Newslinks for Friday 11th September 2015

Assisted suicide 1) ‘Two or three’ ministers set to support the Bill

‘Scores of MPs are likely to vote for the second reading of the assisted suicide bill later on Friday. Rob Marris, the Labour backbench MP proposing the legislation, said that “two or three ministers at least” were supporting the Bill. The Daily Telegraph can disclose that one those ministers will be Anna Soubry, a business minister. Amber Rudd, the Energy and Climate Change secretary, said she was still “undecided” about how she will vote…Cabinet ministers who oppose the change are thought to include Greg Hands, Rob Halfon, Stephen Crabb, Greg Hands, Jeremy Hunt and Chris Grayling.’ – Daily Telegraph

• The benefits outweigh the risks – The Sun Says (£)
• Ignore the slippery critics – Philip Collins, The Times (£)
• Dispute over polling on the issue – Daily Mail

>Yesterday: 

• Crispin Blunt MP on Comment: Why the Commons should vote for the Assisted Dying Bill
• Maria Caulfield MP on Comment: It’s simply wrong to claim that only religious believers oppose the Marris Bill

Assisted suicide 2) Grieve: It is dangerous to tinker with the law in this way

‘Laws are more than just regulatory instruments. They convey important ethical messages. When something is legalised by Parliament, it helps it acquire a stamp of social approval. An “assisted dying” law sends the message that, if you are terminally ill, taking your own life is something for you to consider and something that can be legitimately encouraged. We can all think of exceptional circumstances where helping someone to end their life might not be morally reprehensible. But the law already has the discretion to deal with such cases sensitively and to ensure that charges are not brought where it is clear that there is no public interest in doing so.’ – Dominic Grieve MP, Daily Telegraph

• The risks are too great – Daily Telegraph Leader
• A clash of moral visions – The Guardian Leader

Hammond, Osborne and Javid urge May to remove foreign students from immigration targets

‘A damaging cabinet rift has emerged between the home secretary and three senior colleagues, including the chancellor and foreign secretary, over stripping overseas students from the government’s net migration target. Philip Hammond has written to the prime minister asking for foreign students to be removed from the target, while Theresa May insists that they should remain. He is backed by George Osborne, the chancellor, and Sajid Javid.’ – The Times (£)

• Students should never have been included – The Times Leader (£)
• The migration crisis is Berlin’s Huguenot moment – Guntram Wolff, FT
• ISIS fighter hunted in Calais – Daily Telegraph
• ECJ wants workers to be paid for commuting – Daily Mail
• Labour and Lib Dem peers plan to give reduce referendum voting age – FT
• Osborne and Boris make joint public appearance – The Sun (£)

>Yesterday: Kate Maltby on Comment: We should scrap the distinction between refugees and economic migrants – and take more of them

Cameron promises to bring business approach to public services

‘David Cameron will promise on Friday to run Britain’s public services like a business, saying £20bn of cuts can be achieved by adopting commercial techniques and boosting efficiency to protect frontline services. Mr Cameron will embrace the spirit of “insurgent companies” and their power to disrupt traditional ways of doing things, warning local councils that failing children’s services could be taken over by non-profit trusts.’ – FT

• Public land will be sold with pre-approved planning permission – Daily Telegraph

The Living Wage comes under attack

‘This week, a steady trickle of business leaders have given warning that the rise in the minimum hourly wage from £6.50 to £7.20 next year is already having a chilling effect on the labour market — or in some cases forcing up prices. How did Mr Osborne, a Conservative chancellor whose party originally opposed the minimum wage when it was introduced in 1999, come up with a policy intended to buck the forces of globalisation, which have been relentlessly putting downward pressure on pay?’ – FT

• Interfering in the labour market has its price – FT
• Next warns of extra costs for customers – The Scotsman
• It could pay its way – Jeremy Warner, Daily Telegraph
• Rishi Sunak’s plan to save the dairy industry – Yorkshire Post

>Today: Cllr Steve Count on Local Government: Local retention of Business Rates to boost growth in Cambridgeshire

Morgan deploys rugby players to toughen children up

‘Under a new scheme, leading rugby players are being sent to inner city schools to promote ‘grit and resilience’ to youngsters. Former professional stars are working with schools in tough areas to help pupils develop discipline, teamwork and aspiration in preparation for the workplace. The scheme, championed by Education Secretary Nicky Morgan, will reach more than 17,000 children across the country.’ – Daily Mail

• Teachers at Islamic school jailed for beating pupil – Daily Mail

Nelson: Can the Tories seize the opportunity of Labour’s leftward lurch?

‘Lord Ashcroft has been busy asking ex-Labour supporters why they defected, and he published his research yesterday. The most frequent answer was that Miliband was not a credible Prime Minister and led a party that no longer seemed to represent them. If Miliband was too ideological for such voters, then Corbyn may well prove to be the most effective recruiting sergeant in the Tory party’s history. But only if (and it’s a big “if”) the Tories play it right.’ – Fraser Nelson, Daily Telegraph

• Labour will need help to stage a comeback – Martin Kettle, The Guardian

>Today:

• ToryDiary: London Mayoral selection struck by technical problems – hundreds of party members risk not getting a vote
• ToryDiary: Party members’ VoteSource view. Those who have one say it’s an improvement – but are none the less dissatisfied
• Lewis Baston’s column: The General Election of 1945 – not as bad for the Conservatives as you think

>Yesterday: Lord Ashcroft on Comment: New polling – What do Labour’s supporters, and former supporters, think about the Party’s future?

Corbyn: I would not have authorised the anti-ISIS drone strike

‘Jeremy Corbyn has attacked David Cameron for launching a drone strike which killed a British ISIS fanatic. The veteran socialist said was ‘unclear as to the point of killing’ terrorist Reyaad Khan in the secret operation on August 21. Mr Corbyn questioned whether the RAF airstrike which killed Khan and a fellow UK jihadist Ruhul Amin was legal and confirmed he would not have authorised the attack.’ – Daily Mail

• Netanyahu warns Britain of ‘tide of militant Islam’ – Daily Mail
• Citizen Smith is being revived – The Independent
• Cruddas warns of ‘Trotsky tribute act’ – Daily Mail
• The Hard Left have started dishing out Shadow Cabinet jobs – The Sun (£)
• The Costa Corbyn – James Kirkup, Daily Telegraph
• Cameron: don’t gloat – The Sun (£)

>Yesterday: LeftWatch: Those voters who abandoned Labour in May could be lost to them for the long term

Burnham struck by cash for access scandal

‘Faiz Ul Rasool promised to introduce our man to Burnham after accepting the cash in tenners in the back room of a London casino. Pakistani businessman Rasool, chairman of the Muslim Friends of Labour group, said the Shadow Health Secretary was “short of £40,000” for his party leadership campaign. He offered a face-to-face with Mr Burnham and deputy leader contender Tom Watson in return for a larger cash gift…It is not known whether Rasool later passed the full £5,000 on to Mr Burnham’s campaign team or if the donation was properly registered. But two days after the casino deal, our man was invited by Rasool to meet the MP for Leigh at a function near the party’s HQ in central London.’ – The Sun (£)

• So dodgy – The Sun Says (£)
• Two-faced Andy – The Sun (£)
• His team go running to the press regulator – The Guardian
• Liz Kendall’s last hurrah – Daily Mail
• MPs plot Blairite fightback – The Independent
• Chuka Umunna is ‘all over the place’ – FT

DUP Ministers pull out of Stormont administration

‘Northern Ireland’s power-sharing executive was close to collapse last night after a day of high-drama in Belfast culminating in the Democratic Unionist party pulling out en masse. Allegations of IRA involvement in a recent murder have proved the worst threat to Stormont since the Good Friday Agreement.’ – The Times (£)

• Peter Robinson’s full statement – Belfast Telegraph
• The battle to save the peace agreement – FT
• Devolution is at risk – Daily Telegraph Leader

The Daily Mail launches a campaign to free ‘Marine A’

‘Sergeant Alexander Blackman – believed to be the only British serviceman ever convicted of murder on the battlefield – was locked up as a ‘political scapegoat’ for failings by top brass, say supporters. Today a campaign spearheaded by legendary thriller writer Frederick Forsyth is being launched to mount a fresh legal appeal to free Blackman. The jailing of the veteran commando, known as ‘Marine A’ at his court martial in 2013, triggered a public outcry. ‘ – Daily Mail

•  A soldier who cracked under the strain deserves our sympathy – Daily Mail Leader
• Taliban murder squads hunt British Army interpreters – Daily Mail

News in Brief

• Barrister in LinkedIn sexism row leered at people on Facebook – Daily Mail
• Ofgem investigates wholesale energy markets – FT
• Groom auctions stag do spots after friends let him down – WalesOnline
• MPs with outstanding expenses repayments named – The Sun (£)
• Brazil’s economic credibility crumbles – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Daily Telegraph
• The case for nuking Mars – Daily Mail

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