“David Cameron’s pledge to curb immigration was in danger of being undermined last night after a damaging new split emerged at the top of Government. The Prime Minister wants to significantly raise the minimum salary of £20,800 which firms must pay non-EU staff to secure their work permits. It is a key part of his strategy for cutting net migration to the tens of thousands and for stopping British workers being ‘undercut’. But yesterday it emerged that two of the biggest departments in Whitehall have voiced opposition to the move. The Business and Health departments say it would stop UK firms recruiting skilled young people and could lead to wage inflation in the NHS.” – Daily Mail
Comment:
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: The list of EU renegotiation demands shrinks and shinks – it can’t shink much further without vanishing
“Boris Johnson has hinted at an early end to David Cameron’s reign as Tory leader by suggesting that there may be a vacancy for the leadership in late 2018. The London mayor made the prediction as he was pressed on his ambitions to succeed Mr Cameron. His claim contradicts the prime minister’s vow to serve a full second term and step down before the next election in 2020. Mr Cameron also insisted recently that he would be at No 10 “for the next five years”. Despite his comments, there have been constant suspicions within the Conservative party that the prime minister may opt to step down soon after the EU referendum, which is due to be held before the end of 2017.” – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Special survey: Should Cameron remain as Tory leader for the 2020 election?
“The number of people being evicted by their landlords has risen sharply in the past four years, according to official statistics — a trend that housing charities blame on benefit cuts imposed by the previous coalition government. The situation is likely to deteriorate as a result of Chancellor George Osborne’s plan to reduce the overall benefits cap, Shelter chief executive Campbell Robb warned. Universal credit, which is being introduced to replace various entitlements including housing benefit, will be capped at £20,000 for households outside London, and £23,000 for those living in the capital, Mr Osborne announced in his Summer Budget in June.” – Financial Times
“Sir John Chilcot was last night accused of lacking a conscience as the clamour for him to publish his long-overdue report into the Iraq War intensified. Julian Lewis, Tory chairman of the Commons Defence Select Committee, stepped into the row by saying Sir John had failed to give ‘straight answers’ about the reasons for the delays. He added that ‘anyone with a conscience’ would have ensured the report was published quickly for the sake of bereaved relatives. That sentiment was echoed by John Miller, whose 21-year-old son Simon was killed near Basra in 2003. He said: ‘What kind of conscience does Chilcot have if he is allowing this to go on endlessly?’” – Daily Mail
Comment and Editorial:
“But zeal from the Conservative party in Westminster is not roundly echoed among local Tories. Kevin Hollinrake, Thirsk and Malton MP, has opposed fracking. He wants three safeguards: independent monitoring of water quality, fracking companies to take responsibility for exhausted wells and a limit to the “industrialisation of our countryside”. He is going on a fact-finding trip to Pennsylvania, which has hundreds of wells. Sir Richard Storey, who lives in a manor house in Settrington and is the son of a Conservative MP, says supporting fracking could damage the party.” – Financial Times
“According to YouGov, nearly a third (31 per cent) of Londoners would be uncomfortable if the next London Mayor was Muslim. The company, which surveyed 1,153 adults for LBC, found that Londoners were more uneasy about the idea of Muslim mayor than they were about one who was female (only 4 per cent expressed discomfort), gay (16 per cent), or from an ethnic minority (13 per cent)… The findings present a big problem for the two prominent London Muslim politicians who are hoping to follow Boris Johnson into City Hall: Labour’s Sadiq Khan and Conservative MEP Syed Kamall.” – Daily Telegraph
>Today: Local Government: Is Corbynmania a threat to Jowell? >Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Abbott vs Bradshaw on the Blair intervention
“Yvette Cooper accused her Labour leadership rival Jeremy Corbyn of offering “old solutions to old problems” yesterday in a shift in gear designed to dent his lead. With the left-wing MP benefiting from the support of an influx of new party members, the shadow home secretary attacked what she described as his lack of radicalism and credibility. She acknowledged that there was a “battle on for the soul of the party” following Mr Corbyn’s success with proposals including ditching Britain’s nuclear weapons and dramatically increasing public spending. Before the first ballot papers were sent out today, Ms Cooper said that Mr Corbyn’s plans risked denting economic growth, causing inflation and ensuring that the Conservatives stayed in power for years.” – The Times (£)
Comment:
>Today: ToryDiary: Britain needs Yvette Cooper
“Yvette Cooper is more steadfast, consistently challenging George Osborne on economic terrain. She refuses to concede the nonsense that Labour overspending caused the crash. She would disconcert a prime minister whose clumsy and occasionally patronising tone towards women has proved a vulnerability. And, of course, after a century of male Labour leaders, a female leader would be a plus in itself, all the more so when Tom Watson is a front-runner to be deputy. Ms Cooper’s down-to-earth feminism defines her politics – she knows that those hardest hit by austerity are women – so her victory would be more than symbolic.” – The Guardian editorial
“Liz Kendall has called for a voting pact with Andy Burnham and Yvette Cooper, her rivals for the Labour leadership, in an attempt to stop the left-wing front-runner Jeremy Corbyn winning the race. In an interview with The Independent, Ms Kendall urged her supporters to vote for only three of the four candidates and to mark either Mr Burnham or Ms Cooper as their second and third preferences. She asked them not to give any of their votes to Mr Corbyn.” – The Independent
“Jeremy Corbyn has set out his plan to contain and marginalise MPs who oppose his drive to make Labour more left-wing. In the most detailed explanation to date of how he intends to run the party, the hard-left candidate said he was preparing to mobilise his new army of supporters by giving them many more votes on policy and party direction. According to a pamphlet for the Fabian Society to be published today, they would be pitted against the party’s representatives in Westminster, many of whom are hostile to his objectives. Meanwhile, on a tour of Scotland, Mr Corbyn said he would be willing to work with the Scottish National party in opposition, declaring: “If you put enough pressure on, particularly on the question of the benefit cap, that does create the possibility of alliances.”” – The Times (£)
Comment:
>Yesterday: LeftWatch: Blair can’t snap Labour out of Corbynmania
“A candidate to be the next leader of the Labour party has confirmed that he would spend billions renewing the Trident nuclear weapons system in full. Andy Burnham said he could not be certain that Britain would not need the £100bn system, which has never been used. “I believe in multilateral disarmament but I can’t say to you on the radio now that I would back away from renewing Trident, because I wouldn’t,” he told BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme. I’ve been an MP for coming on 15 years and when I first got elected I don’t think I could have possibly imagined the world events I have seen in those years.”” – The Independent
“To all intents and purposes Jeremy Corbyn, Yvette Cooper, Andy Burnham and Liz Kendall are the same. They’ve all forgotten about the note Liam Byrne left behind in 2010 – the one saying there’s no money left. Once you fillet out the rhetoric and take a hard look at their promises, each candidate who aspires to lead the Opposition – even the so-called moderate Liz Kendall – has commitments that would push up spending and borrowing, landing hardworking taxpayers with a hefty bill. No matter who ends up in charge, we have a Back to the Future Labour Party with every candidate wanting to take Britain for a ride back in time through more welfare spending, more borrowing and more taxes – exactly how they got us into a mess last time.” – Daily Telegraph
Comment and Editorial:
“Grr, the Tories, boo! Look at them, all Tory, and ruining our lives by scrapping maintenance grants and spoiling the new Star Wars film. Wait, what? Yes, that latter thing actually seems to have happened, after Treasury minister David Gauke visited and tweeted from the set of the new Stars Wars films at Pinewood Studios… this Tory MP visited the actual Death Star (which is pretty evil to begin with), then dropped a massive spoiler about a beloved movie franchise. Not bad for a day’s work. Now look at his picture while humming the Imperial March.” – i100