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Brexit
Telegraph
The Government needs to challenge “unrelenting negativity” from Remainers about the state of the post-Brexit economy if it is to avoid further by-election losses, a former Cabinet minister has said.
Liam Fox, who did stints in the Cabinet as international trade secretary and defence secretary, said that the Conservatives had to get across the “true facts” about the economy to rise in the polls.
The Tories recently experienced bruising by-election defeats in Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire and Somerton and Frome in Somerset – both areas where a majority voted to leave the EU in the 2016 Referendum.
The result in Selby was seen as particularly significant, with Labour enjoying its biggest swing from the Tories in a by-election since 1994.
While not part of the Red Wall of traditionally Labour-voting constituencies that fell to the Tories in 2019, Selby neighbours these seats, which are again expected to prove a crucial battleground at the next election.
Dr Fox said that in order to recover from the defeats the Tories had to begin telling a more positive story about the UK after Brexit.
He said: “In the run-up to the EU referendum, the British people were subjected to a barrage of dire warnings about the economic consequences of voting to leave – the economy would go into recession, unemployment would rise, investment would collapse and UK exports to Europe would face a bleak future.
Express
Europe has posted a £823million health care bill to the UK Government – thanks to a pre-Brexit agreement staying in place.
Under pre-Brexit arrangements UK citizens could be treated by other European nation’s health services with the bill being sent back to the UK Government to be settled up.
The pact also meant European citizens treated by the NHS should trigger a bill back to their homeland to be settled up by their health department.
But figures from the Department of Health and Social Care show the system is costing the government almost £15million a week.
The DHSC says this is because far more Britons retire overseas than foreigners retiring to live in the UK.
EU
Telegraph
Spain’s snap election campaign has hit fever pitch. But in heatwave-stricken Andalusia, the socialists have been sweating for some time.
Spaniards head to the polls on Sunday after Pedro Sanchez, the prime minister, called the vote in a surprise move following a drubbing in May’s local elections.
The PSOE leader is now predicted to lose to the Partido Popular (PP), his centre-Right rivals which are expected to form a coalition with the hard-Right Vox.
Speaking in Madrid on the last day of campaigning on Friday, Mr Sanchez urged Spaniards to “bet everything on red” in a last-ditch effort to rally his supporters.
But in the Andalusian capital of Seville, the Left’s traditional heartlands, the country’s shift to the Right was already clear after last year’s regional elections.
Spain’s “red wall” crumbled in 2022, when the PP’s Juan Manuel Moreno was re-elected as president of Andalusia with an absolute majority.
Conservative Party
Express
Rishi Sunak has been warned that he needs to make major changes to his Cabinet if he hopes to win the next election.
Tory MPs have demanded that Rishi Sunak sacks two of his most senior Cabinet ministers amid demands for a complete overhaul of his Government.
Within hours of losing Selby and Ainsty in North Yorkshire, and Somerton and Frome in Somerset, both of which the Tories were defending majorities of around 20,000, MPs have sent messages making it clear they want changes to Mr Sunak’s Government.
While Conservatives are celebrating a surprise victory in Uxbridge, most people believe it was a result of Sadiq Khan’s ULEZ policy rather than a vote of confidence in Sunak’s Government.
Mr Sunak is expected to have a reshuffle of his ministerial team either today or when Parliament returns in September and Mr Gove and Mr Hunt are now the top targets for Tory MPs fed up of green policies and tax rises.
Express.co.uk has received a number of briefings from MPs making it clear they are prepared to push the Prime Minister into changing his Chancellor and Communities Secretary.
Telegraph
Michael Gove has warned against treating the environment as a “religious crusade” as he called for a relaxation of some net zero measures.
In an interview with The Telegraph, the Levelling Up and Housing Secretary cited Dutch protests over emissions regulations, saying that the “inflexible” application of rules designed to reduce pollution “leads to a backlash”.
In his own department, Mr Gove admits the Government is “asking too much too quickly” of landlords. They will currently be banned from renting out their homes unless they pay for green measures, such as insulation and heat pumps, to meet a new minimum energy efficiency threshold by 2028.
Citing existing financial pressures on landlords, he added: “I think we should relax the pace.”
He also warned that Natural England, the environment quango, must “pause” a push to block new housing near more than 330 designated areas across the country unless councillors agree to introduce green schemes such as ultra-low emission zones (Ulez) and low-traffic neighbourhoods.
Labour Party
BBC News
Labour must learn the lessons of its by-election defeat in Uxbridge, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The Labour leader had blamed the loss on London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s plans to expand the Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) – a tax on polluting vehicles.
Conservative Steve Tuckwell won the seat after campaigning against the tax.
Addressing Labour’s national forum, Sir Keir said there was “something very wrong” when a Labour policy was on “each and every Tory leaflet”.
In a bruising week for Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour and the Lib Dems took two safe Tory seats. Labour’s Keir Mather, 25, won in Selby and
Ainsty, North Yorkshire, overturning a 20,137 majority to become the youngest sitting MP.
The Conservatives clung on narrowly in the third by-election, in Uxbridge, Boris Johnson’s former seat, despite a big swing to Labour.
Sun
LABOUR erupted into open civil war over Ultra-Low Emission Zones yesterday — with Sir Keir Starmer blaming Sadiq Khan’s hated levy on drivers for their Uxbridge by-election flop.
In an astonishing broadside, the Labour leader tore into his party colleague over the controversial policy, fearing it made them come across as eco-zealots.
Sir Keir told Labour’s National Policy Forum in Nottingham: “That result in Uxbridge demonstrates there is never any reason to be complacent and never a reason to rest on our laurels.
“It is a reminder that in an election, policy matters.
“We are doing something very wrong if policies put forward by the Labour Party end up on each and every Tory leaflet.
“We’ve got to face up to that and to learn the lesson.”
Independent
Keir Starmer turned his fire on parts of his own party on Saturday as he sought to keep Labour on the path to No 10.
Addressing the forum that will help set the agenda for his party’s manifesto, the Labour leader warned against giving Conservatives ammunition at the next election.
He held up Friday’s bruising by-election loss in Boris Johnson’s old seat as a cautionary tale, warning the party it had to “face up to” and to “learn the lesson” of the defeat. “We are doing something very wrong” when a Labour party policy was on “each and every Tory leaflet,” he said.
Addressing Labour’s national policy forum in Nottingham, which brings together members and affiliated groups to discuss the next manifesto, Sir Keir said: “We’ve got to ask ourselves seriously – are our priorities the priorities of working people or are they just baggage that shows them we don’t see the country through their eyes?”
Express
In an interview with Sky after Labour’s by-election defeat in Uxbridge, Angela Rayner admitted that the hated ultra low emission zone £12.50 driver tax “is coming to towns and cities across the whole of the UK.”
The Conservatives have accused Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner of “letting the cat out of the bag” on a secret plan to roll out Sadiq Khan’s hated ultra low emmission zone (ULEZ) drivers’ tax to “towns and cities across the whole of the UK”.
The issue has come as the latest concern with Labour receiving funding from Just Stop Oil’s bankroller, millionaire Dale Vince.
This has already led to Sir Keir Starmer announcing he will ban the drilling of oil and gas in the UK which means it will have to be imported from around the world.
ITV News
Labour must “learn the lesson” of seeing a party policy used against it, Sir Keir Starmer has warned, after a narrow defeat in the Uxbridge and South Ruislip by-election.
The Labour leader said there was “something very wrong” when a party policy was on “each and every Tory leaflet.”
This came amid Conservative attacks on London mayor Sadiq Khan’s plan to expand the capital’s ultra low emission zone (Ulez), which applies a charge for the most polluting vehicles.
Addressing the party’s national policy forum in Nottingham on Saturday, Sir Keir said the Uxbridge and South Ruislip result demonstrated that there “is still a long way to go”.
Labour overturned a 20,000 majority to win the Selby seat in north Yorkshire with a 23.7 percentage points swing away from the Conservatives – the second largest produced by Labour at a by-election since 1945,
Strikes
Observer
Strikes in schools across England may still happen in September, after local branches of the largest union representing teachers told the Observer this weekend that they would vote against the proposed pay offer.
Two weeks ago the government announced that it would accept the recommendation of the independent School Teachers’ Review Body for a 6.5% pay rise for most teachers from September, and the four education unions representing teachers and heads advised their members to vote in favour of the offer.
But on social media last week, many teachers and heads were arguing that the rise was not enough to solve the crisis in retaining and recruiting teachers. Many also said they did not trust government reassurances that the deal was properly funded.
After emergency meetings last week, some local branches of the National Education Union (NEU), the largest education union – including ones in Oxfordshire, Worcestershire, Birmingham and some parts of London – defied their national executive and recommended that their members reject the offer.
BBC News
Train passengers are being disrupted on cross-border services as rail workers strike as part of a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions.
Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) walked out, forcing 14 train operators to amend or cancel services across the UK.
The strike does not involve ScotRail and the operator said its weekend timetable will operate as normal.
The UK government said it had made improved offers on pay and reform.
CrossCountry, TransPennine Express, Avanti West Coast and LNER have all reported disruption on services between Scotland and England and a reduced timetable.
Passengers are urged to check their full journeys before embarking.
Services are also being impacted because of a ban on overtime by train drivers in the Aslef union.
The deadlocked dispute is being made worse by a bitter row over controversial plans to close most railway ticket offices.
Sun
THE vast pay difference between striking consultants and nurses is today laid bare, as senior doctors insist their pay is “down more” than other public sector staff.
British Medical Association bosses made the revelation this week as they defended the walkouts, which have brought the NHS to a standstill.
But The Sun on Sunday can reveal that one top doctor earned 14 times more than the average nurse in 2020.
Consultants say they have suffered a 35 per cent drop in the real-terms value of their wage since 2008-09 and are seeking “full restoration”.
Dr Vishal Sharma, chairman of the BMA’s consultants committee, said: “Consultants’ pay has been cut more than every other group across the public sector.”
The Department of Health states the average basic pay for consultants is £97,900 – but doctors can also boost their salaries through overtime and awards.
This takes the average annual salary of a consultant up to £128,000, the Government says.
Farage
Express
Nigel Farage has accused NatWest of passing “personal data about his financial affairs to the Press”.
Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage has lodged a formal complaint with the Information Commissioner after accusing the NatWest Group of passing personal data about his “financial affairs” to the BBC.
This comes after a BBC news report claimed he lost his account at Coutts because he had insufficient funds and fell below the required £1million threshold.
But after making a data subject access request to Coutts to find out why his account was being closed, he received a 40-page document which revealed that the bank thought his political views did “not align with our values”.
According to the report, the bank’s dossier cited his retweet of a Ricky Gervais joke about trans women and his friendship with tennis player Novak Djokovic – who was against the Covid vaccinatio – to flag concerns about Mr Farage’s political views.
Chief executive of Natwest Dame Alison Rose – which owns Coutts – apologised earlier this week over the mishandling of his account closure.
Mr Farage has written to BBC director-general Tim Davie to complain about its reporting.
Mail
Nigel Farage has today escalated his battle with Coutts and the BBC over the closure of his bank account by lodging a formal complaint with the Information Commissioner – which has the power to hit financial institutions with £17million fines.
The former UKIP leader is demanding a formal apology from the corporation for claiming that the prestigious private bank dropped him after he fell below the required £1million threshold.
Dame Alison Rose, chief executive of Natwest – which owns Coutts – has already apologised after the bank’s internal documents revealed that the account had in reality been closed because they thought his political views did ‘not align with our values’.
Mr Farage has also written to BBC director-general Tim Davie to complain about the corporation’s reporting.
In his letter to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), Mr Farage places the relationship between the bank and the BBC at the centre of the furore: the BBC story was published by Business Editor Simon Jack the morning after Mr Jack sat next to Dame Alison at a charity dinner.
Telegraph
Nigel Farage has written to the head of the BBC demanding a formal apology for its inaccurate reporting on his bank account being closed by Coutts.
The former Ukip leader told the director general of the BBC Tim Davie that he had endured “humiliating” publicity as a result of the corporation’s story.
Separately, Mr Farage’s lawyers have written to the Information Commissioner asking for an investigation into the sharing of details about his financial affairs with the BBC.
At the end of June, Mr Farage revealed his account was being shut by the 330-year-old bank and said he believed this was over his political views.
Six days later, the BBC ran a report from its business editor, Simon Jack, quoting people “familiar” with the situation saying it was a “commercial decision” because he had fallen below the financial threshold to hold an account.
But when The Telegraph revealed that it was indeed partly closed because his political views were judged not to “align” with those of the bank despite him being commercially viable, Dame Alison Rose, the chief executive of Natwest, which owns Coutts, was forced to apologise to Mr Farage.
It has also transpired that Mr Jack sat next to Dame Alison at a charity dinner the night before the story was published.
Russia
Express
Vladimir Putin is facing huge pressure as Ukraine’s counter-offensive picks up speed and has been warned over the devastating consequences on Russia if he uses nuclear weapons.
Vladimir Putin’s army is being pushed to “breaking point” in the Ukraine war, with one expert sending a horror warning to Russia if it decides to use nuclear weapons.
The war is reaching another crucial point, with Ukraine‘s much-anticipated counter-offensive picking up a significant pace in recent days and piling huge pressure on Vladimir Putin and the Russian army.
Significantly the Kerch Bridge – a major transport route linking Russia to Moscow-annexed Crimea – was attacked for the second time in the space of a year. Ukrainian officials have not yet taken responsibility for the blast.
The US is also ramping up its support for the war-torn country by sending it potentially destructive cluster bombs.
Nicholas Drummond, a former British Army officer who is now a defense industry analyst and consultant specializing in land warfare believes the use of cluster bombs could be a “significant” turning point and make a “big difference”.
When asked about his view on the conflict over the coming weeks, he told Daily Express US: “All things being equal, Ukraine will make headway and recover lost ground.
Independent
Unesco has condemned Russia’s missile strikes targeting Odesa’s city centre that includes several historical buildings such as the Transfiguration Cathedral founded in 1794.
Missile attacks in the world heritage site have significantly damaged several buildings including the Odesa Archaeological Museum and the Odesa Maritime Museum.
“Unesco calls for a cessation of attacks against cultural property protected by widely ratified international normative instruments,” the UN body said.
Meanwhile, a Ukrainian attack drone blasted a Russian ammunition depot in central Crimea on Saturday, sparking a major explosion.
Authorities evacuated a 5km radius after the drone attack.
Sergey Aksyonov, the Kremlin-appointed head of Crimea, said that there have been no immediate reports of casualties, but that authorities were evacuating civilians.
Mail
China is suspected of supplying Russia with weaponry and ammunition that is being used to maim and kill Ukrainian civilians and soldiers, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
A classified Ukrainian military intelligence document leaked to the MoS claims that Chinese companies supplied Russia with weapons parts to the value of £165 million in just January and February this year. More have arrived since.
State-owned companies run by the Chinese Communist Party are accused of sending components for Russian drones called Orlan, which have been used to fire more than 40,000 rounds of shells, and kill up to 100 Ukrainian soldiers per day.
Last night, Vladyslav Vlasiuk, who advises President Volodymyr Zelensky, said: ‘Our armed forces are finding Chinese-made components and microelectronics in the weapons used by the Russian aggressor.
‘Vladimir Putin is facing huge pressure as Ukraine’s counter-offensive picks up speed’
Did you see / read the Putin red lines speech yesterday or the day before ? – not covered in the Western msm. Ouch!
In short Poland, and anyone in the West, wanting to play in the game, better think twice. Poland should be ‘dissuaded from land grabbing chunks of Ukr, ‘unless Ukr gives Poland or sells Poland the land’. ‘As all traitors do’.
Putin at least is NOT quaking in his boots!
Name a single town taken by the great Ukr push back. Well?
So how many ‘dead’ Bradley fighting vehicles at 3.5 million uS dollars each, are there in ‘Bradley Square’? Why is it called Bradley Square Dad . . . ? Take a guess, Son?
Cluster rounds are being used extensively by Ukr e.g. in the battle lines and way behind the lines in Russian Debrovo. Depleted uranium shells were blown up on entry to Western Ukr a while back. The Mericans have no other ordinance left to give them bar cluster shells.
So far, the Russians have not used cluster munitions. Currently, Russian Makiivka, and Karmaznyivka are poking at the Ukrs. Just North, Novokorivka / Borova appears to be the next Russian push. Word is, cluster munitions, not just artillery shells, will be coating the Ukrs in that area. Seed the wind, reap t . . .
ULEZ. “The Conservatives have accused Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner of “letting the cat out of the bag” on a secret plan to roll out Sadiq Khan’s hated ultra low emmission zone (ULEZ) drivers’ tax to “towns and cities across the whole of the UK”.
ULEZ is the Tories baby. Yes, Labour may nurture it but it has Doris’ dirty fingerprints all over it.
‘secret plan to roll out ULEZ drivers’ tax to “towns and cities across the whole of the UK”.’.
Secret should be past tense – alread across GB. Same as roll out of a ‘secret’ country-wide blanket change of urban speed limit to 20 mph. Do you remember the discussion and argument in Parliament? Y/No?
‘Stealth in plain sight’ is the overt latest tactic for all things. The bbc took a poll with following results. Britons want more green taxes, you want the dregs of the World here and pamper them, you crave heat pumps, love hump cities, and on.
Politicians looked on and said the results were now beyond discusion – just like global warming and submergence of paved over Sheffield now under water, like life giving carbon is bad, like self sufficiency in oil and gas is bad, as . . .
Be Careful – civil insurrection is just over the horizon.
Where has Liam Fox been for seven years? “The Government needs to challenge ‘unrelenting negativity’ from Remainers about the state of the post-Brexit economy if it is to avoid further by-election losses”. Has he just woken from a coma? Has he just realised that the Conservative Party, ambivalent about Brexit at best, has squandered its 2019 majority and been gifting own goals to Remain (and the EU) for three years and that this is taking a toll on the party’s electoral prospects? A punch drunk Brexiteer momentarily regains a semblance of awareness and the DT reports it out of some vestigial loyalty to the cause. What a state we are in.
Where has Liam Fox been? Focussing on his secondary income stream?