“David Cameron will finally reveal his long-awaited European Union renegotiation demands at the start of next month. The Prime Minister this afternoon said he would accelerate the discussions as he bowed to pressure to set out a timetable for laying out his proposed reforms. As he arrived for a summit in Brussels, Mr Cameron said he would present a list of the demands he is seeking within weeks.” – Daily Mail
>Today:
>Yesterday: Daniel Hannan MEP’s column: Cameron lowers renegotiation expectations in the hope of selling paltry change as a triumph
“George Osborne has been accused of hiding the impact of tax credit changes amid a huge effort behind the scenes to dampen Tory jitters on the issue. The chancellor was criticised by a Conservative-led committee in the House of Lords, which said that the Treasury’s first impact assessment on the measures was “difficult to understand, even for those used to economic analysis”.” – The Times (£)
“Dozens of new ‘satellite’ grammars are set to open after the Government gave the green light to the first new selective state school in 50 years. Education Secretary Nicky Morgan has approved the creation of a 450-pupil school in Sevenoaks, Kent – an extension of an existing grammar seven miles away. Politicians yesterday said the move would set a precedent and ‘open the floodgates’ for more applications, with one already in the pipeline.” – Daily Mail
Comment:
“Even without laurels, there were never enough people like me at grammar schools who crossed every day from the poorer to the wealthier part of town. In the end the Tory fetish about grammar schools does little for too few children.” – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Why should a decision about a Sevenoaks school be made at a Whitehall desk?
“Britain’s energy secretary Amber Rudd has voiced hopes that a deal with France and China to build the first in a new generation of UK nuclear plants will be reached “very soon”, with negotiators working flat out to agree financing. Senior executives from French energy group EDF are trying to finalise terms for the £24bn Hinkley Point power station with their Chinese nuclear industry partners, just days before premier Xi Jinping makes a state visit to London.” – Financial Times
“A controversial tax on guilty defendants may be scrapped as part of Michael Gove’s criminal justice reforms. The unpopular criminal courts’ charge is being reviewed after widespread concerns among magistrates. At least 50 have resigned. The charge was introduced by Chris Grayling, Mr Gove’s predecessor as justice secretary, and has led to some magistrates imposing lesser sentences so as not to hit defendants with an additional charge they cannot pay.” – The Times (£)
“Alan Yentob the senior BBC executive who presided over the collapse of Kids Company was last night accused of resorting to “alarmist rhetoric” over a series of stabbings and the death of a teenage boy to justify the record of the charity… One senior MP disclosed that the committee had been told privately that a series of incidents were thought likely to have happened because the cash hand-outs from Kids Company had dried up – to the anger of local drug dealers.” – Daily Telegraph
Sketches:
“MPs should not be allowed a three week break while they attend their “voluntary” party conferences, John Bercow has said. The speaker of the House of Commons said the party conference season was “incongruous” and the public expected politicians to be in their “main place of work”.” – Daily Telegraph
“Health service managers have warned that the government’s trades union bill will jeopardise relationships with workers and potentially harm patient care. The bill, which raises the legal threshold for strike ballots, changes the rules on picketing and industrial action, and stops the automatic deduction of union dues from public sector members’ pay, is in the committee stage in the House of Commons this week.” – Financial Times
“Jeremy Corbyn is wasting time meant for MPs by reading out questions from the public at Prime Minister’s Questions, a Conservative MP has said. Michael Fabricant said the Labour leader was adding “nothing” to the debate with his new technique but was “wittering on at length”.” – The Independent
“Labour has been accused of bullying its own MPs after the party named and shamed rebels who refused to oppose the government’s austerity measures. Email inboxes of the 21 MPs who did not fall into line with John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, were deluged with complaints and abuse from hard-left activists yesterday.” – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: Video: WATCH: McDonnell describes his u-turn
“Jeremy Corbyn faces another damaging split in his party after the SNP revealed they will call a vote in the House of Commons on whether to renew Trident. Angus Robertson, the SNP’s Westminster leader, used a speech at party conference to challenge Mr Corbyn to stick to his “career-long opposition” of Britain’s nuclear deterrent.” – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
“Nicola Sturgeon today sought to play down the prospect of a second independence referendum as she comes under pressure over rising unemployment and a stalling recovery in Scotland. The First Minister opened the SNP conference in Aberdeen with a claim that jobs, education and health ‘matter just as much’ to her as breaking up the Union. But after a surprise rise in the number of people out of work, while the tally fell across the rest of the UK, Ms Sturgeon faces claims she is focusing too much on independence, instead of governing Scotland.” – Daily Mail
Comment:
>Yesterday: LeftWatch: Storm clouds gather over the SNP conference