“Suella Braverman will today demand an explanation from police after they stood by as pro-Palestine demonstrators called for a ‘jihad’ against Israel. The Home Secretary will confront Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley over the force’s low-key approach to anti-Israel demonstrators peddling hate on Britain’s streets. Ministers reacted angrily after the police said no laws were broken at an event on Saturday where protesters in central London called for ‘Muslim armies’ to launch a jihad to ‘liberate Palestine’. According to one report, up to 15 officers stood by and watched. Immigration minister Robert Jenrick yesterday said the hate-filled chants amounted to ‘inciting terrorist violence’ and should have resulted in arrests.” – Daily Mail
>Today:
“Over the past few days, with a small group of friends and colleagues, I have helped set up British Friends of Israel and gathered support for The October Declaration. Signatories include Sir Tom Stoppard, Dame Maureen Lipman, Sir Tim Rice, Vanessa Feltz, the former head of British Intelligence Sir Richard Dearlove, Countdown’s Rachel Riley and broadcasting titan Andrew Neil; all part of a 200-strong group which features members of the House of Lords, MPs, celebrated historians, professors and journalists like me. We all stand in support of British Jews and their right to live their lives in this country without fear.” – Alison Pearson, Daily Telegraph
“Rishi Sunak’s government will consider tax cuts if it can meet its target of halving inflation by the end of the year, a Tory cabinet minister has said. Robert Jenrick said the PM had the “right priorities” after his party suffered two heavy by-election losses. There is disquiet over the results among Tory MPs, with some calling for tax cuts to shore up support. But Mr Jenrick told discontented MPs in his party they “shouldn’t read too much” into the by-election defeats.” – BBC
>Today: Jake Berry on Comment: We must learn the by-election lessons. Which is why I ask would-be candidates to sign the Tax Pledge.
>Yesterday: WATCH: “I don’t think anybody would be doing any better than him.” Seldon on Sunak.
“Michael Gove and George Osborne have argued that more tax and spending powers should be devolved amid warnings that successive governments have failed to reduce inequalities. A new report by King’s College London and Harvard Kennedy School interviewed 93 political figures, including three former prime ministers and four former chancellors…Gove, the levelling-up secretary, who was interviewed for the report, said that ultimately the government would have to “move further” with fiscal devolution to redress imbalances, empowering local areas to raise some taxes and control public spending.” – The Times
“The government is to end the use of 100 migrant hotels as Rishi Sunak seeks to turn around his party’s fortunes with a series of announcements on immigration. Contracts will be terminated with hotels in a host of areas that will be key election battleground seats, it will be announced tomorrow. Conservative Party strategists hope that the move will address anger over the small boats crisis, which is regarded as one of the most visible signs of the government’s failure to tackle illegal migration. The hotels, in places including Stoke and Wigan, will stop taking migrants by the end of March.” – The Times
“UK chancellor Jeremy Hunt is planning new measures to support people buying their first home, as high interest rates continue to pose a challenge to those trying to get on the property ladder. One option being discussed is an extension to the existing mortgage guarantee scheme that helps homebuyers purchase their first property with just a 5 per cent deposit, according to a person familiar with the plans. The scheme, introduced during the pandemic by then-chancellor Rishi Sunak, applies to properties worth up to £600,000. It encourages lenders to offer low-deposit mortgages as the state underwrites some of the risk.” – Financial Times
“A new “zero-tolerance” plan will be agreed between ministers, police and retailers to crack down on shoplifting and the organised crime gangs fuelling the problem. At a summit in Downing Street, police chiefs will unveil plans for how they intend to tackle shoplifting, which has soared by a quarter of the last year to reach more than 1,000 per day…Under the new partnership, police forces will also run each CCTV image of shoplifting offences provided by retailers through the Police National Database, which includes facial recognition technology. Police forces are also expected to sign up to a new commitment to attend the scene of every shoplifting incident reported to them that involves a threat of violence to store staff or security.” – The Times
“Britain can leverage its Brexit freedoms to be a leader in artificial intelligence (AI), one of the co-founders of Facebook has said before a major summit that will bring together 100 technology leaders. Dustin Moskovitz, now the chief executive and majority owner of Asana, the $4.2 billion work management software company, said it was “better that the UK is out of the EU” to harness the rise of AI, adding he was “far more concerned about regulatory friction” in Europe. “The UK is talking about AI in more appropriate ways … The EU could ban large language models completely. They’re not compatible with GDPR [General Data Protection Regulation] and the right to be forgotten — so you either ignore that law or you need a new one”, Moskovitz said.” – The Times
“An ex-Labour MP who quit the party over comments made by Sir Keir Starmer about the Israel-Gaza conflict has accused him of condoning war crimes. Responding to a question about Israel’s right to cut off power and water to Gaza, Sir Keir said he thought “Israel does have that right”. He has since clarified his comment, but ex Birmingham Selly Oak MP Lynne Jones said: “It was… the end of my tether.” Some Walsall Labour councillors have also written a letter of complaint.” – BBC
>Yesterday: WATCH: Nandy says a solution is needed for restoring Gaza’s fuel supply as newborn baby incubators “are being turned off”
“The most senior official in the civil service is taking time off from his job because of a private medical matter. Simon Case, who has been cabinet secretary since 2020, is expected to return to work in a few weeks. A No 10 source said Prime Minister Rishi Sunak “looks forward to him returning” and wishes him all the best. The absence comes as the government grapples with challenges at home and abroad, ahead of a general election expected next year.” – BBC