Electoral pact
Times
Nigel Farage was forced to deny that he would vote Conservative at the general election yesterday even as he refused to pull his Brexit Party candidates out of Boris Johnson’s top target seats. Mr Farage’s decision to pull 317 Brexit Party candidates from Tory-held seats this week means that he cannot vote for his own party in his Orpington constituency in Kent. Asked whether he would vote Tory, Mr Farage said: “I want to see the manifesto. Let me see what is in the manifesto.”
Telegraph
The Conservatives have offered an electoral pact to Nigel Farage that would mean the Brexit Party targeting just 40 key seats, The Telegraph can disclose. Boris Johnson was prepared to put up “paper candidates” in the Labour-held constituencies, meaning the Tories would carry out only minimal campaigning in order to give an advantage to Brexit Party rivals. However, the deal was turned down by Mr Farage, who had insisted on the Tories withdrawing their candidates altogether from the seats, because he was worried that the Conservative candidates would still attract votes.
Mirror
Nigel Farage has turned down an 11th-hour electoral pact offer from the Conservatives, according to reports. Boris Johnson suggested the Tories could put up “paper candidates” in Labour-held seats and do minimal campaigning. This would give the Brexit Party a stronger chance of winning in Leave-supporting areas. But the deal was reportedly rejected by Mr Farage – who wanted the Tories to step aside entirely in the constituencies.
Sky News
Parties have until 4pm to confirm their candidates for the general election, with the Tories desperate for an 11th-hour deal with Nigel Farage. In the hours before the deadline, the Conservatives are expected to pile pressure on the Brexit Party leader not to field candidates in Labour-held marginal seats. But to the dismay of Boris Johnson and his allies, Mr Farage is so far standing firm, refusing to make further concessions beyond the 317 candidates he has already stood down in seats won by the Tories in 2017.
EU
Express
INCOMING European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has already demanded the EU increase the bloc’s foreign policy budget by a staggering 30 percent before she takes over from Jean-Claude Juncker. Ms Von der Leyen said in a speech in Paris that as the UK scrambles to the polling stations in less than a month to put an end to Brexit uncertainty, that now is the time to form an even stronger Europe.
Independent
European Council president Donald Tusk has told campaigners “don’t give up” on reversing Brexit, warning that the UK would become a “second-rate player” after it leaves the EU. The outgoing president also said the UK would become an “outsider” after Brexit, and that a friend who suggested it is “the real end of the British Empire” is probably right.
Express
One of the EU’s most senior figures has intervened in Britain’s general election campaign, urging opponents of Brexit not to give up on stopping it. Outgoing European Council President Donald Tusk made the remarks in a speech in Bruges, Belgium, as his time in the role comes to an end. With that in mind, Mr Tusk said he wanted to “tell you something I wouldn’t have dared to say a few months ago, as I could be fired for being too frank”.
Guardian
Donald Tusk has given his implicit backing to Boris Johnson’s opponents in the general election with a call for anti-Brexit campaigners to keep fighting in the month before Britain goes to the polls. In what he openly conceded was an unconventional move, the outgoing president of the European council made a pointed intervention in the UK’s general election debate with a thinly veiled message of solidarity for those seeking to unseat Johnson’s Conservatives.
Sun
DONALD Tusk yesterday urged those battling Brexit in the upcoming election: “Don’t give up.” The outgoing EU Council chief said things could still be turned around and that quitting Europe would turn Britain into an outsider and a “second-rate player”. The outgoing EU Council chief said Brexit would turn Britain into an “outsider” and a “second-rate player” on the world stage. In a speech to the College of Europe, he said: “In this match we are already in extra time. Perhaps it will go to penalties.”
Breitbart
In another humiliating — albeit symbolic — blow to the pro-sovereignty Brexit movement in the United Kingdom, Boris Johnson is set to break another promise and nominate a commissioner to the European Union. In his first address to House of Commons after being elected as Prime Minister, Boris Johnson pledged to MPs that “under no circumstances” would he nominate a new commissioner to the European Union.
Times
Up to 1.2 million illegal immigrants are estimated to be living in Britain, the highest number of any country in the European Union, research says. Those in the UK and Germany make up almost half of all illegal immigrants in the EU, a study of Europe’s unauthorised migration population by the US Pew Research Centre claims. The estimate comes after 39 Vietnamese migrants were found dead in a refrigerated container in Essex as they were being smuggled into the country.
Conservative Party
Independent
Two senior Conservatives have admitted a no-deal Brexit is “on the table”, after Nigel Farage hailed the threat as a reason for his “alliance” with Boris Johnson. The party’s deputy chairwoman and Theresa May’s former chief of staff both acknowledged a crash-out is an option in little over a year’s time – even if the Tories win the general election and pass the Brexit deal. Mr Farage pointed to the scenario when explaining his sudden decision to stand down Brexit Party candidates in all 317 Tory-held seats, in a significant boost to the Conservative campaign.
Telegraph
The Conservative Party now has more support among working-class voters than the upper classes, according to a new poll which predicts that Boris Johnson will win a 110-seat majority at the general election. The exclusive Savanta ComRes survey for The Daily Telegraph found that 43 per cent of voters from the DE social group are prepared to vote for the Tories on December 12, up from 35 per cent in 2017. The poll found 40 per cent of AB voters plan to back Mr Johnson compared to 46 per cent who were prepared to vote for Theresa May two years ago.
ITV News
Boris Johnson insisted he has a “Blue Peter Brexit deal… here’s one I made earlier” ready to go if the Conservatives win the general election. The prime minister pledged to drive a clean energy revolution while investing in the NHS, cutting crime and helping people with the cost of living if he succeeds on December 12. Mr Johnson used a speech at an electric vehicle manufacturer in the West Midlands later in the afternoon to warn that a Labour-SNP coalition would “ruin 2020” with two referendums.
Labour Party
Express
THE Labour Party’s “dishonest” Brexit policy has been brutally ripped apart in just 40-words with the UK a month away from heading to the polls in the December 12 general election. The Labour Party’s Brexit policy has been ripped apart in a stunning 40-word attack, as the UK nears the winter general election. Jeremy Corbyn has been forced to repeatedly defend his party’s Brexit policy as he has already promised to give Brits another say on leaving the EU.
Telegraph
Priti Patel moved to put immigration centre stage in the election by claiming Labour’s plan to extend freedom of movement could treble net migration to 840,000 a year. The Home Secretary claimed Labour’s conference policy pledge to “maintain and extend freedom of movement rights” could almost double the current 9.3 million foreign-born migrants living in the UK within a decade. She used official modelling to claim there would be a nine-fold increase in net migration from countries within a “short-haul” flight in Europe and Africa and an 80 per cent rise from “long haul” destinations.
Express
JEREMY CORBYN is plotting to dramatically force drivers off the roads by slapping them with huge fuel duty hikes if Labour win the election. An internal Labour Party report has revealed plans to increase fun duty and company car tax, along with mandatory road pricing and charges to park vehicles at work. Motorway speed limits will also be reduced in order for cars to travel more slowly and pollute less. And all planned road improvements will be scrapped too.
Times
Labour’s leadership has split over whether NHS staff would be included in the party’s four-day week policy during a chaotic period of campaigning in which Jeremy Corbyn also stumbled over his position on the Union. John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor, rebuked Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, for saying that doctors and nurses would not have their hours cut. Mr McDonnell said everyone would benefit.
Independent
John McDonnell has said Labour’s plans for a 32-hour week would apply to NHS staff despite claims from his party’s health spokesman that the health service would be exempt. The shadow chancellor confirmed that a four-day working week would be part of Labour’s election offer and the radical proposals would extend to all workers. However his comments set him at odds with Jonathan Ashworth, the shadow health secretary, who said Labour was not “imposing” a four-day week on the NHS in a round of broadcast interviews.
Sun
LABOUR divisions were laid bare as the shadow cabinet clashed over whether their four-day week policy would apply to the NHS. The Shadow Health Secretary Jon Ashworth — a leading moderate — said the NHS would be excluded from the 32-hour week plan. But he was left humiliated just hours later when John McDonnell insisted it would be covered. The split emerged as health experts warned the plan risked leaving hospital wards massively short-staffed.
Mail
Labour’s plan to introduce a four day working week was plunged into chaos today as shadow health secretary Jon Ashworth said it would not apply to NHS staff – but John McDonnell insisted it would. Mr Ashworth appeared to water down the policy early this morning as he said there would be a ‘commission and a review in 10 years’ time looking at’ the viability of a shorter working week. His remarks put him on a collision course with the shadow chancellor who announced the overhaul of working conditions at Labour’s annual conference in September and said it would be achieved ‘within the next decade’.
Mail
Labour splits on free movement deepened tonight after union baron Len McCluskey insisted it should not stay in place if the UK leaves the EU. Mr McCluskey, a close ally of Jeremy Corbyn, said the party’s official policy of keeping open borders was ‘not a sensible approach’. The intervention from the Unite head comes ahead of a crunch meeting of party chiefs this weekend to finalise the election manifesto. Activists at Labour conference voted this autumn to make its formal position to ‘maintain and extend free movement rights’.
LibDems
Independent
The Liberal Democrat leadership has vowed to stand candidates against Remainer MPs in several tightly contested constituencies, despite a growing backlash from its own members. A spokesperson for the party told The Independent on Wednesday morning that it would definitely be fielding candidates against ex-Tory David Gauke, who is standing as an independent in South West Hertfordshire. The spokesperson also confirmed the party would be picking a new candidate to challenge Labour MP Rosie Duffield in Canterbury, despite the resignation of its first candidate Tim Walker who said he would be voting for the Remainer Ms Duffield to keep the seat out of Tory hands.
Times
The Liberal Democrat leader has rejected David Gauke’s plea not to contest his seat, facing down fears in her own party over splitting the Remain vote. Jo Swinson said that she still intended to field a candidate against Mr Gauke in South West Hertfordshire, despite the former Tory cabinet minister calling for traditional Tory voters elsewhere to back the Lib Dems. The plea from Mr Gauke, the former justice secretary who is now standing as an independent, was made in an interview with The Times and aimed at denying Boris Johnson a Tory majority which he said would enable a “very hard Brexit”.
Independent
Schools would be ordered to allow children to wear gender-neutral school uniforms under new plans put forward by the Liberal Democrats. Layla Moran, the party’s education spokesperson, said the existing rules were “totally out of date” and vowed to legislate to force schools in England to revise their uniform codes to ensure they are more inclusive. Under plans to be unveiled in the Lib Dem election manifesto, headteachers would be compelled to allow children to wear shorts, trousers or skirts, regardless of their gender.
Express
JO SWINSON has unveiled a five-point plan for her party, ahead of the Lib Dems’ official general election manifesto launch. Unsurprisingly it includes the Remain party’s plan to cancel Brexit but it also features a bizarre £10,000 “skills wallet” for adults, which would be funded by corporation tax hikes and increases to capital gains tax. Featuring at the top of her five pledges, dubbed the Plan for Britain’s Future, Jo Swinson pledges to stop Brexit – something the Lib Dems passed at their party conference in September.
Foreign aid
Mail
Almost £45million of UK foreign aid money has been spent abroad on ‘nanny state’ projects, a report claims. The cash went on ‘lifestyle interventions’ between 2005 and 2018, according to the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) think-tank. More than 80 per cent of the money has been spent since 2016. The largest recipient was China. It received £7.9million, of which £6.6million was spent on a ‘research unit’ to reduce the amount of salt housewives add while cooking. India was the second biggest recipient, receiving £2.2million, and Colombia the third, handed £1.8million.
Flooding
Times
Boris Johnson was confronted by angry residents yesterday who criticised his response to the flooding crisis and forced him to ferry supplies to a submerged village in his official car. As he arrived in Stainforth, near Doncaster in South Yorkshire, where villagers were braced for more flooding, the prime minister was almost immediately heckled by a man walking his dog who shouted: “You took your time Boris, didn’t you.” He was visiting almost a week after a month’s worth of rain fell in one day last Thursday, inundating villages around Sheffield and Doncaster.
Postal strike
Times
Royal Mail has won an injunction preventing the first national postal strike in a decade because it could have disrupted voting in the general election and the run-up to Christmas. Members of the Communication Workers Union voted overwhelmingly last month for industrial action but Royal Mail argued in court that there were “irregularities” in the ballot. The union denied the claims. Royal Mail, which was floated on the London stock market in 2013 and has more than 142,000 staff, said last week that it would go to court to block the potential strike by its largest union, due to be held about the time of the general election on December 12 and in the traditionally busy run-up to Christmas.
Morning Star
POSTAL workers issued a “call to arms” to the trade union movement today after a court barred workers from striking against the casualisation of the Royal Mail. After a two-day hearing at the Royal Court of Justice, Mr Justice Swift ruled today in favour of a Royal Mail application to stop Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) members from going on strike. The CWU sent out a brief tweet immediately after the ruling, saying: “Genuinely this is an utter outrage. 110,000 workers vs the establishment.”
Mail
Royal Mail today sensationally won a High Court injunction to block proposed strikes in the run up to the general election and before Christmas because the union ‘subverted’ the ballot process. Mr Justice Swift granted an injunction after agreeing nationwide industrial action could stop voters casting ballots by post before December 12 – and even swing results in marginal constituencies. The Communication Workers Union (CWU), whose members voted to back walkouts by 97 per cent on a turnout of 76 per cent, allowed postal workers to pick up their ballot papers from work rather than have it sent to their homes.
Cancer
Times
The NHS screening programme for bowel cancer is more than twice as good at spotting warning signs as studies by private firms, a survey suggests. Researchers examined the numbers of patients who developed bowel cancer within three years of getting an all-clear after a colonoscopy. More than 40,000 people are diagnosed with the cancer each year, leading to about 16,000 deaths. The team analysed 120,000 patients diagnosed with bowel cancer after having the test between 2005 and 2013.
Telegraph
Thousands of bowel cancer cases are being missed due to “unacceptable” testing failures, research in the BMJ shows. The UK research found that some providers carrying out colonoscopies were three times as likely as others not to spot signs of disease. At the worst units, almost one in ten cases which turned out to be bowel cancer were not picked up during the tests, the study led by the University of Leeds found. Researchers said that almost 4,000 more cases could have been prevented or treated sooner had there been better screening over a nine year period tracked.
Times
Breathing in tiny particles of air pollution has been linked to an increased risk of brain cancer for the first time. Research suggests that scores of brain tumours could be prevented in British cities if steps are taken to reduce levels of ultrafine particles (UFPs), commonly emitted by motor traffic and particularly diesel vehicles. Those living in the most heavily polluted areas may have a 50 per cent higher risk of developing brain cancer than those living in areas with fewer nanoparticles of pollution in the air.
Education
Times
A popular and fast-growing university has reduced the number of firsts it awards to protect their value as concerns grow about grade inflation. Nottingham Trent University gave out almost 500 fewer first-class degrees last year than the year before in a move described as groundbreaking. Only 17.6 per cent of students received a first compared with 24.7 per cent in 2017. The university’s decision could deter students from applying to study there and it admits that the move may lead to a lower ranking in national and international league tables that use the proportion of firsts as a benchmark.
I like your simple suggestions Jake. But of course we are for the most part dealing with Zombie recipients that corporations and politicians target minute by minute, who survive on the diet of piffle and superficiality which they feed them – and you suggest we deny them – the fall-out could be riots in the streets.
I’m afraid it has gone too far, millions are already programmed – and that’s the way Corporations and politicians like it.
Compliant Zombie populations – and it is not going to change for the better.
Who is financing and pushing this LGBTQXZ Agenda? Like the man sai – follow the money?
Misterpaula Dont know if you meant this as a rhetorical question to which you know the answer but if not , I think the answer lies largely in George Soros. with his Open Society fund? . I understand his meddling is the fount of so many of our evils , he is encouraging and facilitating population replacement in Europe, cultural marxism and and gender confusion with the help of the EU. Brown envelopes or rather Swiss bank accounts?……….. His own country Hungary are lucky having Premier Orban who is making a stand against all this, but I heard that the Green party is making headway in Budapest lately and may soon be infecting Hungary’s universities with his poison.
Foreign aid:
The giving of taxpayers’ money to countries like China and India is unacceptable. The present policy on foreign aid should be scrapped in its entirety and the money saved spent (or not) to the benefit of the UK taxpayer.
Disaster relief is an entirely different matter and should be evaluated on a case by case basis; owing to the potential for corruption it should involve support other than direct financial support.
I entirely agree Jack. Sensible policy suggestion.
Does any of this money do a round trip back into a pocket or two not far from home? Just wondering.
This is what it looks like when a company pushes an anti-Christian anti-family anti-child agenda instead of simply selling its product.
Waste of time debating their warped agendas. Politicians only fear rejection at the ballot box and corporations fear their products being boycotted. Lets do more rejecting and boycotting – we will all feel the better for it. It doesn’t cost us anything and we may have some small victories on the way.