“George Osborne’s hopes of succeeding David Cameron received a surprise boost yesterday when a Labour elder statesman backed him to become Prime Minister. Frank Field said the Chancellor could emulate Margaret Thatcher, who made it to No 10 despite being unpopular at the start of her political career. And in an equally remarkable tribute, former Minister Field compared Osborne’s £9-an-hour ‘living wage’ initiative in the Budget to Labour Prime Minister Clement Attlee’s creation of the modern welfare state. Field’s praise for Osborne, currently on holiday in Italy, follows polls showing the Chancellor’s ratings as a potential Prime Minister have soared in recent months.” – Mail on Sunday
>Today: ToryDiary: Might the Labour right abandon ‘New Old Labour’?
“With her fondness for designer shoes and steely reputation as Home Secretary, Theresa May has long been regarded as the leading female contender to replace David Cameron when he stands down. But at least five other Tory women are now said to be “snapping at her kitten heels” as they jostle for position ahead of the next Conservative leadership election, which Mr Cameron has signalled will come before May 2020. The International Development Secretary, Justine Greening, Penny Mordaunt, the Armed Forces Minister, and Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, are among the senior women being discussed by colleagues as potential candidates. Others female ministers who are attracting attention as future leadership contenders include Liz Truss, the Environment Secretary, and Anna Soubry, the outspoken Business Minister.” – Sunday Telegraph
“In a dramatic joint intervention, Theresa May, the Home Secretary, and her French counterpart, Bernard Cazeneuve, call on countries across Europe and Africa to help solve the emergency caused by thousands of migrants congregating at their border. Writing in the Telegraph, they warn would-be immigrants planning to make the “desperate” journey in search of a better life that Britain’s streets “are not paved with gold”. As a first step to make Britain less attractive, the Home Office announced plans to cut the weekly cash allowances that support thousands of failed asylum seekers with families.” – Sunday Telegraph
Comment:
“What we are currently facing is a global migration crisis. This situation cannot be seen as an issue just for our two countries. It is a priority at both a European and international level. Many of those in Calais and attempting to cross the Channel have made their way there through Italy, Greece or other countries. That is why we are pushing other member states – and the whole of the EU – to address this problem at root. The nations of Europe will always provide protection for those genuinely fleeing conflict or persecution. However, we must break the link between crossing the Mediterranean and achieving settlement in Europe for economic reasons. Together, we are currently returning 200 migrants every month who have no right to asylum.” – Sunday Telegraph
>Today: Diego Zuluaga Laguna in Comment: The last thing we need is a French Eurozone
“London’s Jewish, Muslim and LGBT communities have joined forces to oppose plans by Boris Johnston for a hate-crime hotline, claiming it would dissuade victims from reporting antisemitic, Islamophobic and homophobic attacks at a time of rising attacks. Not yet officially announced, internal emails from the mayor’s office for policing and crime, seen by the Guardian, reveal that Johnson is intending to introduce a one-number hotline for reporting hate crime throughout the capital.” – The Observer
>Yesterday: Ian Duncan MEP in Comment: If you’re a London Conservative, Syed Kamall deserves your vote
“Sacking all peers aged over 80 is being considered in an attempt to repair the damage to the House of Lords’ reputation caused by sleazy Lord Sewel. It would mean showing the door to some of Britain’s most prominent peers, including former Tory Cabinet Ministers Norman Tebbit and Nigel Lawson as well as Labour’s Roy Hattersley and broadcaster Joan Bakewell. The plan, which has been proposed by senior figures in the Lords, would not affect Lord Sewel, 69, caught snorting cocaine with a prostitute, though he resigned his seat after being exposed.” – Mail on Sunday
Comment:
“It has been said that western legal systems fail to see that for terrorists, first comes the jihad of the tongue, then that of the purse and finally that of the sword, which is supreme. We need to counter all three aspects. We must use our military might to crush Isis. We must encourage prosperity and pluralism to diminish the reservoir of potential jihadists. But most of all we must recognise the scale of the ideological battle and recognise that this is a competition for hearts and minds, a conflict of values and ideologies. No less than in the Cold War against Soviet communism, we must bring every tool at our disposal to the task — including a reawakening of our lost skills for propaganda.” – Sunday Times (£)
“At least eight members of Labour’s shadow cabinet including Chris Leslie, the shadow chancellor, will refuse to serve under Jeremy Corbyn and quit if he is elected party leader. The eight, who also include Vernon Coaker, will be joined by many junior frontbenchers who would quit rather than serve under the hard-left MP. There is a growing fear among senior figures that Corbyn, who was backed by two more unions last week, is on course to snatch the party crown. Lord Mandelson called for calm this weekend after Dave Ward, leader of the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU), hailed Corbyn as the antidote to the Blairite “virus” in the party. The Labour peer, whom Ward attacked by name, said such outbursts risked splitting the party but warned fellow Blairites not to be provoked.” – Sunday Times (£)
Comment:
“Andy Burnham has accused supporters of his Labour leadership rival Jeremy Corbyn of risking a major split in the party by making inflammatory and “provocative” attacks on moderate Blairites. Mr Burnham issued his warning after Dave Ward, a union leader, described Blairites as a “virus” that Mr Corbyn could cure. Mr Corbyn, a veteran Left winger, has replaced Mr Burnham as the bookmakers’ favourite to succeed Ed Miliband after a surge in support from trade union bosses and local branches of the Labour party. Mr Burnham will launch his own personal manifesto next week in an attempt to revive his flagging campaign with bold ideas that he hopes will appeal to party members attracted to Mr Corbyn’s radical Left-wing agenda.” – Sunday Telegraph
Comment:
“Labour MPs are preparing for a Jeremy Corbyn victory by rallying round the leading Blairite in the deputy leadership contest to prevent a left-wing takeover at the top of the party, The Independent on Sunday can reveal. A string of MPs, including two shadow ministers, have switched their support from other candidates to back Caroline Flint for deputy as a centrist counterweight to Mr Corbyn, who is on course to win the leadership on 12 September. With several members of the Shadow Cabinet vowing not to serve under Mr Corbyn, the MPs argue that Ms Flint can hold the party together if the left-winger wins.” – Independent on Sunday
“But though Balls leaves a gap in Westminster, he hasn’t vacated it entirely: his wife, Yvette Cooper, is running for Labour leader. He says she’s doing a “brilliant” job, and judging by what she has said so far in her campaign, Balls has nothing to complain about… Balls might be happy, but one of Cooper’s great weaknesses is that she is so closely allied to those late Labour years that the public, rightly or wrongly, don’t look back on with fondness. Her supporters say it is deeply sexist to claim the connection to Balls would hinder his wife’s campaign. Perhaps it is, but just as voters have an unfair prejudice against childless female politicians, so they also might prefer a Labour leader who isn’t part of a dynasty with an economic record they despise.” – Sunday Times (£)
“Instead we found an organisation that has assets which, if it were included in The Sunday Times Rich List, would place it at 409th, one spot above David and Victoria Beckham. That includes £8million-worth of cars in its garages. And more than £100million-worth of property. That wouldn’t matter if it were doing the right thing for its members. But it isn’t. It spends five times as much on paying for staff, many of whom are active political campaigners, as it does on supporting its members. And it doesn’t skimp on the support it provides to its leaders.” – Sun on Sunday (£)
“Jack Straw asked the Government to fund legal action against two journalists who exposed his role in the Jeremy Thorpe sex scandal. The former Foreign Secretary recently admitted that when he was working as a special adviser to Social Security Minister Barbara Castle, he accessed the private social security file of Norman Scott – a model who claimed to have had an affair with Liberal Party leader Thorpe. Thorpe’s career was destroyed by claims that he had conspired to murder Scott in a bid to cover up details of their alleged affair.” – Mail on Sunday
“MPs are under fire over a controversial £1million project to revamp their tea room and other Westminster watering holes. No sooner had MPs quit Westminster for the summer holidays than workmen began a major refurbishment of the hallowed Tea Room, a short walk from the Commons Chamber. The imposing space was yesterday boarded up like a building site. Commons officials were unable to provide details of the refit beyond saying that it involved essential ‘health and safety’ work as part of a ‘catering refurbishment project’. But last night, even some MPs questioned the timing of the redecoration – given that they may soon move out of the Commons to allow a huge restoration of the crumbling Palace of Westminster.” – Mail on Sunday