its defence. The move raises tensions in the region, with Iranian intelligence officials accused of planning Hamas’s surprise terror attack on Israel that saw 700 killed and more than 100 taken hostage. At least 260 are feared to have been massacred at a rave in the desert in the south of the country attended by Israelis and foreigners… Rishi Sunak condemned the attacks as an “act of terror” as he offered British intelligence to help Israel identify Hamas targets.” – The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
“Suella Braverman expects the police to “use the full force of the law” against displays of support for Hamas after an escalation of attacks on Israel’s borders, she wrote on Sunday morning. The home secretary’s comments came after videos emerged of people in the UK appearing to celebrate after Palestinian militants from the blockaded Gaza Strip launched a surprise attack and seized dozens of hostages. Metropolitan police patrols have been increased in areas of north London where many members of the UK’s Jewish community are based. The force was also urged to intervene by the immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, who shared a video posted on social media by the television personality Rachel Riley.” – The Guardian
“Sir Keir Starmer refused to suspend an MP who backed a campaign group that responded to the Hamas attack by launching a protest against the Israeli embassy. Apsana Begum, a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, was photographed posing with the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) at the Labour conference…Greg Hands, the Tory chairman, wrote to Anneliese Dodds, his Labour counterpart, saying: “The Jewish community has expressed valid concerns about anti-Semitism within the party in the past… I urge you to take swift action by suspending the MP in question and remove the PCS from Labour conference.” But a spokesman for the Labour leader said Ms Begum would face no disciplinary action because PSC was not a proscribed organisation.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Ministers are confident that the Supreme Court will approve their Rwanda plan because of previous rulings by its president, which have warned against over-interpretation of human rights laws. The UK’s highest court will start a three-day hearing on Monday that will determine whether migrants can be deported to Rwanda before the election. Three cabinet ministers highlighted previous rulings and comments by Lord Reed of Allermuir, president of the Supreme Court, in which he warned of the overreach of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR)… However, Sir Keir Starmer has said that a Labour government would scrap the Rwanda policy even if it proved successful in reducing Channel crossings.” – The Times
>Today:
“Rachel Reeves will pledge to “hard-wire” net zero into the planning system to speed up the construction of onshore wind turbines and other green energy sources. The shadow chancellor will use her Labour Party conference speech to announce a strategy to fast-track infrastructure such as wind turbines, pylons and solar farms through the planning system and protect developers from legal challenge. Labour will launch a review of national planning statements to ensure that priorities like net zero and economic growth play a key role in decisions. Reeves will also announce that Labour will recruit 300 new planners for local authorities to help drive housebuilding, funded by an additional surcharge on stamp duty for foreigners.” – The Times
“Britain would start “dating” the EU under Labour’s plans to secure closer economic and defence ties with the bloc, David Lammy has suggested. The shadow foreign secretary said his party would look to rebuild relations with Europe after the “very, very bitter divorce” overseen by the Tories. In his most open remarks yet on Brexit policy he also described plans to upgrade Boris Johnson’s trade deal as the “starting point” for a wider reset. Sir Keir Starmer has repeatedly ruled out Britain rejoining the EU, the Single Market or the Customs Union under his watch if he wins the next general election. Mr Lammy, who was one of the most passionate Remain campaigners in his party, made his latest remarks at a conference fringe event hosted by the Tony Blair Institute.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Ed Miliband is to announce Labour’s plan for an energy independence act that would boost Britain’s energy independence and cut bills for families. The party says the bill will enable a Labour government to establish a UK electricity system fully based on clean power by 2030, with the largest expansion of renewable power in Britain’s history, and establish “GB Energy”, a publicly owned energy company announced by Keir Starmer last year. Labour sources have suggested the party would aim to include the act in the king’s speech so it could become law soon after a general election win. One source said the act showcased “modern public ownership, working with the private sector without the need to nationalise”… Miliband…will attack the Conservatives’ record on energy security…” – The Guardian
“Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer of planning to make it easier for people to change gender if he ever gets into power. Delegates at Labour’s annual conference in Liverpool will vote on a proposal to “modernise, simplify and reform” the transition process. If approved, it is likely to be a key plank of the party’s manifesto. Sir Keir has insisted he is no longer in favour of self-ID, where people are allowed to legally change their gender without a doctors’ certificate. But Ms Badenoch, the equalities minister, suggested the wording of the policy paved the way for the removal of the current need for doctors to sign off a change in gender. “Labour backed self-ID for five years because it’s what they really believe,” she said.” – The Daily Telegraph
More Labour:
“Ministers will unveil a radical overhaul of the sick note system in a bid to help get more people to work, reports suggest. Patients could be ‘triaged’ by a local medic – such as a mental-health practitioner, physiotherapist or GP – with the emphasis being to ‘treat-them-first’ rather than declare them as unfit. The proposals, being drawn up by Work and Pensions Secretary Mel Stride and Health Secretary Steve Barclay, hope to cut the welfare bill by reducing numbers routinely signed off for months at a time. It comes after Mr Stride revealed last week at the Conservative Party Conference in Manchester that GPs were signing people off ‘as being unfit for any work whatsoever’ in 90 per cent of cases, in part due to time pressures.” – The Daily Mail
“Humza Yousaf needs to examine tearing up the SNP coalition deal with the Greens after last week’s by-election disaster, a Kate Forbes ally has said after he blamed the defeat on a police investigation into the party’s finances. Michelle Thomson said the First Minister needed to take a “fresh look” at his power-sharing agreement with the Scottish Greens after the SNP was trounced in the Rutherglen and Hamilton West by-election. The Falkirk East MSP, who was Ms Forbes’ campaign manager during the recent SNP leadership contest, questioned the deal’s popularity and called for an overhaul of the SNP’s policies and messaging. In an apparent attack…she said there now needed to be a “relentless focus” on helping Scots with the cost of living crisis.” – The Daily Telegraph