‘Motor-mouth MP Boris Johnson bawls at a cabbie to “f**k off and die” in a late night tirade caught on camera. Boris bit back from his bicycle after a passing driver apparently accused him of failing to protect the city’s famous black cab industry. The cabbie shouted: “You’re one of them mate. That’s what you are. One of them.”’ – The Sun (£)
>Today: ToryDiary: L*t B*r*s b* B*r*s
‘David Cameron confessed yesterday he was “fast losing patience” at the inquiry into the Iraq War — which is four years late publishing its conclusions. The PM fired off a letter to the mandarin heading it, telling him to get a move on as costs of the probe soared to £10.4million. Sir John Chilcot, whose inquiry was due to have reported in 2011, insists he is still hamstrung by the failure of those criticised in the dossier to provide feedback — as is their legal right.’ – The Sun (£)
‘Mr Osborne told MPs that too much taxpayers’ money was being spent on benefits. He said: “This country faces a very simple choice. We have got 1 per cent of the world’s population, 4 per cent of its GDP, but we undertake 7 per cent of the world’s welfare spending. We can either carry on on a completely unsustainable path or we can continue to reform welfare so that work pays and we give a fair deal to those on welfare and indeed a fair deal to the people, the taxpayers of this country, who pay for it.’ – The Sun (£)
>Yesterday:
‘Championing the living wage would be a big political risk for George Osborne but he will be attracted by the idea of stealing one of Labour’s trump policies. Yesterday’s news of a further fall in unemployment was not unexpected but earnings growth of 2.7 per cent really will have put more fuel in the Tories’ tanks as they invade Labour’s working class heartlands. The living wage could turbo charge those tanks.’ – Tim Montgomerie, The Times (£)
‘Italy’s prime minister has promised to support David Cameron’s attempt to reform the EU, but Rome is insisting that Britain do more to tackle the Mediterranean migrant crisis. Matteo Renzi said there were “many points of collaboration” between Italy and Britain in making Europe more competitive, adding: “We believe there is no future for Europe without the UK as a key partner.”’ – FT
>Yesterday: WATCH: Osborne says the Government will seek to address the causes of the Mediterranean migrant crisis
‘The Greek government has admitted it will become the first developed country in history to default on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if its creditor powers fail to strike a deal with the Leftist government over its eurozone future in the coming days. With just 13 days before the country’s bail-out programme officially expires, finance ministers will gather in Luxembourg on Thursday to discuss whether to finally give assent to release bail-out cash and stave off an unprecedented default.’ – Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary: The Conservative case against Greek austerity
>Yesterday:
‘Local communities will on Thursday be handed new powers to veto wind farms, as the Conservatives press ahead with plans to halt the spread of turbines across the countryside. Ministers will unveil new planning guidance designed to ensure residents have “the final say” over onshore wind farm applications and turbines are no longer “imposed on communities” who do not want them. The energy industry is also braced for an announcement detailing plans of the Conservative manifesto pledge to axe subsidies for new onshore wind farms – effectively blocking the construction of thousands more turbines.’ – Daily Telegraph
‘The Health Secretary said as a parent he would be ‘very concerned’ about one of his daughters being sold the contraceptive without parental consent. ‘I’m not comfortable at all as a father about my daughters going out and buying the morning after pill,’ he told LBC. But he said there had to be an option for girls in these situations so they did not make a bad decision which would affect the rest of their lives.’ – Daily Mail
‘This week’s select committee elections have generated a healthy debate about what they should achieve in the next five years. In the last parliament, the home affairs committee investigated the G4S Olympics security fiasco; the public accounts committee pursued multinational companies’ tax dodging; and the Treasury committee’s persistence achieved major reforms to the Bank of England. Parliament had the self-confidence to entrust the parliamentary commission on banking standards to investigate a major public scandal, the first such inquiry for a century.’ – Andrew Tyrie MP, The Times (£)
>Yesterday: Julian Knight MP on Comment: It’s time for fundamental reform at the BBC
‘Handwritten accounts of some of the most dramatic episodes of Baroness Thatcher’s premiership have been saved for the nation after her family donated them in lieu of inheritance tax on her £4.7 million estate. Sir Mark Thatcher and his sister Carol are among the family members who have benefited from the arrangement, which will more than halve their tax bill of £1,880,000.’ – Daily Telegraph
‘Speaking at the first televised hustings in the Labour leadership race, Liz Kendall, Andy Burnham and Jeremy Corbyn backed the idea of a simpler mechanism to remove the leader. The debate resulted in tense clashes between Ms Kendall, the shadow health minister, and her boss, Andy Burnham, the shadow health secretary. Discussing the leadership rules, Mr Burnham said that “the party comes first”, only to be slapped down by Ms Kendall. “The country comes first,” she interjected.’ – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: LeftWatch: Jeremy Corbyn, ConservativeHome’s favoured candidate for the Labour leadership, in his own words
‘Public services minister Leighton Andrews has announced his radical vision for the future of local councils – reducing them from 22 to just eight or nine. As expected, the minister’s map for local government mergers proposes the re-emergence of the boundaries of some of the pre-1996 county council areas. It would see an enlarged Gwent authority emerge in the South East, the return of Dyfed in West Wales and councils along the lines of the former South and West Glamorgan areas. No names for the proposed new authorities have yet been suggested.’ – WalesOnline