“James Cleverly has won the backing of Mel Stride for the Conservative leadership, in a move allies of the shadow home secretary say will help cement his place in the final two candidates. As MPs prepare to narrow down the field of candidates further this week, Cleverly was praised by Stride as a leader who could “make sure that we are ready to win as soon as the opportunity presents itself”. Stride’s endorsement was coveted by all the Tory leadership contenders, who believed that his 16 supporters were crucial to bolstering their position as the tight race nears its final throes” – The Times
TODAY
Our survey. Conference had a significant impact on members’ opinions – and Cleverly was the only winner.
Comment
Cleverly’s mistakes mean he isn’t the Tories’ answer – Charles Moore Daily Telegraph
James Cleverly has the experience the Conservatives need – CapX
“Keir Starmer’s new chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, is preparing to make “radical changes” to the Downing Street operation as the prime minister attempts to shrug off internal rows and put a tumultuous period behind him. No 10 sources said that “nothing was off the table” when it came to ensuring the machinery of government was fit for purpose, heralding a slew of changes that could reshape the Downing Street organisation. This could include recasting different teams inside No 10, resolving the pay dispute with special advisers and further bolstering the political side of the operation with more appointments.” – Guardian
TODAY Making the centre work – how No. 10 operates best is set by a PM
Comment
The strange thing Sue Gray did on her first day in No.10 rang alarm bells, but the real problem is Keir Starmer looks unfit for purpose – Dan Hodges Daily Mail
Who killed Sue Gray? The power struggle in No. 10 has a victor – Unherd
Sue Gray’s allies turn on Starmer – The Spectator
Lobbying firm Arden funded one in 10 Labour MPs – FT
Hamish Falconer and the trouble with Labour’s ‘Red Princes’ – The Spectator
“Political parties will have to publicly justify why they are appointing peers to the House of Lords in an attempt to reduce “cronyism” in the second chamber. Under plans being drawn up by ministers, all future nominations for a peerage will have to be accompanied by a citation setting out the experience the candidate would bring to the role. The proposal is designed to make it harder for parties to reward donors or favoured apparatchiks … after several controversies… These include Boris Johnson making a junior Downing Street aide the youngest ever peer as well as the elevation in 2020 of Evgeny Lebedev, the Russian-born owner of the Evening Standard, who has never voted and only spoken on three occasions.” – The Times
“Furious protesters descended on Parliament today demanding “cruel” Keir Starmer U-turns on winter fuel payment cuts. Charities and unions joined forces for the rally near Parliament Square where hundreds of people turned out. There were chants of “Keir Starmer don’t be cruel, give us back our winter fuel” at the demonstration, which was organised by the National Pensioners Convention (NPC) and the Unite union. Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham said : “He has to reverse the decision, it’s really clear”, “It’s totally and utterly wrong.” She told the Express” – Daily Express
“An Albanian criminal who sneaked back into Britain after being deported has won the right to stay under the the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Ardit Binaj, 32, was freed six months into a two-and-a-half year sentence for burglary and deported as part of a prisoner transfer agreement with Albania. However, within months he re-entered Britain in breach of the deportation order to be with his Lithuanian girlfriend, who had leave to remain in the UK under the Government’s EU settlement scheme. They subsequently had a baby and married, enabling him to lodge his successful claim that an attempt by the Home Office to deport him again would breach his Article 8 ECHR rights to a family life.” – Daily Telegraph
Comment
What is behind the ECHR debate? – The Critic
Decision to scrap Rwanda scheme looks more insane each day… Labour haven’t a prayer of ending illegal immigration – The Sun
“David Lammy has hailed the decision to return the Chagos Islands to Mauritius as a deal to save a strategically important UK-US military base, after accusations from opposition MPs that a key asset was being given away. The government announced last week that it was going to hand over the Chagos Islands to Mauritius, ending years of bitter dispute over Britain’s last African colony, but the military base on Diego Garcia will remain under UK control. In a statement to parliament, the foreign secretary said the deal had to be agreed as the status quo was clearly not “sustainable”. Citing US support for the agreement, Lammy told MPs: “It’s critical for our national security” – The Guardian
Comment
Tory toy soldiers take Lammy to the slaughter – The Times
“Vladimir Putin’s army has suffered the deadliest month of fighting since the start of the Ukraine war. Vlad’s meat grinder approach to the conflict has left an average of 1,270 troops killed each day across September, British intelligence has revealed. Over 661,000 Russian soldiers have been eliminated since the war began back in February 2022, say Ukraine’s Armed Forces. With September being the worst month on record for Russia with the average casualty rate rising to 1,271 troops killed or badly injured per day” – The Sun
News in Brief
Morgan McSweeney is the new Peter Mandelson – Spectator
Do the Tories want an Everyman or an Ideologue? – Unherd
There’s nothing realistic about Labour’s ‘progressive realism’ – CapX
The problem with EDI – The Critic