‘The “misogyny and patriarchy” in some ethnic minorities is contributing to widening social division in the UK, the government’s cohesion adviser warned yesterday. Dame Louise Casey took aim at critics for ignoring problems that had often resulted in difficulties being allowed to fester. Her report on social integration said that increased diversity in Britain had led to less, not more, integration. The report said her team had been told that there are up to 100,000 Sharia marriages in the UK, many of which are not recognised and leave women without full rights on divorce…She dismissed ministerial attempts to boost integration as amounting to little more than “saris, samosas and steel drums for the already well-intentioned”.’ – The Times (£)
Editorials
>Today: ToryDiary: By banging on about integration, Casey may help build it up – just a little bit
‘Theresa May has the right to trigger Brexit without a parliamentary vote because her royal prerogative is not an “ancient relic” but a “contemporary necessity”, the Supreme Court heard on Monday. Jeremy Wright QC, the attorney-general, argued that an earlier High Court ruling that the government must hold a parliamentary vote before beginning the so-called Article 50 process to leave the EU should be overturned. In the High Court case, claimants led by Gina Miller, the co-founder of an investment fund, successfully argued that revoking the existing rights that British citizens enjoy under the 1972 European Communities Act requires a further act of parliament. Opening the case Mr Wright told the court that the case raises “issues going to the very heart of our constitutional settlement.” He said the EU referendum was conducted in the universal expectation, including in parliament, that the government would implement its result.’ – FT
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Scotland – and how the Supreme Court could pave the way for a general election
‘Britain will use EU tariff levels as a starting point in its trade negotiations with the rest of the world, the government said. The move risks angering Brexit-backers pushing for a clean break with the status quo. Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, told parliament yesterday that his department had begun preparing the draft schedule of tariffs that it will submit to the World Trade Organisation. This will set out the maximum duties the UK will charge on imports. Britain would be free to apply tariffs below the maximum it submitted for the approval of the WTO’s 163 members. The Economists for Brexit group has said that retaining EU tariffs after leaving the single market would push up food prices and represent “the worst of all possible worlds”.’ – The Times (£)
‘Theresa May faces her first major Commons rebellion over Europe as up to 40 MPs could back a Labour motion demanding details of her Brexit plan. Ex-Tory minister Anna Soubry – who backed Remain in June – today broke cover and said she could see nothing in it she ‘could not support’. Labour’s motion ‘calls on the Prime Minister to commit to publishing the Government’s plan for leaving the EU before Article 50 is invoked’ and will be subject to a debate and vote on Wednesday. The motion, tabled by leader Jeremy Corbyn and shadow Brexit secretary Sir Keir Starmer, has been carefully drafted to maximise Conservative support.’ – Daily Mail
‘The EU makes up for the opacity of its institutions with the transparency of its interests. It cannot afford to set the precedent that a member state’s exit can lead to a better life outside or substantial concessions to stay inside. If it does, every nation will chance its arm and the union will crumble. Abhor this brute self-preservation all you like: it is honest self-preservation… What happens in London is less than half the story in the coming years. Yes, British business should assume a hard exit, but not because their own government especially desires one.’ – Janan Ganesh, FT
‘Bankers are running out of private-sector solutions for Monte dei Paschi di Siena and have told the Italian lender to prepare for a state bailout this weekend after prime minister Matteo Renzi was felled by a referendum defeat. While financial markets responded relatively calmly to the referendum result, people briefed on the situation said the political upheaval made it “more difficult” to secure a €1bn investment from Qatar on which Monte dei Paschi’s €5bn capital-raising plan hinges. Senior bankers fear that a failure to shore up the bank, which was the worst loser of this summer’s European bank healthcheck, could damage already jittery investor confidence about Italy’s overall banking sector, which is hobbled by €360bn of bad loans and weak profitability.’ – FT
Editorials
>Today: Iain Duncan Smith’s column: Britain last June. America last month. Now Italy. Next, Germany? France? Holland? Revolt against the elites is sweeping the West.
>Yesterday:
‘Theresa May and Boris Johnson have held a discussion about whether the foreign secretary should continue to bear the brunt of ministers’ jokes. They spoke in the past couple of weeks after Mr Johnson was again the punchline of a speech, this time Philip Hammond’s autumn statement. The chancellor brought up Mr Johnson’s thwarted leadership ambitions with a comment about his apparently poor rugby abilities. It was a reference to a comment Mr Johnson had made in 2013 in answer to a question about his leadership ambitions. “Well, if the ball came loose from the back of the scrum it would be a great, great thing to have a crack at it.” Mrs May is understood to have brought up the subject herself, after mockery featured in some of her recent speeches. Mr Johnson is thought to believe that the jokes hinder effective government and undermine his work, although he appreciates that he has spent a career making light of himself and others and was not complaining.’ – The Times (£)
‘Britain should finish the year as the fastest growing economy of seven leading nations, one of the most closely watched indicators suggests. The country’s dominant service sector has experienced its best month since January, the survey of businesses showed, defying fears of a slump in growth after the Brexit vote. Experts believe that Britain’s “resiliently robust” economy is on course to grow at 0.5 per cent in the final quarter, a period for which official data is not yet available. This beats forecasts by the Bank of England and puts Britain ahead of the rest of the G7 — the US, France, Germany, Italy, Japan and Canada. “As things stand, the survey-based evidence is very encouraging,” Alan Clarke, an economist at Scotiabank, said. “If it is right, then we are looking at a very good end to 2016.”’ – The Times (£)
‘Millions of Brits will be able to pay for train travel with their smartphones under plans to be unveiled by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today. Spelling out his ‘no’ the Tory big hitter will say he wants everyone travelling into big towns and cities to be able to use a handset or contactless card by the end of 2018. And he wants passengers to be able to “pay as they go” as commuters in London are able to do with Oyster cards – meaning no need for a paper ticket ahead of travel. It comes as the Cabinet heavyweight vows to end chronic delays on the railways by forcing Network Rail to work together with train operators so one team is in charge of trains, tracks and planned closures. Officials are understood to be livid that Network Rail and the operators continue to blame each other when things go wrong.’ – The Sun
‘Controversial Tory plans to penalise obese benefit claimants who refuse to go on a diet have been ditched, Downing Street said last night. David Cameron said before last year’s general election that it was unfair to expect taxpayers to fund the lifestyles of obese claimants who ‘refuse to accept support that could help them get back to a life of work’. Plans for a system of benefit sanctions for overweight refuseniks appeared in the Tory manifesto, alongside a scheme to dock benefits for alcoholics and drug addicts who refused help. But Theresa May yesterday abandoned Mr Cameron’s initiative. Her spokesman said: ‘Withdrawing benefits from obese people is not under consideration.” – Daily Mail
‘Pressure is growing on Theresa May to hand peerages to Ukip after David Cameron was criticised in the Lords for failing to give the party an allocation on the red benches. Lord Tebbit, the former Tory party chairman, attacked Mr Cameron for not appointing Ukip peers during his time as prime minister. “There’s been a growing problem for some years over the size of the House,” he said during a House of Lords debate on reducing the number of peers. “That was seen very clearly by Mr Cameron, while he was prime minister, who sensibly declared there were too many of us and that our membership should broadly reflect the votes cast at the immediately preceding general election.” He added: “Unhappily he ignored his advice. He made no Ukip peers and made a large number of others from parties with very, very little electoral support.’ – The Times (£)
‘After Mrs May entered Downing Street insiders suggested she might want to ditch the bash. The move would have fitted in with the incoming PM’s commitment to represent ordinary working people rather than the elite…Senior party sources confirmed today that the ball will go ahead, but in a break from the past there will be more than 100 tickets available for rank-and-file members that will either be heavily discounted at £75 a head, or complimentary. The ConservativeHome grassroots website said Sir Patrick’s aim was to bring a ‘less elitist feel’. But the leadership appears to have accepted that the hundreds of thousands of pounds raised at the ball cannot be foregone, given that Labour has been raking in more donations recently.’ – Daily Mail
‘Sharp divisions have emerged within Momentum, the grassroots organisation that supports Jeremy Corbyn, following reports of an attempted takeover by Trotskyist and factional groups, an executive committee member has claimed. Momentum’s women’s officer has written a blog claiming that members of the Alliance for Workers’ Liberty and others are seeking to wrest control from its founder, Jon Lansman. Laura Murray, who is also a Labour shadow cabinet adviser, has claimed that ultimately, some activists will try to force Momentum to abandon Corbyn and turn to another leftwing organisation. “Jeremy Corbyn will inevitably make one compromise or concession that isn’t ideologically pure enough for them, and they will abandon him and Labour altogether to turn Momentum into a rival leftwing party,” she wrote.’ – The Guardian