Number 10 ‘disarray’ as power struggle erupts between Gray and Starmer’s top adviser
“Downing Street is in disarray after a power struggle broke out between Sue Gray and Sir Keir Starmer’s top adviser. Ms Gray, the Prime Minister’s chief of staff, and Morgan McSweeney, his most senior aide, are understood to be at loggerheads. Reports emerged over the weekend claiming that Ms Gray, the former civil servant, who investigated partygate, was being accused of preventing Sir Keir from receiving security updates by blocking access to him. A Whitehall source was reported to have said that she thinks “she runs the country” amid disquiet over her powerful role within the Government. The claims…fuelled fears of a split between two of Sir Keir’s most senior officials… It is understood that Mr McSweeney disputes all the claims made about him…” – The Daily Telegraph
- ‘Fears’ that Starmer’s chief of staff could gain ‘even more power in government’ if Case is replaced by a ‘patsy’ – The Daily Mail
Landowners’ profits from sale of green belt sites ‘could be capped’ under Labour plans
“Councils are to be given the power to compulsorily and cheaply buy up green belt land under plans by ministers to fulfil their pledge to build 1.5 million new homes by 2030. To prevent landowners from cashing in on sites that would previously have been ineligible for development, the government is preparing to cap the amount of profit that they can make…Those that refuse to sell in parts of the country where there is the greatest housing need could find their land bought off them at a “benchmark” value that would be lower than the market value of similar sites outside of the green belt. The move comes as experts warned that to achieve its housing target Labour would have to build not just on the so-called “grey belt” land around London but also on greenfield sites…” – The Times
Policing 1) Riots show the UK has lost respect for police, warns Cooper
“Britain has lost respect for the police, the Home Secretary has claimed in the wake of the riots. Yvette Cooper pledged to restore the public’s faith in the law as she warned would-be rioters that the streets would be flooded with police this week. Writing for The Telegraph, she said a soft approach to justice had led too many people to “feel as though crime has no consequences”. The Home Secretary called the rioting that erupted across British towns and cities a “disgraceful attempted assault on the rule of law itself”. “I am not prepared to tolerate the brazen abuse and contempt which a minority have felt able to show towards our men and women in uniform, or the disrespect for law and order that has been allowed to grow in recent years,” she wrote.” – The Daily Telegraph
- Ministers warn UK riots will set back efforts to fix justice system – The Financial Times
- Police must have zero tolerance for the intimidation of journalists, says Philp – The Daily Telegraph
- Labour’s definition of Islamophobia could ‘give oxygen to the far Right’, says Muslim campaigner – The Daily Telegraph
- Large-scale riots are over, ministers believe, but police remain vigilant – The I
- Musk calls prisons sentences for two rioters ‘messed up’ – The Daily Telegraph
- Britain’s problems won’t be fixed from the sofa – Editorial, The Daily Mail
- Rioting has left Britain deeply shaken – Luke Tyrl, The Financial Times
- Labour are gearing up for a moral crusade against the centre-right – Tim Stanley, The Daily Telegraph
- Rioters long for a Britain that never existed – Trevor Phillips, The Times
- Looting thugs have been deterred by swift justice. So why don’t we crack down on the epidemic of violent shoplifting with the same ruthlessness? – Dominic Lawson, The Daily Mail
- Response to riots show lengthy jail sentences do work – Leo McKinstry, Daily Express
- The first lesson Starmer can learn from the riots – Anne McElvoy, The I
- We need to restore respect for our police – Yvette Cooper, The Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday:
- Video: Reynolds says convicted rioters will not leave prison early
Policing 2) Domestic homicide reviews are pointless, says Phillips
“Serious case reviews of domestic homicides are pointless, according to the new Home Office minister, Jess Phillips. The Labour MP said “nobody learns anything” from the reviews, adding that it would be more fruitful to learn lessons from cases where domestic deaths had been avoided. The minister, who was surprisingly called into government last month…despite having resigned from the Labour frontbench last year over its stance on the conflict in Gaza, said she had become “slightly obsessed” with the prominence of the reviews. Phillips…told the Edinburgh International Book Festival of the prevalence of the reviews: “I wonder why we always try and learn from failure.”… Phillips…admitted she was surprised to be asked to serve in the new Labour administration.” – The Times
- Labour ministers will mess up – but will be more honest than the Tories, she says – The Daily Telegraph
Siddiq ‘under scrutiny’ for living in £2 million home owned by aunt’s ally
“A Labour minister is living in a £2 million house owned by a close political ally of her aunt, the ousted Bangladeshi prime minister. Tulip Siddiq, the economic secretary to the Treasury and City minister, moved out of a flat she owns in north London two years ago into a five- bedroom home a few miles away owned by the millionaire businessman Abdul Karim. Karim has close links to Siddiq’s aunt, Sheikh Hasina, who was prime minister of Bangladesh until she was forced out of office this month. Last month it emerged that Siddiq was under investigation by parliament’s standards watchdog after allegedly failing to declare income from letting out her former flat when she moved into Karim’s property. Siddiq has apologised for the error…” – The Times
Labour are too frightened to talk about immigration, says Hodge
“A Labour grandee has accused the party of being “too frightened” to talk about immigration in the wake of the riots. Dame Margaret Hodge, who stood down at the election after 30 years as an MP, said Labour ignored voters’ concerns at its peril. She urged the party to work towards a new, positive discourse about immigration, focusing on the “richness” that foreign nationals bring to the UK. But she said it was also vital to show that Britain could control its borders and encouraged Labour to take heed of voters’ frustrations over immigration levels… In 2006, she said white working-class families felt so neglected by the government and angered by immigration that they were deserting Labour and flocking to the British National Party.” – The Daily Telegraph
Conservatives 1) Sunak stuck with the July 4th poll ‘because he’d told the King’
“Rishi Sunak wanted to cancel his plans to call a general election in July but felt that he could not back out as he had already told the King, according to a new book. Sunak also feared that two journalists who had learnt of the plan would say that he had “bottled it” if he was seen to have changed his mind. Sunak had also told the police, who had begun to make security arrangements for the first days of the campaign. Indecision over the timing of the election is said to feature in drafts of a book by Nadine Dorries… Sunak had a “wobble” and considered changing the date but by that stage felt that he could not move the election to the autumn. Some of Sunak’s closest advisers were said to have been surprised by the timing of the election…” – The Times
>Yesterday:
- Video: Redwood – ‘I urged Sunak to wait before calling election’
Conservatives 2) Patel brands decision to drop plan to ban terrorists from social housing as ‘disgraceful’
“Labour has been accused of putting the interests of violent criminals above those of “hard-working British families” after dropping Tory plans to ban terrorists from social housing. Dame Priti Patel, one of the six candidates to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader, claimed the “disgraceful” decision showed the Government could not be trusted on law and order. Earlier this year, the Conservatives, when still in government, announced plans to block terrorists with unspent convictions from claiming social housing unless “absolutely necessary” to uphold national security. But Labour revealed it had scrapped the proposals just weeks after the election, with minister Matthew Pennycook confirming that the Government had no plans to deliver the reforms.” – The Daily Telegraph
- Voters ‘lack faith’ in any of the Tory leadership hopefuls, according to a new poll – The I
- Jenrick is in front for Tory leadership contest, but he’d help himself by keeping a slightly lower profile – Henry Hill, The Sun
>Today:
- ToryDiary: Our survey. Badenoch, Hunt, and Cleverly take the podium positions in our first Shadow Cabinet League Table.
>Yesterday:
- Video: ‘This is a long race, and I’m coming up the rails!’ Stride insists
Conservatives 3) Victoria Atkins: Labour is taking us back to the 1970s, and it’s only the beginning
“Labour has not learned the lessons of its past. Within weeks of taking office, the new Chancellor has caved in to a striking union, giving them a budget-busting pay rise, for nothing but threats of more strikes in return. It is the 1970s all over again. Despite being offered a huge 22.3% pay rise over two years, the British Medical Association (BMA) is already talking about more strikes for April 2025. This comes after more than a year of industrial action which saw 1.4 million appointments cancelled, leaving patients in pain and distress. We already know many junior doctors are uncomfortable with the radical policies of their union, and now a junior doctor has bravely come forward to warn us of the plans for harmful strikes next year.” – Daily Express
Musk brands Yousaf a ‘super racist scumbag’
“Elon Musk has branded Humza Yousaf a “super racist scumbag” and dared the former first minister to sue him. The billionaire said “go ahead, make my day” following reports that Mr Yousaf was considering taking legal action in an escalating social media row between the pair…Mr Musk effectively branded Mr Yousaf a “dangerous race baiter” in response to the former SNP leader sharing an article in the Sunday Mail claiming that he was “considering all options”, including going to court. The exchange came two days after Mr Musk described Mr Yousaf as a “super, super racist” and claimed that he “loathes white people”. The comments were a response to an attack the ex-SNP leader had launched on Mr Musk…” – The Daily Telegraph
News in Brief:
- Musk has a point about free speech in Britain – Ed West, The Spectator
- The North East is too nostalgic – Dan Jackson, UnHerd
- Waugh at war – Max Bayliss, The Critic
- The new migration system isn’t working – Neil O’Brien, Neil’s Substack
- Does Labour have a cure for England’s turmoil? – Rachel Cunliffe, The New Statesman
- How the immigration backlash weakens democracy – Garett Jones, CapX
