“Kemi Badenoch will accuse her predecessors of setting the emissions target without a plan that does not “bankrupt” Britain or cause a “serious drop in our living standards”. In her biggest policy intervention since being elected as party leader four months ago, Mrs Badenoch will describe the idea of reaching net zero emissions in the next 25 years as a “fiction” and promise to tell the “unvarnished truth” about it to voters. Net zero policies such as limiting the use of gas boilers and petrol cars have proved divisive, and Labour has appeared to wobble on its commitment to the latter as the 2035 deadline approaches.” – Daily Telegraph
COMMENT
There is a bigger threat to the Tories than Reform – Henry Hill The i
>Today
The collapse in Conservative support among young voters will kill us sooner than we think
“Sick and disabled benefit claimants face more frequent reassessments in a drive to save £1 billion, as ministers set out plans today to deal with an “ever-spiralling bill” for welfare. People with permanent or degenerative conditions may never have to be reassessed, however, as part of promised reforms that would guarantee payments to the most severely disabled. Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, will set out long-term reforms alongside cuts totalling about £7 billion and promises to spend £1 billion or more to help the long-term sick back to work. Most of the savings will come from making it harder to claim disability benefits, which are not linked to work, and ministers are increasingly frank that cutting costs is a key rationale. Many Labour MPs are deeply uneasy about the cuts, one telling Kendall that she risked pushing disabled people “into destitution”, and another warning of a rise in suicides.” – The Times
COMMENT
Keir Starmer, this is why I know for a fact your benefits cuts crusade is all talk – Esther McVey Daily Express
Do Labour know what they want from welfare reform? Isabel Hardman Spectator
Starmer is squandering your money on idle youths who don’t want to work – it’s time for tough love – Ross Clark The Sun
The Motability scheme was never designed to buy 50-grand Mercs for bedwetting boy racers in balaclavas with made-up mental illnesses. Scrap it now! – Richard Littlejohn Daily Mail
The danger of Starmer’s conservatism – Tom McTeague Unherd
“Government credit cards are set to be cancelled after hundreds of millions of pounds was spent without proper scrutiny. The Cabinet Office will freeze all 20,000 procurement cards used by civil servants on Tuesday, with those who need them having to apply to get them reactivated. It comes after The Times revealed that thousands of pounds had been spent on meals at private members’ clubs, crystal glassware from a company featured in Downton Abbey and premium English sparkling wine. Pat McFadden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said: “We must ensure taxpayers’ money is spent on improving the lives of working people. It’s not right that hundreds of millions of pounds are spent on government credit cards each year, without high levels of scrutiny or challenge. Only officials for whom it is absolutely essential should have a card.” – The Times
>Today
From reckless regulation to excessive spending, Labour is living beyond your means
“Ministers have been forced to trigger an emergency measure to use police cells for prisoners after running out of space in jails again, The Times can reveal. An influx of criminals handed prison sentences in January has forced Shabana Mahmood, the justice secretary, to trigger Operation Safeguard. The emergency measure is an agreement between the prison service and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to hold prisoners overnight in police cells until prison cells become available, but it is only triggered when jails are close to running out of space. It will free about 200 cells for use but costs nearly five times the average daily cost for a prison place at £688, according to the National Audit Office.” – The Times
“Israel has been accused of ending the ceasefire after dozens of people including children were killed in a series of air strikes on Hamas targets in Gaza. A senior Hamas official said Israel unilaterally overturned the ceasefire that began on January 19. Unverified reports from medics say hundreds of people have died as a result of the strikes. The Israeli army did not provide more details about the ‘extensive strikes’ but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office released a statement saying the military had been instructed to ‘take strong action against the Hamas terrorist organization. This follows Hamas’s repeated refusal to release our hostages, as well as its rejection of all of the proposals it has received from US Presidential Envoy Steve Witkoff and from the mediators,’ the statement added.” – Daily Mail