‘Six out of ten Britons want the RAF to bomb Islamic State following the Paris massacres, a Daily Mail poll reveals today. Extraordinarily, half the population would back sending ground troops into Syria. Ministers are increasingly confident of winning a vote for military action – possibly before Christmas. ‘We’re going to war,’ said one last night.’ – Daily Mail
>Today: Garvan Walshe’s column: A dispatch from the front lines in the struggle against ISIS
‘One of the dead was a woman believed to have detonated a suicide belt as police moved in. A source close to the investigation said she could have been a cousin of Abaaoud, Reuters reported. Mr Molins said it appeared that a “new team of terrorists” had been ready for a fresh attack. A leader of one of the special forces units that took part in the raid said drones and robots equipped with cameras had been used to try to see inside the flat.’ – BBC News
>Yesterday: WATCH: Cameron urges people to carry on with their lives, to defy the butchers of ISIS
‘If a Republican becomes president next November America would become more interventionist. Some 74 per cent of Republican voters think “overwhelming force” is needed to defeat global terrorism. Despite only 30 per cent of Democrats taking that view, Hillary Clinton would also be more hawkish. She has backed a no-fly zone, for example. But can the world wait a year for the war on Isis to be stepped up? World peace needs America to be tough on Isis and warm towards the world’s Muslims. Obama ensures America is weak and too many Republicans ensure it appears cold.’ – Tim Montgomerie, The Times (£)
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: The British Muslim woman we all need
‘Eastern European countries will be kicked out of the Schengen Zone along with Greece, Spain, and Italy under a radical plan to save the European Union passport-free travel area in the wake of the migrant crisis. Belgium, France, German, Luxembourg and the Netherlands are set to re-draw the boundaries to just include the original members, creating a ‘Mini-Schengen’. Strict checks could also be introduced at passport control to systematically compare the names of all arrivals against those on counter-terrorism databases.’ – Daily Mail
‘The Conservative party was allegedly aware of bullying and sexual harassment complaints against a senior aide almost a decade ago but they were ignored, it has emerged. The party expelled Mark Clarke over the allegations. Tory MP Ben Howlett claimed to BBC Newsnight that Lord Feldman, the Conservative chairman, knew about allegations against Mark Clarke for “a very long period of time” but that claims were “not investigated”…Ray Johnson, the father of Elliot Johnson, 21, who took his own life, has accused the party of a “whitewash” after it emerged that previous complaints against Mr Clarke were allegedly ignored.’ – Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary: The Legard inquiry into the Mark Clarke allegations must publish findings
‘Public sector wages are moving ahead of those in the private sector despite Government pledges to rein in spending, official figures revealed yesterday. They gave the lie to claims by Labour and the unions that workers in the public sector have borne the brunt of austerity. Despite years of pay ‘restraint’ during the recession, public sector wages are still higher than those for private sector workers – and are rising faster.’ – Daily Mail
>Today: Local Government: Labour by-election candidate is paid £81,598 a year in councillor allowances
‘Households face a huge rise in energy bills after the Government called for a £10billion fleet of new gas-fired power stations. Energy Secretary Amber Rudd said it was inevitable prices would go up as Britain makes up for a “legacy of under-investment” by Labour…Asked about the effect on bills, Ms Rudd replied: “We need new gas. It is right we build new infrastructure.” But she barely mentioned fracking and shale gas in a 40-minute speech, her biggest yet. Electricity bills have already risen over 130 per cent in the past decade.’ – The Sun (£)
>Today: Tony Lodge on Comment: The Government must prioritise energy security above green targets, or the lights could go out
‘The Conservatives are now challenging Labour to become Scotland’s second most popular party following a surge in the polls and a “bruising few weeks” for the SNP. The percentage of people planning to vote Tory in next year’s Holyrood election has jumped six points to 18%, stealing five points from the SNP, who are down to 50%, and gaining significant ground on Labour, who remain unchanged at 20%.’ – The Courier
‘Superbugs have broken through the last line of antibiotic defences and now threaten to cause untreatable infections across the world, according to researchers. A gene that makes bacteria such as E. coli resistant to last-resort antibiotics has jumped from animals to humans and is likely to arrive in Britain.’ – The Times (£)
‘Supreme Court judges yesterday threatened to wreck the Government’s bid to ensure migrants speak English. A ruling called for the Home Office to water down its guidelines on English language tests for immigrant husbands and wives. If Theresa May fails to do so, the judges warned they will make a declaration that the Government is breaking human rights laws.’ – Daily Mail
‘Ken Livingstone, one of Jeremy Corbyn’s oldest political allies, provoked anger yesterday after telling an MP who suffered from depression that he needed psychiatric help. The outburst began as a disagreement over the Trident nuclear deterrent between the former mayor of London and Kevan Jones, the shadow defence minister. It ended in a television confrontation eight hours later, with Mr Livingstone only apologising fully after being forced to do so by Mr Corbyn, the Labour leader.’ – The Times (£)
>Yesterday:
‘The Shadow Chancellor called to scrap MI5 and armed police earlier this year, The Sun can reveal. John McDonnell signed a letter of demands from leftie group The Social Network in April calling to “disband MI5 and special police squads, and disarm the police”. His name remained on the letter last night, despite his camp denying he had ever seen it. Labour MP Gavin Shuker said: “To call for MI5 to be scrapped when we face this jihadi threat is beyond a joke. He is behaving like the enemy within.” – The Sun (£)
‘Parliament’s upper house backed on Wednesday lowering the voting age to 16 in a planned referendum on Britain’s continued membership of the European Union, a move that could delay the timing of the crucial vote. Britons can usually vote from the age of 18, but 16- and 17-year-olds were allowed to vote in last year’s Scottish independence referendum, prompting calls for a similar lowering of the threshold for the EU referendum that Prime Minister David Cameron has promised to hold by the end of 2017.’ – Reuters
>Yesterday: WATCH: Ici Londres – It is time to rediscover our global vocation, argues Daniel Hannan MEP
‘Mr Robinson revealed his plans in an exclusive interview with the Belfast Telegraph ahead of this weekend’s DUP conference. “I am telling you this now, because I think it would be disrespectful to the party membership if I was to go through a conference with the pretence that I would be leading the party into the next election. I think they have a right to know what the circumstances are,” he said.’ – Belfast Telegraph
‘David Cameron is to spend £10 million on taking over an RAF plane, allowing him to tour the world with greater style and security, in an echo of Tony Blair’s attempt to buy “Blair Force One”. More than 70 years after America’s president got a bespoke aircraft, the prime minister will finally join the ranks of most other government leaders.’ – The Times (£)