“The chances of the UK quickly emerging from recession have been boosted after the release of official figures showing the economy grew by 0.2% in January. The Office for National Statistics said national output – as measured by gross domestic product (GDP) – had increased for only the second time in the past seven months. Financial markets had been expecting a pick up in activity after December’s 0.1% contraction, with the consensus forecast among economists a 0.2% increase. Although the UK remains in a shallow recession after output fell in the third and fourth quarters of 2023, the news of the slight rebound in growth will come as a relief to the government. The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, said in last week’s budget that the economy had turned the corner after a period…” – The Guardian
“Failed asylum seekers will be offered thousands of pounds to encourage them to move to Rwanda under a new voluntary scheme drawn up by ministers. The UK struck a new deal with the Rwandan government earlier this year that is separate to the controversial deportation scheme, The Times has learnt. The new agreement is designed to remove tens of thousands of migrants who have no right to stay in the UK but cannot be returned to their home country. Under plans backed by No 10, migrants could instead opt to be sent to Rwanda, which the UK government deems a safe third country. It will utilise the existing structures under the scheme agreed with Rwanda, which has been stalled by legal challenges since it was announced in April 2022.” – The Times
>Today:
“Boris Johnson has barely spoken to Rishi Sunak in the past year, according to the former prime minister’s allies, as they poured cold water on an election campaign comeback. The Telegraph revealed earlier this year that the Prime Minister’s strategists wanted Mr Johnson to play a key role in the campaign, despite tensions between the two men. Since then, further attempts have been made to patch up their relationship, with the pair said to have exchanged a few text messages, but the relationship is believed to have remained strained. Mr Johnson is understood to want a personal call from Mr Sunak asking for him to campaign before he agrees to get involved in the Prime Minister’s re-election drive.” – The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
“Rishi Sunak has said that comments made by a Tory donor about Diane Abbott were “racist and wrong” after open cabinet splits. The prime minister’s spokeswoman issued a statement after a day of mounting pressure over the alleged comments by Frank Hester, who has given £10 million to the Conservative Party. The businessman from West Yorkshire is said to have remarked at a meeting in 2019 that Abbott made him “just want to hate all black women”. He said that she “should be shot”. Earlier in the day the prime minister’s official statement declined to say whether the comments were racist and ministers defended the Tory donor… Labour is urging the Tories to hand back the £10 million given by Hester, but the party has declined to do so.” – The Times
“Rishi Sunak has been warned his government “lacks ambition” as five former housing ministers urged him to scrap EU rules that are blocking up to 150,000 new homes from being built. Robert Jenrick is spearheading calls from senior Tories for the Prime Minister to axe “farcical” nutrient neutrality laws in an attempt to win back younger voters. He is backed by Sir Simon Clarke, who served in the post in 2022, Greg Clark, who was housing secretary under David Cameron, and Rachel Maclean and Brandon Lewis, who have both served as junior housing ministers. The plea will pile pressure on No 10 to take radical action to fix the housing crisis, which has been blamed for a collapse in working-age support for the Conservatives.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Senior Tory MPs have warned the PM against a May general election in tense private talks, The Sun can reveal. The powerful 1922 Committee Executive, which represents Conservative backbenchers, met Rishi Sunak on Monday evening. A number of top figures on the body confronted the Prime Minister over growing fears some No 10 aides are pushing to go to the polls on May 2. But the so-called Men in Grey Suits told him doing so would be “barking mad” and urged a wait until autumn. However, “a handful” of MPs on the ruling committee suggested using the same day as May’s local elections could stem some losses, as the Tories languish 20 points behind Labour in the polls. Others warned the PM could be in mortal danger of an attempt to oust him…” – The Sun
“Michael Gove is to announce the creation of a new counter-extremism “centre of excellence” tasked with naming groups and individuals that breach the government’s new definition of extremism. The communities secretary will reveal a long-awaited update on Thursday to the government’s definition of extremism, which will govern which groups and individuals government bodies can and cannot engage with and fund. The new definition will ban groups or individuals who promote an ideology based on intolerance, hatred or violence that aims to undermine or overturn the rights and freedoms of others; undermines the UK’s liberal system of democracy; or intentionally creates a permissive environment for others to do so.” – The Times
“The government will introduce unprecedented legislation on Wednesday to quash all convictions in England and Wales relating to the Post Office scandal, one of the UK’s biggest miscarriages of justice. The bill, which the government hopes to pass into law before the end of July, will exonerate hundreds of sub-postmasters who were wrongly prosecuted using flawed evidence from the Post Office’s faulty Horizon IT system. It will cover alleged offences carried out between 1996 and 2018 involving sub-postmasters, their employees, family members or direct employees of the Post Office, the government said. Sub-postmasters can either accept a “fixed and final offer” of £600,000 in compensation or have their claims assessed under existing processes…” – The Financial Times
“Britain will today sign a major post-Brexit trade pact with Texas – the eighth largest economy in the world. With a GDP worth £1.9 trillion, the US state is worth more than Canada, Russia and Australia. The home of the cowboy is also the second largest American economy, making the arrangement the most significant UK-US state agreement to date. Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch will welcome Texas Governor Greg Abbott to London to put pen to the Statement of Mutual Cooperation. This will break down trade barriers to further investment and commerce between the two economies – making it quicker, easier and cheaper for firms to do business. Nuclear equipment, aircraft and pharmaceutical products are among the UK’s top exports to Texas at present…” – The Daily Mail
“Children who want to change gender will no longer be prescribed puberty blockers on the NHS. Landmark guidelines issued on Tuesday said there is not enough evidence that the drugs are safe and from now on they should only be given as part of clinical trials. Puberty blockers suppress the release of sex hormones that cause physical changes such as breast development or the growth of facial hair. They have been prescribed to hundreds of under-16s on the NHS since 2011 at the gender identity clinic run by the Tavistock and Portman NHS Foundation Trust in north London. A review of the Tavistock clinic in 2022 by Dr Hilary Cass warned that puberty blockers may “permanently disrupt” brain development and “lock in” children to an irreversible, life-altering path…” – The Times
“Victims of domestic abuse are in danger from plans to release prisoners up to two months early, a government adviser has said. Nicole Jacobs, the domestic abuse commissioner, was reacting to the announcement on Tuesday by Alex Chalk, the justice secretary, that rule changes would allow some prisoners in England and Wales to be released up to 60 days before the end of their sentence. The move is one of a series of emergency measures to free space in overcrowded jails. It is an extension of rules introduced in October under which criminals convicted of “low-level” offences, attracting prison sentences of less than four years, can be released 18 days early… However, Jacobs said victims of domestic abuse would feel threatened by the changes.” – The Times
“Sir Keir Starmer has promised to give MPs a vote on legalising assisted dying if Labour wins the next general election. The Labour leader said he would hold a vote in the next parliament, opening the door to the law being changed before the end of the decade. He made the comments after a conversation with Dame Esther Rantzen, the Childline founder and broadcaster who has terminal cancer and has publicly said she was considering assisted dying. Dame Esther, 83, revealed in December that she had joined Dignitas, the Swiss organisation which provides physician-assisted suicide. The last parliamentary vote on assisted dying was in 2015 and was defeated. The Prime Minister has indicated that he is open to another vote on the issue, but he has not committed to when.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Reform UK will be a “very significant factor” at the next general election “with or without me”, Nigel Farage has said. The honorary president of the party said he had not yet decided on whether he will return to the political frontline. He also said Reform’s objective at the election will be to win as many Red Wall seats as it can…Asked about his future, Mr Farage told…Radio 2: “I haven’t decided what I am going to do. All I will say is that Richard Tice has done a great job, he has kept the party going, it is up above the Lib Dems in the polls, he has got his first major defection… Once the electors wake up to the fact that Labour are going to win anyway, then what is the point of voting Conservative if you feel let down by them?” – The Daily Telegraph