“Rishi Sunak has voiced “unequivocal” UK support for Israel “not just today, not just tomorrow, but always” in a lengthy statement to mark one week since Hamas militants murdered 1,300 Israeli civilians and soldiers, and took more than 150 people hostage. The prime minister’s remarks – in which he makes no mention of the plight of innocent Palestinians now trapped in Gaza, or the need for their safe evacuation – come amid growing political tensions in the UK over how to respond to Israel’s retaliatory bombing of Gaza, and its orders to more than 1 million Palestinians to flee their homes for their own safety.” – Observer
“In every person’s life there are moments you could never even have imagined before they happened. Moments like sitting in the council room of Nato HQ in Brussels being briefed on the situation in Israel via actual footage of monstrous terrorist atrocities committed by Hamas. Watching videos of captured Israelis beheaded for the entertainment of their tormentors and their bodies paraded through cheering crowds of terrorists. Witnessing those images and hearing the reports from the region throughout the week have been some of the most harrowing moments of my life. Just like people, nations also experience moments that prove who they really are.” – Sunday Times
“I have the honour of representing one of the largest Jewish communities in Britain. Thriving synagogues in Bushey, Borehamwood, Radlett and Shenley draw generations together in celebrating the Jewish faith. They in turn form the bedrock of local life from civic leaders to charitable philanthropy. Over the last 80 years, the UK has been at the forefront of efforts to support Jewish communities. To make them feel safe, to give them a homeland and to ensure they can defend themselves. Right now though, the joy in those communities has been replaced by sadness and grief. There is also fear of the ultimate indifference of some people to atrocities committed against Jewish people.” – Sunday Telegraph
“Hamas is not a terrorist group that happens to operate out of Gaza. It is the de facto government of that tragic sliver of land, providing its prime minister, regional governors and civil administrators. When Hamas sent airborne and motorised units to massacre Israeli civilians, it was deliberately starting a war. Sure enough, within hours of the abomination, Benjamin Netanyahu had declared that “Israel is at war”, a status his cabinet formally ratified the following day. Critics of Israel talk as if the Gaza Strip were somehow still under Israeli jurisdiction, and Israel thus directly responsible for the welfare of its people. But Israel is in a state of declared conflict with a hostile neighbour. While it must honour the Geneva convention and seek to minimise civilian casualties, its primary goal is victory.” – Sunday Telegraph
“New Zealand’s conservatives won a narrow victory in today’s election, ejecting the Labour regime that the former prime minister Jacinda Ardern led into office six years ago. The prime minister elect, Christopher Luxon, 53, a former Air New Zealand chief executive and Unilever Canada president, had seized on the cost of living crisis, promising to cut taxes, address a surging crime rate and fix sagging infrastructure. He will lead a centre-right coalition comprised of his conservative National Party and the smaller, libertarian Act Party. To cheering supporters in Auckland, he pledged to govern for all New Zealanders and rebuild their economy. “New Zealanders have chosen change and we will get this country back on track,” Luxon said.” – Sunday Times
“In a poor suburb of Perth yesterday, the Oakley family sheltered from the 32C heat on their front porch and hoped that the polls were wrong. In Australia’s first referendum for 24 years they had just voted in favour of the proposal: to create a permanent Aboriginal “Voice” to parliament, granting unprecedented recognition to those, like them, whose ancestors first occupied the land. They knew that the signs pointed towards a heavy defeat. “It will really destroy me if we lose but we’re still crossing our fingers,” said Marion Oakley, a Yamatji woman who originally hails from the remote Pilbara region in the north of Western Australia. “All we want is to be recognised as the first people of this nation,” she added.” – Sunday Times
“Alex Chalk, the Justice Secretary, has pledged to pursue Texas-style justice by sending fewer low-level offenders to prison and making them clean up graffiti and plant forests instead. Writing in The Telegraph, he said the reform would end the “cycle of criminality” caused by a “merry-go-round of short sentences”. However, the Government is also moving to head off claims that it is presiding over soft justice by tightening up rules to make sure rapists serve their sentences in full. On Monday, Mr Chalk will announce changes aimed at tackling the overcrowding crisis in prisons, after figures last week showed the incarcerated population of England and Wales had hit a record high of 88,225.” – Sunday Telegraph
“Labour is preparing to omit plans for large-scale reform of social care from its next election manifesto, scale back its plans for House of Lords reform during a first term in office, and recalibrate the way it presents its £28bn-a-year green prosperity plan as it prepares to put a “bombproof” offer to voters before polling day. After a successful conference in Liverpool last week, which resulted in the party extending its poll lead over the Tories, shadow cabinet ministers are now turning their minds to the precise shape of a manifesto for an election next May or October.” – Observer
“Civil service chief Simon Case – who described the government as a “terrible, tragic joke” in private WhatsApp messages at the height of the pandemic – is expected to be questioned over a “treasure trove” of further correspondence when he appears before the official Covid inquiry. Case, who became cabinet secretary in September 2020, having previously served as permanent secretary in No 10, will give evidence to Lady Hallett’s inquiry either on 30 or 31 October, or in the first week of November. Sources say that many more messages involving Case will be produced, raising further questions about the quality of government during the national emergency.” – Observer
“When Marina Wheeler and Boris Johnson divorced after 27 years, she said: “I think my marriage is the least interesting thing about me.” Now, after her surprise appointment as Labour’s “whistleblowing tsar”, it would appear she is about to prove her point. A veteran KC, Wheeler will help the party to strengthen employment rights and offer advice on protection for women against workplace harassment. The irony of her new job, giving a voice to women who have been sexually harassed, has not been lost on seasoned Westminster watchers. Johnson, who has himself faced accusations of sexual harassment — which Downing Street denied — saw his political career implode last year when he was accused of covering up for the alleged sexual misconduct of one of his ministers.” – Sunday Times