“David Cameron has called a meeting of the government’s emergency COBRA committee, and said Britain would ‘do everything we can to help’…Mr Cameron said: ‘These are appalling and savage terrorist attacks and I’ve just spoken to the prime minister of Belgium to give our sympathies and our condolences to the Belgian people. ‘We absolutely stand with them at this very difficult time. These were attacks in Belgium; they could just as well be attacks in Britain or in France or Germany or elsewhere in Europe.” – Daily Mail
“Mike Hookem, the party’s defence spokesman, released a statement within two hours of the attacks saying the “horrific act of terrorism shows that Schengen free movement and lax border controls are a threat to our security”…David Cameron was among those to criticise Ukip’s remarks. He said it was “not appropriate” to be drawing a link between the terror attacks and immigration on such a day…The Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, added: “I’m very upset by events in Brussels today and even more depressed for the future.” – The Guardian
“Mrs May said yesterday that EU membership — and access to its intelligence — was “of benefit” in thwarting terror plots at a time of such serious threat. Although she wavered before deciding how to campaign in the EU referendum, she said that it was the need to co-operate with other countries over security that convinced her to support the In campaign. “I think this is an issue people should look at more broadly, but on the security front there are good reasons for us to be members of the European Union,” she said.” – The Times (£)
News
Comment
Today: Andrew Lilico on Comment – Unless Remain wins big, the future of its Conservative supporters in government looks doomed
Yesterday:
“George Osborne has told MPs he was sorry that Iain Duncan Smith had resigned from government but refused to apologise for attempting to save £4.4bn through changes to disability benefit. In his first House of Commons appearance since the fiasco, the chancellor acknowledged the plans for cuts to personal independence payments (PIPs) were “a mistake” and would be withdrawn. But he struck a combative tone as he defended the core principles of his tax-cutting budget and overall economic strategy, which Duncan Smith attacked as “deeply unfair” after stepping down as work and pensions secretary.” – The Guardian
Sketches:
“I don’t know if [Osborne] had seen Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary, confronted with the Institute for Fiscal Studies’ analysis of the effect of the Budget measures last night. The disability cuts were always, to be blunt, a small amount of money in relation to total spending, and the Budget measures that are planned for the next four years, and which have been planned since last year’s Budget, hit the poor and hardly affect the better-off at all…I am led to conclude that he doesn’t know what he’s doing. He doesn’t mean to be a hard-faced right-winger; he’s doing it by “mistake”.” – The Independent
> Today: Columnist Rebecca Coulson – Let’s raise a glass of wine to drink as Osborne hunts for sugar to tax
> Yesterday: ToryDiary – The Crabb and the Octopus
“We made the point that lots of other people have done analysis of these things, and some are positive and some are negative … in both cases people don’t expect those effects to show up overnight. They would take quite a long time to show up – probably well beyond the five-year horizon we would be looking at. If we did assume we were leaving, it might not have as much effect, positive or negative, as people think.” – Daily Mail
“Asked if the referendum was a concession too far [to Brexiteers], Sir Nicholas said: ‘There are two ways in my view to deal with this. ‘If you have an Alsatian sitting in front of you, and it growls at you and bares its teeth, there are two ways of dealing with it. ‘You can pat it on the head, in which case it’ll bite you, or you can kick it really hard in the balls, in which case it’ll run away. Eurosceptic Tory Stewart Jackson suggested Sir Nicholas’ latest intervention would be more likely to help the Leave campaign.’” – Daily Mail
> Yesterday: Interview by Andrew Gimson – Nicholas Soames compares Brexiteers to an Alsatian that must be kicked “really hard in the balls”
“The impact on me of all of this was profound. I wrestled every day with an acute feeling of sadness. My reputation, carefully nurtured over 28 years following the events of 1987, when I was convicted of homosexual activity with rent boys then aged 17 and 19, has been left in tatters. My life has been “devastated” in a manner where, through age, I have no time left to effectively restore it. I have lost my home and my job. I have lost my future — but I have lost my present too.” – The Sun
> Yesterday: ToryDiary – The innocent Proctor, the Rotherham victims – and a child abuse culture that upends innocence and guilt
“In the latest Government u-turn, Crime Minister Karen Bradley today said experts believed poppers were not as harmful as other legal highs…The move comes two months after MPs voted in favour of a ban on poppers and a string of other psychoactive substances such as laughing gas. At the time, gay Tory Crispin Blunt stunned Parliament by making an impassioned plan for the party drug to be exempted – and admitting he was a regular popper user. The former Army captain told the Commons: “There are some times when something is proposed which becomes personal to you. And you realise the Government is about to do something fantastically stupid.” – The Sun
“A document leaked to The Times reveals that Labour MPs have been divided into five groups. It shows Mr Corbyn has more opponents than supporters. The list prompted one Labour MP to draw comparisons with Richard Nixon, the former US president who drew up lists of his enemies…Labour MPs said that the list had been drawn up by Katy Clark, Mr Corbyn’s political secretary, and dates from January. Several MPs said the list was over-optimistic on behalf of the leadership since several MPs who are listed as loyal have spoken privately of their unhappiness at Mr Corbyn.” – The Times (£)
“Mr Trump held an unassailable lead over Ted Cruz, the Texas senator, shortly after polls closed. The Associated Press projected that the New York mogul would win the western state, after early results showed him taking 46 per cent of the vote…Mrs Clinton was on course for an even bigger win over Vermont senator Bernie Sanders. She was projected to win after initial results showed her at 60 per cent. The former secretary of state has won 18 of the 28 states that have held Democratic contests. In the Republican race, Mr Trump has won 20 states, while Mr Cruz has claimed eight wins.” – Financial Times