“Labour was plunged into turmoil today after veteran MP Frank Field sensationally quit blaming Jeremy Corbyn for making the party a ‘force for anti-Semitism’. Mr Field, 76, told party bosses that after nearly 40 years as a Labour MP he was quitting the party whip and will sit as an independent. Labour MP Wes Streeting warned the Labour now faces a ‘catastrophic’ split as others will follow Mr Field and quit. In a letter detailing his decision made public tonight, Mr Field said Britain fought World War II to defeat Nazis – but under Mr Corbyn’s watch that victory is being eroded. And In an interview with Sky News, he said he finally made the tough decision after former chief rabbi Lord Sacks accused Mr Corbyn of being an anti-Semite.” – Daily Mail
Editorial:
>Today: Philip Booth in Comment: Field is a great man and a great politician – but no, he is not a Conservative
>Yesterday: Left Watch: Field resigns the Labour whip over anti-Semitism – full statement
“Jeremy Corbyn held a private meeting with a Holocaust denier in Parliament and failed to disclose it when quizzed by a Home Affairs select committee inquiry into anti-Semitism, MailOnline can reveal. The meeting with Deir Yassin Remembered (DYR), run by Holocaust denier and notorious anti-Semite Paul Eisen, took place in 2014, one year before Mr Corbyn was elected Labour leader. When giving evidence to the select committee in 2016, Mr Corbyn admitted attending public DYR events but claimed to have stopped when he learned of its leader’s views. He made no mention of a private meeting in Parliament just two years before. Mr Eisen has been open about his Holocaust denial since at least 2005. The Palestine Solidarity Campaign, of which Mr Corbyn is a patron, disavowed Mr Eisen and DYR in 2007 due to Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism.” – Daily Mail
Comment:
“Theresa May today urged Europe to accept her Brexit plan was a good deal for both sides after French President Emmanuel Macron urged Brussels to cut a deal. Striking an upbeat tone in Kenya as she wrapped up a continent-wide tour stumping for free trade, Mrs May said she wanted a ‘good relationship with the EU while having the freedom to negotiate trade deals’. She rejected criticism from her former chief of staff Nick Timothy, insisting her deal would mean Britain ending free movement and leaving EU institutions. The Premier denied she was setting Britain on a track to be a ‘vassal state’ that follows EU rules without helping to set them. Mrs May refused again to say whether Britain would be better off in the short term because of Brexit, insisting only quitting the EU offered opportunities.” – Daily Mail
More:
Comment:
>Today: ToryDiary: Leavers must not make the mistake of promising an end to boom and bust
“Boris Johnson today endorsed a warning from a former senior aide to Theresa May calling on the Prime Minister to abandon her Chequers plans. Mrs May’s former chief of staff Nick Timothy warned the PM risks the ‘worst of both worlds’ if she waters down her Brexit vision again. He said Mrs May would have to make new concessions to have any chance of getting a version of her Chequers plan agreed by Brussels – pointing out it had proved ‘intolerable’ to all sides of the debate. Her blueprint – which would mean Britain following EU rules on goods while leaving the single market and customs union to pursue global trade – was ‘never’ going to be accepted by the EU, Mr Timothy said. But he revealed fears his former boss would make concessions on immigration to try and get a deal.” – Daily Mail
More Johnson:
>Yesterday: Peter F Allgeier in Comment: The Chequers proposal would prevent the UK regaining an independent trade policy
“Ruth Davidson has told friends she may move to Westminster to become a Cabinet minister as a stepping stone for a Tory leadership bid. Under the fledgling plan, she would abandon Scottish politics and take a peerage instead. The move could happen as soon as late next year when pregnant Ms Davidson returns from maternity leave after giving birth to her first child. The surprise move would electrify the mounting scramble among senior Tories over who will succeed struggling Theresa May as PM. The popular Scottish Tories boss has always insisted she will stay north of the border to fight the 2021 Holyrood elections. But the party’s rising star has been told by senior Tory pals that she needs to prove her mettle in a big national job like running a government ministry to boost her chances of taking the Tory crown.” – The Sun
“Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that she felt “huge sadness” at the decision by Alex Salmond, her mentor and predecessor, to stand down as a member of the SNP while he fights accusations of sexual harassment. Scotland’s first minister also accepted his resignation and said that the cause of independence was “bigger than any one individual”. Mr Salmond, 63, denies the allegations, which date back to December 2013 when he was the first minister. He has launched a legal challenge against the Scottish government for the way in which it investigated the accusations, saying that the process was “grossly unjust”. Mr Salmond also began a crowdfunding campaign to pay for his legal action. He needs about £50,000 to fight the case and has raised almost £70,000. His decision to use pro-independence supporters to back his fight risks splitting the SNP.” – The Times
Comment:
Editorial:
>Yesterday: Henry Hill’s Red, White, and Blue column: Salmond quits the SNP and takes Scottish Government to court
“Theresa May is today facing a backlash over her controversial proposal to ban the sale of energy drinks to schoolchildren. The PM announced yesterday that ministers would consult on plans to make the sale of caffeine-heavy products like Red Bull to under-18s or under-16s illegal. The drastic move comes amid fears that the drinks are helping fuel obesity, tooth decay, bad behaviour and sleep problems among young people. But the free market think-tank IEA launched an excoriating attack on the proposal – branding them ‘unnecessary and draconian’. Chris Snowdon, Head of Lifestyle Economics at the think-tank, said: ‘It is not clear what problem the Government is trying to tackle with this consultation. If the issue is the sugar in these drinks, then why isn’t the Government proposing a ban on the sale of sugary drinks to people under the age of 18? If the issue is caffeine then why isn’t the Government proposing a sale on coffee to people under the age of 18?'” – Daily Mail
>Yesterday: Steve Brine MP in Comment: The Government must act to protect children from energy drinks
“The latest tensions came as Mrs May made it clear during her tour of Africa that she intends to press on with extending England’s plastic bag levy to all shops – and will explore raising it to at least 10p, she insisted on Thursday, defying reported bitter opposition from Mr Hammond. Sources have claimed the Chancellor thinks raising the levy charged to shoppers who take a plastic bag for their purchases looked like “profiteering” on the backs of hard-pressed households, since the 5p charge had worked so well in slashing plastic bag sales. Mr Hammond subsequently insisted the move was “under active consideration” as a way to help tackle the environmental scourge of plastic waste and sources close to him last night tried to play down any disagreement with the Prime Minister.” – Daily Express
“Cabinet ministers have conspired to allow non-EU immigration to spiral to its highest level in almost 15 years, a damning new report has found. A withering study from campaign group Migration Watch UK accuses the government of refusing to take a series of tough moves to halt the inflow from the rest of the world. From significant reductions during the Coalition government, numbers are spiralling again. Last week’s latest figures revealed net immigration from areas such as Asia, Africa and the Americas is back up to 235,000 a year – the highest since 2004. A series of internal Cabinet rows have meant action has been ducked to limit the arrival of students, family members and workers, the campaign group found.” – The Sun
“French and British ministers were due to hold emergency talks last night in an attempt to end the bitter “scallop war” as officials said that further clashes were likely along the Channel coast. George Eustice, the minister for agriculture, fisheries and food, and Stéphane Travert, his French counterpart, arranged a phone call to try to resolve the dispute that led to violent clashes between crews on Tuesday. British officials are understood to have discussed if the Royal Navy’s Fishery Protection Squadron could be deployed but there would be difficulties without the approval of the French, who are responsible for policing the disputed area off the Normandy coast. A navy source said that HMS Mersey, a River-class offshore patrol vessel that was operating in the North Sea off the coast of Denmark last night, was available “if required and if asked”.” – The Times
“Teachers reacted with anger yesterday after the education secretary gave them advice on how to save money on school purchases. Damian Hinds announced a range of ideas and deals to save money on the £10 billion schools spend each year on non-staff costs. It is estimated by his department that schools could save up to £1 billion through better procurement. The new strategy includes information on how to collaborate with other schools to drive down costs on stationery, energy and water bills, as well as supporting schools with staff recruitment and retention. Schools resource management advisers helped to save £106 million on spending other than on staff between 2014 and 2017, the Department for Education said… Nansi Ellis, assistant general secretary of the National Education Union, said that schools had already cut their outgoings as far as they could.” – The Times
“Sadiq Khan is “emboldening criminals” by failing to catch enough thugs behind knife attacks, a Windrush descendent running for London Mayor has claimed. In a scathing attack on the current Mayor, Tory candidate Shaun Bailey slammed him for being “clueless” on crime and unable to get a grip on Lawless London. The London Assembly Member claimed his call for 1,000 extra cops on the capital’s streets would help stem the flow of violent attacks. In an exclusive interview as part of a series profiling all three Tory candidates, he claimed that all Khan was able to do was ask ministers for more money… More than 100 people have been killed in the capital since the start of the year, as London’s crime epidemic continues. But Mr Bailey, who wants to face off against Mr Khan in the next London race in 2020, said the Mayor was not doing all he could to tackle the issue.” – The Sun
“Now and again, we hear about how Britain needs a new centrist party, our own Macron, someone who can combine economic efficiency with social progress and take the fight to the populists. But Britain already has such a party, and it’s currently in government. Macron is seven years behind reforms applied by Conservatives during the coalition years. He’s a far better actor than Cameron, far better at dressing his reforms in the language of the progressive Left. His reforms are ambitious, by French standards. But not, really, by ours. And while Macron’s electoral achievements are heroic, he hasn’t vanquished Marine Le Pen, who won a third of the vote last year. Those seeking an example of centrists genuinely crushing populist parties can look to Britain, whose act of radical centrism was to vote for Brexit.” – Daily Telegraph
>Yesterday: ToryDiary: Recruiters of new Tory members. There is a third actor – CCHQ itself.
“Women MPs are being targeted online with misogynistic abuse by apparently steadfast Brexiteers infiltrating the Conservative Party. Abuse such as “mad bint”, “witch” and “tart” has been slung at several women MPs, putting the party under pressure to investigate the motives of the influx of new members who joined over the summer. Theresa May was attacked as a “traitor” online, apparently by new members who also abused the former ministers Nicky Morgan and Dominic Grieve. The vociferously pro-Remain MP Anna Soubry was also branded “sour-faced” and a “gold-plated dope” who should be “demoted to a whingeing tea lady”. One man wrote: “Anna, we are coming for you.” Brexit backers posting the abusive content have also been pushing a campaign to urge people to join the Tories to change the party’s leadership and direction.” – The Times