“Germany has offered David Cameron a deal that would see EU citizens who earn only the minimum wage denied state handouts. But, to make the idea acceptable to Brussels, hundreds of thousands of low-paid British workers would also miss out on tax credits. Insiders say the idea has been embraced by No 10 – which is desperate to declare that it has secured a ‘win’ on limiting migrant benefits.” – Daily Mail
Osborne:
Sketches:
Editorial:
>Today:
>Yesterday:
“Norway embodies what is, perhaps, the most awkward question facing the “out” campaign: how can we be sure that Britain does not end up in the same trap? Might we vote to reclaim British sovereignty, only to find out that such a thing was never really on the menu?” – Daily Telegraph
“Social workers will be judged by standards similar to those of surgeons and lawyers, Nicky Morgan said today as she unveiled a new regulatory body intended to prevent another ‘Baby P’ tragedy. The Education Secretary said the new professional watchdog will set standards for training and create a new assessment and accreditation system for social workers.” – Daily Telegraph
“The foreign secretary, Philip Hammond, will urge the Turkish government to do more to stem the flow of migrants into the EU, but will also offer a message of solidarity following the Islamic State attack in Istanbul this week that killed 10 people including nine German tourists. Hammond is visiting Turkey to meet both the president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, and the foreign minister, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, in Ankara. He will later visit a refugee camp in southern Turkey.” – The Guardian
“Among those praising intervention recently are three of the most liberal-minded cabinet ministers. George Osborne called the banking crisis “a spectacular failure of capitalism”, and admits he understands the positive power of the state more than a decade ago. Justice secretary Michael Gove argued that governments must intervene to curb cartels and “rent-seeking”. Business secretary Sajid Javid rightly pointed out that “without government intervention a business owner would be allowed to refuse me service because of the colour of my skin – as some did to my dad”.” – The Guardian
“His gun-toting visit to Iraq last year drew comparisons — from some — to Winston Churchill. But newly published diplomatic correspondence sheds a less statesmanlike light on Boris Johnson’s activities during his foreign trip. Foreign Office staff had to pick up a hotel bar tab, stop Mr Johnson from driving a sports car out of a showroom and arrange last-minute tours when the mayor of London travelled to Erbil, in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, in January 2015.” – FT
Leadership:
Other mayoralty news:
>Yesterday: John Moss in Comment: What Zac needs to win in Waltham Forest
“Ministers have been accused of pushing through plans to abolish student maintenance grants in an “underhand and undemocratic” fashion. A parliamentary committee yesterday approved proposals to replace means-tested grants for poorer students with more generous loans, which will now be debated in the Lords. Opponents of the move argued that it should have been put to a Commons vote.” – The Times (£)
“Corbyn aides said the appointments were to new roles, and were not part of the reshuffle, which saw two critics of the leader sacked and four shadow ministers resign. An analysis shows that 17 of the 34 Labour MPs who nominated Mr Corbyn for the party leadership now have front bench jobs. The 35th – Michael Meacher – died last Autumn.” – Daily Telegraph
Trident:
Comment:
Meanwhile…
>Yesterday: Video: WATCH: Hague on the need for a strong opposition
“Labour members living in homes worth more than £1 million should have to pay the party an annual wealth tax, one of its MPs has said. John Mann, the MP for Bassetlaw, made the suggestion as he warned that Labour’s membership boom under Jeremy Corbyn was making the party more middle class and increasingly distant from its traditional base. He said that MPs living in high-value properties should pay an annual membership fee of £1,000.” – The Times (£)