“David Cameron promised new legislation would make it easier to takepassports from those travelling abroad to fight. The home secretary already has the power, under the Royal Prerogative, to withhold a passport if it is in the public interest to stop somebody travelling. That power has been used 23 times between since April 2013 to stop people travelling abroad for alleged terrorist-related or criminal activity. In a Downing Street press conference on Friday, the prime minister said Islamic State (IS) extremists – who are attempting to establish a “caliphate”, or Islamic state – represented a “greater and deeper threat to our security than we have known before”.- BBC
“Nick Clegg was under intense pressure last night to cease his opposition to new terror laws. Liberal Democrat sources insisted Mr Clegg had not ruled out beefing up powers to keep the public safe. But they warned he would not allow ‘civil liberties’ to be trampled on. A source said: ‘Nick takes the terror threat very seriously. He welcomes the Prime Minister’s rejection of a knee-jerk response and will look calmly at any new proposals.’…There was speculation at Westminster that Mr Cameron’s dramatic statement yesterday was designed partly to bounce Mr Clegg into dropping his opposition.” – Daily Mail
“Mr Cameron has been under pressure to join the US in air strikes against the terror group. Downing Street has insisted that no request has been made, but the Prime Minister yesterday would not rule out military action. “We must use all the resources we have at our disposal,” he said. “Learning the lessons from the past doesn’t mean that there isn’t a place for our military. The military were vital in driving al-Qaeda from Afghanistan and we support the US air strikes against Isil in Iraq. Military force is just one element of what we can do.” – Daily Telegraph
“In the face of this danger I am clear we cannot ignore Isis or simply shrug our shoulders and hope it goes away. But, if we learn anything from the events of the past decade, it is that we must proceed with clarity about our objectives and the means to achieve them. That is what Labour has done in this Parliament, supporting military strikes in Libya to prevent a humanitarian disaster but opposing a rush to war in Syria last summer.” – Ed Miliband The Independent
>Today: ToryDiary: Countering Islamist extremism needs braiins as much as muscle
“Iain Duncan Smith yesterday became the first cabinet minister to indicate he will campaign to leave the EU unless the Prime Minister achieves major reforms. The Work and Pensions Secretary warned David Cameron that he must ‘step up the gas’ on Europe to claw back powers from Brussels. He spoke out following Eurosceptic Tory MP Douglas Carswell’s dramatic defection to UKIP on Thursday.” – Daily Mail
“Conservative MPs warned yesterday that they would refuse to campaign against Douglas Carswell as his defection to Ukip continued to send shockwaves through his former party. Tories suggested there could be a damaging split on the right of British politics after the MP for Clacton jumped ship to UKIP and triggered a by-election. Some are even urging the Conservatives not to field a candidate against their former colleague.” – The Times(£)
“Never trust a man in love with his own probity. On the BBC yesterday morning Douglas Carswell made three references to himself as “honourable” within 35 seconds. “Putting my principles on the table,” he has claimed. The language should arouse immediate suspicion. Ignore the weekend’s cooings about Mr Carswell: “honourable man”, “intellect”, “man of principle”, “no ordinary rebel”, etc. Just consider what he has done. Here is a politician who, to get himself elected, wrapped himself in the mantle of the Conservative party, spent years at Westminster undermining the Conservative party and now renounces his party at a moment chosen to inflict maximum injury.” – Matthew Parris The Times(£)
“A dozen Tory MPs told The Daily Telegraph they were critical of his decision, including veteran backbencher Bill Cash who described it as “the biggest own goal of all time”. He said: “He has made a terrible mistake and a total misjudgement, it is an emphatic betrayal of the Eurosceptic side of the party. “What he has done is undermine the whole Eurosceptic cause by throwing in his lot with a party out to destroy the only party capable of delivering the referendum – the Conservatives. It is political vanity.” – Daily Telegraph
“Douglas Carswell, by contrast, is authentically a moderniser. In his book The End of Politics, published in 2012, he studied the signs of the times. He argued that “The digital revolution will do to grand planners in the West what the collapse of Communism did to socialist planners in the old Soviet bloc”. “Reform” in the 19th century meant increasing the franchise until it eventually included the entire adult population. In the 21st, it means “iDemocracy”, the crowd-sourcing of politics. Mr Carswell, and his ally (though non-defector) Daniel Hannan MEP, believe this requires huge changes in parliamentary politics. In the Conservative manifesto at the last election, these ideas got favourable mention. Its very title – ”Invitation to join the Government of Britain’’ – had a Carswellian flavour.” – Charles Moore Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday:
“People will get the power to remove potty yellow lines from their streets, a minister reveals today. Communities Secretary Eric Pickles is making councils review parking restrictions and rip-off ticket charges. Just 50 residents or ten per cent of an area can sign a petition to force the move. Mr Pickles said last night: “Too often yellow lines are imposed without fair consideration of residents, local shops or the availability of parking spaces. Now people will have a direct and democratic right to trigger a formal council-led review of road restrictions.” – The Sun(£)
“The prime minister has promised to double the sentencing powers of magistrates from 6 to 12 months by the end of this parliament. It would mean more than 10,000 extra cases being tried by magistrates rather than the crown court, and would save up to £40 million a year. It comes as new figures show the numbers of magistrates in post at their lowest for years — 20,000 in England and Wales — because of falling workloads. Magistrates have called for increased sentencing powers for years but ministers have resisted because of fears that it would boost the prison population.” – The Times(£)
“Boris Johnson has sent a strong signal that he will not surrender over “Boris Island”, a new hub airport in the Thames Estuary, despite expectations that the scheme will be shelved for good by the Airports Commission next week. London’s Mayor, who is seeking to become the Conservative candidate for Uxbridge and South Ruislip at the next general election, stressed a new, four-runway airport to the east of London remained “the only credible option” as speculation mounted that the proposal will be dismissed for good by the Government’s airports tsar, Sir Howard Davies.” – Daily Telegraph
“Labour MP Jim Murphy has suspended his Scotland-wide tour ahead of the independence referendum, citing “co-ordinated abuse” from “Yes” voters. Mr Murphy, who was hit by eggs on Thursday, claimed the Yes Scotland campaign was organising “mobs” to intimidate him and undecided voters. The campaign for independence condemned “all forms” of abusive behaviour.” – BBC
“George Galloway has been taken to hospital with a suspected broken jaw after he was attacked on a London street, his spokesman has said. The Respect MP was posing for pictures with people in Golborne Road, Notting Hill, when a man allegedly set upon him. Police were quickly at the scene and arrested a man. The MP’s spokesman said he had bruising and was in ‘a pretty bad shape’.” – BBC
“Shoppers are panic-buying powerful vacuum cleaners to beat an EU ban that comes into force next week. Last night retailers reported that sales had soared by nearly 50 per cent as consumers snap up any remaining stock in the run-up to the Brussels diktat outlawing machines of over 1,600 watts. Many stores and websites have already run out of the most powerful models, with one reporting its busiest day for sales in more than a decade. The buying frenzy looks set to intensify today and tomorrow, before the official ban on importing or manufacturing the machines takes effect on Monday. And Brussels is now considering measures to ban the most powerful hairdryers, lawn mowers and electric kettles, it was revealed.” – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: Sir Andrew Green on Comment: We must curb EU freedom of movement, the lesson of the latest immigration figures