“Ministers are facing a revolt from Conservative MPs over plans to criminalise homelessness that form part of the government’s flagship crime bill. Under proposals due to be voted on by MPs before the general election, ministers intend to give police the powers to fine or move on “nuisance” rough sleepers. But the move has infuriated dozens of Tory MPs on both the left and right of the party who have warned whips they will vote against the measures in the Criminal Justice Bill, which is going through the House of Commons. On Sunday, senior government sources said they had “paused” the legislation while ministers negotiated with rebels. More than 40 Conservative MPs — including most of the One Nation group…— have made it clear they would vote against the bill.” – The Times
“Rishi Sunak’s hopes of winning the next UK general election could be boosted if he waits until after a potentially chaotic US presidential election on November 5, according to his allies. Advisers to the British prime minister said they believed he might benefit from being seen as a tried and tested leader, if the US election and the possible victory of Donald Trump created political instability. “There might be something to be gained from being seen as a safe pair of hands, if the US elections result in global instability,” said one Conservative party official close to Sunak. Communities secretary Michael Gove said this week he thought Sunak would hold the British election on November 14 or November 21, within days of the outcome of the US presidential poll.” – The Financial Times
>Today:
“Rishi Sunak’s flagship “stop the boats” plan has been given Home Office “red” at risk ratings because progress on key elements is being stalled by ministerial indecision, i can reveal. Home Secretary James Cleverly has not yet responded to officials’ requests for answers over how the Illegal Migration Act should be implemented. They include the key question of what groups of people will be exempt from the new “duty to remove” small boat migrants from the UK… A Home Office official working to implement the law said civil servants had sent several submissions to the Home Secretary, and other ministers, on decisions needed to move forward on several parts of the law. But they had yet to hear back.” – The I
“It has been fired over the Scottish capital almost every day for more than a century and a half. But never in anger. Now it seems as if Edinburgh’s one o’clock gun has defeated its first actual enemy: health and safety killjoys. Sources at the Ministry of Defence (MoD) said they have saved the weapon’s traditional daily blast from officials who thought that it was too noisy. Army insiders claim that the gun was to have fired its last blank on Holy Saturday last weekend — amid concerns for the hearing of crowds who gather to watch. But Grant Shapps, the defence secretary, has since intervened to ensure that Edinburgh gets its loud bangs every day… The gun is fired every day from the Mills Mount Battery, except on Sundays, Christmas Day and Good Friday.” – The Times
“The Conservative Party would make great strides towards abolishing National Insurance over the next five years if re-elected, a Treasury minister has said. The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Gareth Davies, told The Telegraph he was confident the Government could make “significant” progress in scrapping the levy on work. Mr Davies refrained from committing to a specific time frame, but suggested that this would happen…were the Government to remain in power. The minister also attacked Labour’s plans to significantly strengthen workers’ rights, warning that many employees preferred the flexibility of zero-hour contract…Labour have claimed that the Conservatives’ plans…would eventually cost around £46bn a year.” – The Daily Telegraph
“The UK government has blocked a Holyrood ban on the sale of glue traps for rats and mice, provoking a fresh cross-border row on the limits of devolution. Westminster is to impose its own restrictions on the pest control technology, widely regarded to be cruel, in England this summer. Both jurisdictions envisage that the traps will be used only in exceptional circumstances by professionals. Scotland’s Wildlife Management and Muirburn Act, passed last month, includes a ban on retail sale of the traps. UK authorities believe this is unnecessary and creates trade barriers. Lord Douglas-Miller, the UK’s animal welfare minister, last week told Scottish ministers that he had rejected their application to exclude glue traps from the UK Internal Market (UKIM) Act introduced after Brexit.” – The Times
“Robert Jenrick has urged the Government to halve Britain’s foreign aid budget in order to spend 3 per cent of GDP on defence. The former immigration minister said the Trident nuclear deterrent had been “appallingly neglected” as he called on Rishi Sunak to counter threats from Russia, China and Iran by allocating more money to the Armed Forces. Mr Jenrick argued this should be done by curbing many of the “incoherent and wasteful” overseas spending programmes that make up the foreign aid budget, which is set to rise to £8.3 billion – or 0.5 per cent of GDP – in 2024-25. The UK spends 2.27 per cent of GDP on defence, while the Army has shrunk to its smallest size in centuries, with around 72,500 fully trained soldiers.” – The Daily Telegraph
“The UK government has come under pressure to disclose legal advice about Israel’s conduct in Gaza after a senior Conservative MP claimed that an internal assessment found the Jewish state had breached international humanitarian law. Alicia Kearns, chair of the House of Commons foreign affairs select committee, was recorded at an event…saying: “The Foreign Office has received official legal advice that Israel has broken international humanitarian law but the government has not announced it.” In comments first reported by The Observer…she said: “They have not said it, they haven’t stopped arms exports.” One Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office official suggested Kearns would not necessarily know about the inner workings of the department.” – The Financial Times
“As a case study in everything that is wrong with our economy – from funny-money monetary policy to rapacious foreign investors stripping monopoly utilities of every spare penny, all while ripping off customers and degrading our environment – the Thames Water scandal is hard to beat. The morality of the story is clear, but the details are complex, so first: some facts. The water and sewerage industry has been privately owned since 1989. Since then capital investment has been 84 per cent higher, with the water companies having put in £190 billion. It is impossible to believe that a nationalised water industry would spend any more, given Britain’s fiscal situation and competing demands for funds… We need to hear not just from the regulator, but from the Prime Minister.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Tory voters who have abandoned the party for Reform could be tempted back if Rishi Sunak promised a national referendum on migration, new research has claimed. The biggest poll yet of voters who say they will support Reform UK, the Nigel Farage-backed successor to the Brexit Party, at the next election found that the vast majority have switched from the Tories, and many of them could not be tempted to back whatever the party promises. However, 42 per cent would consider backing Rishi Sunak at the next election if he took hardline action on migration, including holding a referendum on the issue. Tory MPs face a challenge from Reform UK, which has pledged to stand a candidate in every seat in England, Scotland and Wales, unlike the last election when it agreed to stand aside…” – The Times
“The leader of Reform UK was accused of being a “bully” by the Tory chairman after he made a veiled threat against a senior MP. Richard Tice was branded a “threatening bully” after he tweeted a warning to Tory deputy chairman Jonathan Gullis in response to criticism directed at the Reform party. Mr Tice claimed he possessed “multiple bits of embarrassing personal information” about the Stoke-on-Trent North MP. Tory chair Richard Holden then intervened in the extraordinary row on X by calling Mr Tice a “silly man”… Reform sources denied the message amounted to blackmail and said it was a show of frustration over the Tory tactics. Mr Tice’s message was apparently a response to comments made by Mr Gullis in the Mail on Sunday in which he criticised the party.” – The I
“Lord Heseltine has said his decision to rip up England’s county map 50 years ago on Monday did not go far enough. As local government minister in the early 1970s, he redrew historic boundaries and abolished several counties from the municipal map. On April 1 1974, county councils such as Westmorland and Cumberland and East Riding of Yorkshire were scrapped and replaced with new entities such as Cumbria and Humberside. Lancashire was shrunk in size, with parts given to the new counties of Greater Manchester and Merseyside, while Yorkshire also lost part of its territory to Lancashire. Lord Heseltine told The Telegraph that he had no regrets about the changes and revealed he wanted to go much further…” – The Daily Telegraph
>Today:
“Labour “lost the trust” of British Muslim voters over its handling of the Israel-Hamas conflict, the shadow justice secretary has said. Shabana Mahmood warned it may prove difficult for her party to repair relations with Islamic communities following a backlash to Sir Keir Starmer’s stance on Gaza. Sir Keir, the Labour leader, came under fire last autumn after initially refusing to demand a ceasefire and suggesting in an LBC interview that Israel had the right to cut off food, water and electricity to Gaza, comments he later insisted were misinterpreted. Ten of his frontbenchers quit their posts in November to vote for an immediate ceasefire, while polls show support for the official opposition has fallen sharply among Muslim voters.” – The Daily Telegraph