Editorials
>Today: ToryDiary: The British Muslim woman we all need
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: The Left must purge itself of relativism about Western values and apologism for extremists
‘The first charter flight bringing Syrian refugees to Britain has landed in Glasgow as Tory MPs urged ministers to make sure they are ‘genuine asylum seekers and not terrorists’. The plane, believed to be carrying about 100 people from camps surrounding the war-torn Middle East state, landed at Glasgow Airport at 3.40pm as part of the government’s resettlement scheme… However, the arrival came as MPs warned of growing public concern in the wake of the Paris terror attacks that refugee routes could be exploited by fanatics to enter the country.’ – Daily Mail
‘Britain will hit back at terrorists with cyberattacks to disrupt their power sources and cut off their computer systems, George Osborne has warned. The chancellor said that he wanted groups such as Islamic State to know that not only could Britain defend itself against their online attacks but it also had the power and will to retaliate.’ – The Times (£)
‘Theresa May is holding firm against cuts to frontline policing as she comes under pressure to stand up to George Osborne. The Treasury asked the Home Office, like most government departments, to draw up plans for spending cuts of up to 40 per cent for next week’s review. The Chancellor will meet with the Home Secretary today to thrash out the details.’ – Daily Mail
>Today: Local Government: Conservative candidate for Northamptonshire Police and Crime Commissioner to be chosen on Saturday
>Yesterday: Nick Timothy’s column: Detailed analysis? Strategic planning? Not a bit of it. Let me tell you how a Spending Review really works
‘Iain Duncan Smith has agreed to a programme of cuts to his department in a sign that he has seen off an attempt to raid the budget of his main welfare reform. The work and pensions secretary was one of a group of cabinet ministers who signed up to Treasury budget constraints yesterday. It means that 11 out of 20 departments have agreed cumulative cuts on day-to-day spending of 24 per cent by 2020. They represent savings to the Treasury of £4 billion over five years.’ – The Times (£)
‘Liverpool and the West Midlands have become the latest areas to sign devolution deals with central government, accepting the imposition of elected mayors in return for more power over transport, housing and other services. Town hall bosses in what has been dubbed the Liverpool city region – comprising Liverpool, Halton, Knowsley, Sefton, St Helens and Wirral – have been offered extra investment funding of £30m a year for the next 30 years.’ – The Guardian
‘Britain needs a new generation of gas-fired and nuclear power stations, the energy secretary will say today as a leading think-tank warns of the growing threat of blackouts. In her first major speech on energy policy, Amber Rudd will say that the new power stations will replace dirty coal-fuelled plants. New nuclear power plants at Wylfa in Wales and Moorside, near Sellafield in Cumbria, are expected to provide up to 30 per cent of low-carbon electricity bv the 2030s and create 30,000 jobs, she will say.’ – The Times (£)
>Yesterday: Sir Crispin Tickell on Comment: Britain should lead on energy policy, not retreat from its successes
‘George Osborne is to deploy the weight of the Treasury to make the economic case for Britain’s EU membership, with an official analysis that is being viewed by eurosceptics as taxpayer-funded propaganda. Mr Osborne is preparing to conduct the Treasury assessment, which will be presented as an impartial look at the benefits of EU membership, as well as looking at the risks for Britain if the EU is not reformed. Vote Leave, a Brexit campaign, said: “Any intervention by the Treasury will be highly political and is unlikely to discuss the cost of handing over so much control to the EU.’ – FT
>Today: Profile: Germany – and its future relationship with the EU
‘Jeremy Corbyn was humiliated in the Commons today as his own MPs lined up to condemn him and his supporters as apologists for terrorists. The Labour leader was left isolated on the frontbench as MPs rushed to praise David Cameron’s response to the Paris attacks. Senior Labour backbenchers including Chuka Umunna, Emma Reynolds and Ian Austin took swipes at their leader over an interview in which he opposed police shooting to kill terrorists…In a desperate scramble to repair the damage, Mr Corbyn’s office has written to Labour’s National Executive Committee to ‘clarify’ party policy.’ – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: Jeremy Brier on Comment: Corbyn’s problem is that the media accurately report what he says
‘Jeremy Corbyn has provoked another row with his own MPs by handing Ken Livingstone, a staunch opponent of Britain’s nuclear deterrent, a key role over the party’s defence review. In a move that will infuriate many in the party and risks pushing some frontbenchers towards quitting, the former mayor of London has been given the role of co-convener of the party’s policy commission on defence, with Maria Eagle, the shadow defence secretary.’ – The Times (£)
‘Looking at it through the lens of social class, it is possible to see how potentially disastrous Ukip may prove for Labour. For both the major parties, 2015 saw them gain more highly educated, upwardly mobile voters and lose those more likely to describe themselves as working class. This represents a challenge to the Tories, certainly, but an existential threat to Labour.’ – Daniel Finkelstein, The Times (£)
‘They have been branded ‘scabs’ and ‘snakes’ as they are urged not to worry about possible harm to patients. Some 40,000 junior doctors have taken part in a ballot which closes today over whether to walk out in a row over their contracts…Qasim Bhatti, even said he had threatened another trainee with a poor report. ‘I told our GP trainee that if she didn’t strike then it may be reflected in her report,’ he said…Responding to the online trolling, the British Medical Association union said every doctor was entitled to their own view.’ – Daily Mail
‘Northern Ireland has been pulled back from the brink of collapse after its political leaders reached a deal to resolve disagreements over financial and security issues. After 10 weeks of talks brokered by the Irish and UK governments, the deal represents a breakthrough in a political impasse caused by sharp and often intractable policy differences between the Democratic Unionist party and Sinn Féin, the two dominant parties in the Northern Ireland executive.’ – FT
>Today: Henry Hill’s Red, White and Blue column: Ex-SNP policy chief argues their case for separation is ‘dead’