“Britain must adopt an Australian-style points system to control immigration by 2020 or risk a backlash from Brexit voters, the outgoing Northern Ireland secretary has warned. In her first interview since being sacked from the cabinet, Theresa Villiers says that the country voted to put an end to the “free for all” of “open door migration” at the EU referendum.” – Daily Telegraph
Remain:
“Britain should not have to pay any money into the EU’s budget, one of the leading Tory Brexit campaigners has insisted. The intervention from Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, is the latest sign that Eurosceptics will not accept a “Brexit-lite” departure from the bloc as the government begins to piece together a new relationship with the EU.” – The Times (£)
More Brexit:
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Almost three in four of our Party member survey respondents want a Hard Brexit – not the soft version
“Businesses are trying to persuade the government to slow or even abandon its policy to raise the “national living wage” to one of the highest rates in the developed world by 2020. At least 16 trade associations have written jointly to Greg Clark, the new business secretary, recommending that he “exercise caution” on the national living wage in light of the “economic uncertainties the country faces” after the Brexit vote.” – FT
Comment:
>Today: Nadhim Zahawi MP’s column: Why Trump and Brexiteers have nothing in common
>Yesterday: John Howell MP in Comment: My role for Britain in the economic powerhouse of sub-Saharan Africa
“Mrs May now has a chance to do some thinking, at least sharply reduce the mad scope of the IICSA, impose a time limit and a tighter focus, and find a chairman or chairwoman who puts duty over pay and perks. She could resolve to lavish money on the present and the future – children at risk right now – not on the unchangeable past.” – The Times (£)
“Amber Rudd wants police forces to reveal exactly how much their chief officers receive in pay and expenses after the extent of their taxpayer-funded perks was revealed. The Home Secretary said the allowances given to Britain’s most senior police figures, some of whom reportedly earn more than the Prime Minister, should be transparent and “open to scrutiny by the communities they serve”.” – The Sun
“David Cameron’s radical scheme to allow mothers and fathers to share time off work after a baby is born has failed to win over more than a handful of families, the first official breakdown showed yesterday. Only 3,000 new parents took up the offer of sharing maternity or paternity leave in the first three months of this year, according to figures obtained under Freedom of Information rules.” – Daily Mail
“Theresa May’s plan to overturn the new grammar schools ban could be “killed off” in the House of Lords after the Liberal Democrats and Labour united to condemn the change. Tim Farron, the Liberal Democrat leader, warned he would use “everything at my disposal” to stop it while Labour’s education spokesman said “selection belongs in the dustbin of history”.” – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
“Mums who drive their future Olympians to daily sports training are unsung heroines. Mums who drive their kids to tutoring are “pushy”. Grammar schools may turn out gold medallists of the mind who enrich our society a thousandfold, they may still hold an astonishing eleven places in the Top 20 schools, but they make the people who don’t get into them feel bad so, sorry, we can’t build any more of them.” – Daily Telegraph
>Today: ToryDiary: More grammars? Yes. But…
>Yesterday: Caroline Squire in Comment: Joe Chamberlain. Inspiration to Theresa May, founder of a dynasty – and my great-great-grandfather
“Cronies and allies of David Cameron will receive almost £1million in golden goodbyes on top of their honours. The ex-PM showered Downing Street staff and former ministers with peerages, knighthoods and other awards in his much-criticised resignation list. Now it has emerged that many of them are also in line for generous severance payments.” – Daily Mail
Comment:
“Jeremy Corbyn could continue as leader even if Labour lost the next general election, he said yesterday, adding that it would be for the membership to decide whether he stood down. He said that he would not automatically resign, despite John McDonnell, his closest ally and the shadow chancellor, saying: “Any Labour leader who loses an election usually goes.”” – The Times (£)
Comment:
“The row over Labour anti-Semitism intensified last night as it emerged that friends of Jeremy Corbyn and Shadow Cabinet members have compared Israel to Islamic State terrorists. Communities spokesman Grahame Morris wants British Jews who serve in the Israeli defence force to be treated as suspected terrorists. And justice spokesman Richard Burgon has urged MPs and party members to quit the Labour Friends of Israel group, declaring: ‘Zionism is the enemy of peace.’” – Daily Mail
“A ban on the Muslim veil in public buildings, shopping centres and on buses and trains has been called for by Lisa Duffy, the Ukip leadership hopeful. Ms Duffy has demanded Islamic faith schools to be shut down in a bid to tackle radicalisation, as well as a “complete and comprehensive ban” on sharia courts in the UK.” – Daily Telegraph