‘David Cameron has cleared the decks for a referendum on Europe as early as May 5 next year. He overruled advice from the Electoral Commission that the vote should not be held then because it would clash with English local elections and major elections in Scotland, Wales and London. Tory whips have also told MPs that Mr Cameron is considering a referendum campaign that could last as little as 16 weeks.’ – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: Syed Kamall MEP’s column: It’s been a good month for Tories, and our allies, in the European Parliament
‘Pro-Europeans should think twice before giving Tony Blair a leading role in the campaign to keep Britain in the bloc, a survey has found. The public regard the former Prime Minister as the least trusted politician in the debate over the merits of European Union membership…The research, released on the 40th anniversary of the 1975 referendum on Britain’s membership of the Common Market, found the Ukip leader, Nigel Farage, was the second most distrusted figure in the Europe debate…Sunder Katwala, British Future’s director, said: “Both Nigel Farage and Tony Blair appear to be rather more likely to harm their cause than help it, when preaching beyond the already converted.”‘ – The Independent
>Today:
‘Britain’s defence budget faces a £500million cut as the Chancellor yesterday pressed the accelerator on a sweeping programme of cuts. George Osborne said the savings would form part of a £3billion package of cuts this year designed to ease the pain later on. Wielding the axe, he also announced plans to trim the amount of cash going to universities and colleges, transport and public health – leaving only schools, hospitals, foreign aid and police and security services unscathed.’ – Daily Mail
>Today:
‘George Osborne is flogging off the Government’s remaining 30 per cent stake in Royal Mail for £1.5 billion — to pay down Britain’s mammoth debts. The Chancellor sparked union fury yesterday by saying that a full privatisation of the 500-year-old postal operator was the “right thing to do” for the business — and taxpayers. The terms of the sell-off will be rubber stamped in the coming months.’ – The Sun (£)
‘A 10 per cent pay rise for MPs is “not appropriate” at a time of continued austerity, the government has told the Westminster expenses watchdog. David Cameron this week dropped a threat to overrule the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority (Ipsa) over plans to raise MPs’ pay from £67,060 to £74,000 amid anger among his own backbenchers.’ – The Times (£)
‘The BBC licence fee was yesterday branded a “regressive” levy on the poor by the Culture Secretary — sparking talk he will radically reform the payment. John Whittingdale told MPs that charging a £145.50 flat rate meant Britain’s poorest households were forced to pay a “greater proportion” of their income.’ – The Sun (£)
‘Britain’s culture of welfare reliance has been transformed, with the proportion claiming out-of-work benefits at its lowest for 35 years, according to an analysis of official data. The data prepared by the Resolution Foundation, a London think tank that focuses on low to middle-income earners, show that receipt of three key out-of-work benefits — unemployment benefit, income support mainly for single parents and disability support — has been on a steady downward trend since the mid-1990s.’ – FT
‘Two key NHS waiting time targets are to be abandoned after the government said that they distorted patient care. Jeremy Hunt, the health secretary, said yesterday that it made no sense to penalise hospitals for dealing with patients who had endured long waits for operations, as he announced the abolition of targets that focused on how long treated patients had waited. Instead he will retain a target that looks at how many patients are still waiting to be seen.’ – The Times (£)
‘David Miliband fuelled speculation over a return to frontline British politics after agreeing to give the keynote speech at the annual convention of the Institute of Directors, an influential business group. The former foreign secretary, who retreated into the political shadows after losing the Labour leadership election five years ago to his brother, Ed, will address 2,000 business leaders in October.’ – The Times (£)
>Today: Iain Dale’s Friday Diary: The Left thinks the voters are stupid. No wonder Labour lost.
>Yesterday:
‘Alex Salmond has been accused of holding a 19th-century attitude to women after telling a Conservative minister to “Behave yourself, woman”. The former SNP leader, who was elected to Westminster last month, issued the rebuke to Anna Soubry in the House of Commons chamber on Wednesday night.’ – The Times (£)
‘Fifa paid more than £3 million in “hush money” to the Football Association of Ireland when the country lost a play-off for the 2010 World Cup finals after a handball by Thierry Henry, the France striker. The secret payment — designed to stop Ireland suing over the unfair result — was revealed yesterday as the corruption scandal at football’s governing body grew. One former executive admitted accepting World Cup bribes and another promised to reveal an “avalanche” of secrets that would engulf Sepp Blatter.’ – The Times (£)
‘Charles Kennedy did what he did rather brilliantly, with style, wit and warmth and politics would be better for more people of his stamp. But what he did can only take you so far. Mr Kennedy’s Liberal Democrats climbed all the way to the summit of the mountain he set out to climb. The trouble with that is that when you reach the top you cannot help but wonder at the point.’ – Philip Collins, The Times (£)