‘A Tory backbencher was suspended last night after dropping the N-word in a rant about Brexit — further slashing Theresa May’s waver thin grip on the Commons. Anne Marie Morris had the Conservative whip removed after saying leaving the European Union with no deal was “the real n***** in the woodpile”…The historical racist slur came at Westminster lunchtime discussion about Brexit and trade but the MP apologised “unreservedly for any offence caused” within hours. She insisted “the comment was totally unintentional” after a tape surfaced of the event held at the posh East India Club. But facing a backlash from her own MPs, the Prime Minster hit out: “I was shocked to hear of these remarks, which are completely unacceptable. I immediately asked the Chief Whip to suspend the party whip.”’ – The Sun
>Yesterday: MPsETC: Anne Marie Morris is suspended
‘A senior Labour official has said the party will not step in to help Theresa May’s “zombie government” after the prime minister issued an appeal for cross-party co-operation. In a speech on Tuesday, Mrs May is set to admit that she needs a new approach to running the country after her party lost its parliamentary majority and was forced to make a deal with a handful of DUP MPs from Northern Ireland to allow it to function. Damian Green, the first secretary of state who is, in effect, Mrs May’s deputy, said on Monday morning that her cross-party appeal was a “grown-up way of doing politics”. But Andrew Gwynne, the MP who ran Labour’s election campaign, said the Tories were having to “beg for policy proposals” from their rivals. “They are also borrowing Labour’s campaign slogans, but no one will be fooled.”‘ – FT
‘She had survived five tough years as Home Secretary — a traditional graveyard of political ambition. She had the perfect credentials for uniting the Tory government after Brexit: a reluctant Remainer with just enough scepticism to marshal both pro and anti-European wings of the party. “Brexit means Brexit,” she told Britain firmly after emerging victorious on July 13 from the wreckage of Boris Johnson and Michael Gove’s broken dreams. Now, a year later, Theresa May’s own premiership dream is in ruins, destroyed by her decision to hold an election and come within an ace of defeat. She somehow converted a 23-point lead over an unelectable Marxist into a catastrophe which turned Jeremy Corbyn into a youth cult hero and PM- in-waiting. The shockwaves from last month’s election reverberated around the world. Britain was diminished and humiliated on the international stage.’ – Trevor Kavanagh, The Sun
>Today: ToryDiary: To help win a new generation of young voters, the Conservatives need a new Swinton College – or a modern equivalent
‘Workers stuck in bottom rung jobs must all be given a chance to improve their lot, a major government report declares. In a bid to do away with dead-end jobs forever, a nine month review of the modern work place will call on ministers to help companies offer better training opportunities. Workers’ own individual talents should also be recognised better with the help of a new ‘national framework for employability’, The Sun has learned. The demands are among 54 specific recommendations in the report by key Tony Blair adviser Matthew Taylor. It will be launched by Theresa May, who will also pledge to be a champion fairness in work. The PM commissioned Mr Taylor to probe modern employment practices after a backlash against tech-based companies like Uber and Deliveroo for taking advantage of causal workers on zero-hours contracts. Mr Taylor said: “Everyone must feel like they have a next step to go onto.”‘- The Sun
>Yesterday: Kevin Hollinrake on Comment: We are sleepwalking into a care sector storm over the National Living Wage
‘Australia is ready to sign a trade deal with Britain ‘as soon as possible’ after Brexit, premier Malcolm Turnbull said in Downing Street…Mr Turnbull hailed the prospects for British free trade after Brexit in a joint press conference with Theresa May this afternoon. The pair discussed trade and how to best counter terrorism over a working lunch on Mr Turnbull’s first official visit to Britain. Asked when Australia could sign a deal with Britain, Mr Turnbull said: ‘As soon as possible – Australians are fleet of foot, we don’t muck around, we are very simple. So we will move as quickly as the UK is able to move.’ Mr Turnbull – who joked about his time at Oxford University with Mrs May – said Britain was right to be seeking a future based in free trade.’ – Daily Mail
>Today: Christopher Howarth’s column: Osborne, Umunna and the CBI are offering a bridge to nowhere, not a bridging agreement
‘The 1 per cent cap on teachers’ pay increases will remain in place, the Education Secretary announced yesterday. Justine Greening said she accepted the headline findings of the independent School Teachers’ Review Body that pay should rise by 1 per cent in September. It means 500,000 teachers in England and Wales face a seventh consecutive year of pay restraint. The decision was made despite the STRB’s warnings that the cumulative impact of pay restraint may mean schools struggle to recruit and hold on to good staff. The review body said further pay restraint ‘presents a substantial risk’ to school standards, and called for the cap to be lifted in future years.’ – Daily Mail
‘Donald Trump Jr was told that his meeting with a Moscow lawyer with ‘dirt’ on Hillary Clinton was part of an effort by the Russian government to help his father win the election, a new report claims. Trump Jr was allegedly told before his meeting with lawyer Natalia Veselnitskaya the ‘Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information’ in an email from British PR guru Rob Goldstone, according to the New York Times. Don Jr received the email from Rob Goldstone, which stated the ‘Russian government was the source of the potentially damaging information’, the Times reports. The newspaper’s account is based on conversations with ‘three people with knowledge’ of what it contained.’ – Daily Mail
‘Campaigners have lost a high-profile case calling for UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia to be stopped over humanitarian concerns, as the high court ruled exports could continue. Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) launched the judicial review of the government’s decision to continue granting weapons-export licences to Saudi Arabia despite widespread concern over the civilian death toll of its two-year bombing campaign in Yemen. CAAT called the ruling a “green light” for the UK government to sell arms to “brutal dictatorships and human rights abusers”. Delivering an open judgment in the high court in London, Lord Justice Burnett, who heard the case with Mr Justice Haddon-Cave, said: “We have concluded that the material decisions of the secretary of state were lawful.’ – The Guardian
‘An Islamic school that tried to suppress its critical Ofsted report can finally be named after a legal challenge by the Daily Mail. Al-Hijrah School in Birmingham was criticised for segregating pupils and keeping books in its library that advocated beating wives. Inspectors said the state-funded school needed to be put in special measures for issues including a breach of equality law. But, in the first case of its kind, the school challenged Ofsted in the High Court, meaning the report is still being withheld from parents a year on from the inspection. Judges ordered the name of the school be kept secret over fears of a ‘media storm’ – but following a challenge by the Daily Mail’s parent company, Associated Newspapers Limited, the reporting restriction was lifted last night.’ – Daily Mail
‘Britain’s councils are making multi-billion-pound bets on commercial property as they try to replace revenue lost through government cuts, an investigation by The Times has found. Local authorities are taking out loans to buy shop premises, offices and business parks despite having little or no investment experience, raising concerns that services will have to be reduced if the property bubble bursts. Councils have paid £2.7 billion for commercial properties since 2015, up from £500 million over the previous three years, freedom of information requests show. Experts warn that some are building “exceptionally risky” portfolios. Spelthorne district council, a small authority in Surrey, has invested £422 million this year, or £10,600 for each household in its borough.’ – The Times (£)