“After two weeks of negotiations the prime minister secured the support of the DUP’s ten MPs for votes on Brexit, budgets and national security, as well as a promise of backing in any confidence votes required to keep Mrs May in Downing Street. Speaking after talks in No 10 with Arlene Foster, leader of the DUP, Mrs May said that the parties “share many values” and that the agreement was “a very good one”.” – The Times (£)
“The Democratic Unionist Party’s £1 billion deal to prop up the Conservative government may end up costing the country far more because the DUP will be “back for more”, it emerged last night….But the £1billion payment – the equivalent of £33 for every taxpayer in the UK – could be only the start after DUP sources hinted that they will ask for more cash when the deal is “reviewed” in two years’ time.” – Daily Telegraph
Comment:
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: May’s deal with the Democratic Unionists looks like a two-year affair
“Theresa May has faced a backlash from politicians in Scotland, Wales and parts of England after completing a £1bn deal with the Democratic Unionist party to prop up her Conservative minority government. Political figures lined up on Monday to demand more money for their regions after Arlene Foster’s DUP agreed to a confidence and supply arrangement in return for the additional funding alongside relaxed spending rules relating to a further £500m previously committed.” – Guardian
Comment:
“The ten parliamentary votes provided to Theresa May by the Democratic Unionist Party come at a pretty high price. Not only do they work out at a hundred million pounds apiece in extra spending; there’s also the reputational cost to the Conservatives of parting with cash the country supposedly doesn’t have in order to secure the backing of a party most British voters don’t much like the look of. On top of that comes the suggestion that perhaps they needn’t have bothered – that the DUP could have been relied upon to keep a beleaguered Theresa May in office anyway…” – Daily Telegraph
Editorials:
“The UK conceded ground to Brussels on Monday in an opening offer on citizen rights that abandoned some old bugbears but still left the EU demanding more precise guarantees for its nationals. A 17-page paper issued by the UK government unexpectedly gave way on several longstanding flashpoints with Brussels, including the right for EU nationals to continue claiming benefits for children living overseas. The concept of a “grace period” after Brexit — where newly arriving EU nationals could live and work in Britain for a temporary period — also potentially paves the way for easier discussions with the EU on transition terms.” – FT
>Today:
“Theresa May’s proposals to preserve the rights of 3 million EU citizens living in the UK have been condemned by Jeremy Corbyn and other opposition MPs as “too little, too late”. The Labour leader said guarantees should have been made directly after the vote to leave the European Union last year rather than waiting until “complex and delicate” trade negotiations began. All 3 million EU citizens resident in Britain will have to apply to be on a “settled status” identity register after Brexit, under Home Office proposals about their future rights released today.”
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Editorial:
“Jeremy Hunt kept quiet for months about a ‘major blunder’ which saw more than 700,000 letters to NHS patients mislaid, some of which contained cancer diagnosis, treatment plans and blood tests, it emerged today. The health secretary learned in March 2016 that hundreds of thousands of NHS letters had been left to pile up in warehouse by NHS Shared Business Services (NHS SBS), which is co-owned by the Department of Health. But a new report by the National Audit Office (NAO) revealed that Mr Hunt ‘decided not to alert Parliament or the public’ to the crisis…” – Daily Telegraph
“The Ministry of Defence has launched an efficiency programme as part of an effort to save £20 billion over ten years. Stephen Lovegrove, the department’s permanent secretary, warned that a failure to achieve the savings would make new warships, supersonic jets, nuclear-armed submarines, armoured vehicles and other military equipment unaffordable. Mr Lovegrove said that there was too much time spent by civil servants and military personnel on crisis management and not enough attention given to long-term planning and setting strategic priorities.” – The Times (£)
“…In an age of confrontation, when we face multiple and simultaneous threats, today’s conference asks whether the West is now in terminal decline. Far from accepting decline, we must follow the Iron Lady’s lead by acting decisively to defend our country and all that it represents. First, we should once more speak up for our values and make the case for the West. Ours is the great story of democracy, freedom under the law, and free trade that banished the oppressive nightmare for millions behind the Iron Curtain and gave millions more in the developing world hope of a better life.” – Daily Telegraph
>Today: Charlie Elphicke in Comment: I helped beat the hard left in the 1990s. We can do so again by putting Compassionate Conservatism first.
“Theresa May has appointed an English teacher-turned parliamentary expert as her head of policy as she rebuilds her Downing Street team. James Marshall, 37, will be responsible for honing the prime minister’s new policy agenda in the very different context of a hung parliament. Not long ago Mr Marshall was responsible for honing young brains instead. Before entering politics at the start of this decade, he was an English teacher at Shrewsbury School, one of Britain’s original seven public schools. Boarders’ fees are £36,000 a year.” – The Times (£)
>Today: Majority: 42 per cent and no majority 4) We’ve said it before. We say it again. A key to victory is higher home ownership.
John McDonnell has been accused of risking the integrity of any future criminal prosecution over the Grenfell Tower tragedy by “irresponsibly” claiming its victims were “murdered by political decisions”. The shadow chancellor politicised the deaths of 79 people by saying cuts to the numbers of firefighters had “contributed” to the deaths, even though London Fire Brigade said there were no problems with resources or staff levels when it tackled the fire. – Daily Telegraph
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