‘Members of the National Infrastructure Commission (NIC), set up by George Osborne to “get Britain building”, said that the prime minister could not afford a return to the “bad old days of indecision and inaction”. Mrs May halted plans for a nuclear reactor at Hinkley Point in Somerset amid claims that she has concerns about China’s involvement. A decision on a third runway at Heathrow is long overdue, with Mrs May under pressure from her constituents in Maidenhead to oppose more flights into the airport west of London.’ – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: Sanjoy Sen on Comment: Our Party’s reputation for financial responsibility will suffer if we keep deferring energy decisions
‘Fears that the Brexit vote would cause an immediate downturn in the economy were diminished yesterday after a hat-trick of good news added to signs that the UK is faring better than expected two months after the vote. The positive economic data were buoyed by a rally in housebuilding shares as Persimmon followed Taylor Wimpey and Bovis Homes in saying that sales were unaffected by the result. It came as UK manufacturing export orders rose to a two-year high after the fall in the pound boosted the attractiveness of British goods…A quarter of employers plan to increase their workforce in the next three months, while only 3 per cent expect to reduce staff, according to the Recruitment and Employment Confederation…Activity in the eurozone economy rose to its highest level in seven months and shows no signs of being “derailed by Brexit uncertainty.’ – The Times (£)
Comment
>Today: Henry Hill’s Red, White and Blue column: Davidson accuses Sturgeon of distorting EU vote to sow discord
>Yesterday: Vicky Ford on Comment: What the other EU member states are thinking about the Brexit negotiations
‘Lord Hague of Richmond, the former foreign secretary, has been accused of “lobbying by the back door” after taking a leading role advising blue-chip companies that want to influence the government’s approach to Brexit. As part of what critics are calling a Brexit lobbying bonanza, the former Conservative leader is to take on the position within the international lobbying and advisory consultancy Teneo. In its “Brexit client transition unit”, he will be joined by Lord Davies of Abersoch, the former trade minister, and Sir Michael Rake, the former CBI chairman.’ – The Times (£)
‘Nearly 18,000 illegal immigrants have been caught working in Britain over the past three years – equivalent to 16 every day. In the latest sign of Britain’s woeful border controls, the Sun can reveal immigration officers discovered 4,863 alone last year. But only one in three is being deported. The shock figures come just three weeks after former UK Border Agency boss Rob Whiteman warned up to a million illegal immigrants may be living in Britain and will never be kicked out.’ – The Sun (£)
‘The government’s counterextremism programme is being shunned by nearly half of people assessed to be susceptible to Islamic State ideology. The Channel programme, the strand of the Prevent strategy that deals with the most serious cases, offers voluntary support and mentoring to those deemed vulnerable to extremism. However, during the past financial year 117 out of 245 people refused support through the Channel scheme where “Islamic State” was flagged as the type of extremism, according to the National Police Chiefs’ Council.’ – The Times (£)
‘MPs have called for a ban on the microbeads used in facial scrubs and toothpaste by the end of 2017, after hearing evidence that the tiny plastic particles are polluting oceans so much that a plate of oysters can contain 50 of them. If the government balks at a ban, it should bring in new rules to make it easier for consumers to know if products contain plastic microbeads, the House of Commons environmental audit committee said in a new report.’ – FT
‘Was Gladstone a pompous, windy, self-absorbed nutter or a titan of reform and conscience? Both. Was Disraeli a conman, incompetent and a snob or a creative genius and political miracle worker? Both. Was Asquith an inflexible drunk who was besotted with his mistress when he should have been running the country or a transformative figure who modernised Britain? Both. Was Robert Walpole a crook and a chancer or a statesman who kept Britain at peace? Both. Lloyd George, bounder and opportunist or great radical leader? Bonar Law, unimaginative minnow or great war leader? The Duke of Newcastle, old fool or master of the patronage system? Both, both, both. The idea that there are simple heroes and villains collapses under the weight of evidence. As does the idea that politicians were so much better in the past.’ – Daniel Finkelstein, The Times (£)
‘The chairman of the schools watchdog has finally quit today after he described the Isle of Wight as an inbred, poor, white, crime-filled ghetto. Ofsted chief David Hoare said the island’s school results – among the worst in the country – may be linked to its social problems. While many go there for ‘champagne’ holidays, the way ordinary islanders lived was ‘shocking’, he said, with ghettos ‘within inches’ of sailing clubs for the rich.’ – Daily Mail
‘One of Britain’s biggest rail companies accused Jeremy Corbyn of dishonesty after the Labour leader claimed a train journey was so “ram-packed” that he was forced to sit on the floor. Virgin released CCTV footage showing rows of empty seats and said it took issue with his version of events. Mr Corbyn was lauded as a man of the people by supporters — and even some critics — last week for speaking out against overcrowding. In a film shot on the 11am service from London to Newcastle earlier this month, Mr Corbyn said he had chosen to sit on the floor of the packed train rather than travel first class to get a seat. Footage released by Virgin yesterday, however, shows Mr Corbyn walking past rows of empty seats on his way down the train minutes after it left King’s Cross.’ – The Times (£)
>Today: Rebecca Coulson’s column: Ten reflections on a Momentum rally
‘Owen Smith yesterday declared that “Jeremy is not the only socialist in the village” as he attempted to steal a lead on his rival Jeremy Corbyn in the Labour leadership contest. The challenger also rounded on his rival by warning: “What you won’t get with me is some lunatic at the top of the Labour Party.” At a rally in west London Mr Smith said: “At a hustings a few weeks ago, Jeremy Corbyn said, ‘Yes we’ve got to get some of the people who contemplated voting Tory in the past to vote Labour.’ Rubbish! We’ve got to get two million people who actually voted Tory, 12 months ago, to vote Labour, in 106 seats.’ – Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary: Cameron and Osborne defeated the Labour moderates before Corbyn did
‘A senior Ukip figure has accused the party’s only MP of helping the Conservatives defeat Nigel Farage during the General Election. A company belonging Arron Banks, Ukip’s biggest donor, has written to Kent Police alleging that Douglas Carswell, the party’s MP for Clacton, helped the Tory campaign. Precision Risk & Intelligence claims that Mr Carswell downloaded Ukip polling data for the South Thanet seat in Kent and passed it to the Conservatives, who allegedly used it during the campaign.’ – Daily Telegraph
‘The French ban on the burkini is threatening to turn into a farce as police officers armed with pepper spray and batons marched onto a beach today and ordered a woman to strip off. Four burly cops stood over the middle-aged woman, who had been quietly sunbathing on the Promenade des Anglais beach in Nice – yards from the scene of the Bastille Day lorry attack – and watched her take off a Muslim-style garment which protected her modesty. It is thought the woman was given a warning about the dress code on the beach and was handed an on-the-spot fine.’ – Daily Mail
News in Brief