Members of Keir Starmer’s Cabinet respond rousingly to his calls to “waves those flags!” during his speech at the Labour Party Conference on Tuesday © PA Images
The Prime Minister stabilised his wobbling Government with a, by his standards, barn-storming speech at the Labour party conference. To the satisfaction of many of his backbenchers and party members, he took the fight to Reform UK, labelling the “politics of grievance” the “biggest threat we face” and claimed the country faced a “defining choice” between decency and renewal, or division and decline. He pledged to fight it with “every breath” and create a “nation of resolve”, a “land of respect”, and a “Britain built for all”, to raucous applause. He prefaced his speech with a broadside against Nigel Farage, labelling Reform’s new policy of scrapping Indefinite Leave to Remain (ILR) "racist" and "immoral" (David Lammy added that Farage had "flirted with Hitler Youth" as a teenager, before backtracking). What policy there was in his speech was lightweight – scrapping the target of 50% of young people attending university and replacing it with a target of two-thirds going to university or undertaking an apprenticeship, and the creation of NHS Online, a new fully digital NHS trust. However, not all was well – some Labour MPs quietly raised concerns that the Prime Minister might be construed as calling their Reform-leaning constituents racist, while others questioned whether the speech demonstrated a well-thought out political approach, or a rushed strategic U-turn in the face of dismal polling.
Despite this newfound progressivism, immigration crackdowns were the order of the day. Newly appointed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood showed her teeth with a speech in which she announced that the requirement of time spent living in the UK to attain ILR would be doubled to 10 years, and those seeking ILR will need to meet a range of new requirements, including volunteering in the community. She also warned that tackling the immigration crisis would require questioning “some of the assumptions and legal constraints which have lasted for a generation”, which she admitted might not make her popular with the Labour party membership. The Prime Minister followed up with an announcement that asylum seekers will no longer have an automatic right to bring their family to the UK – what Downing Street called an unfair quirk in the system which means that some of those crossing the channel in a small boat having greater rights to settlement and family reunion than those who arrive through legal routes.
Alongside this, other announcements at Labour Conference included a new Youth Guarantee, a youth mobility agreement with the EU, and new legislation to protect economic security by Chancellor Rachel Reeves…beginning construction on at least three New Towns by the end of this parliament from Housing Secretary Steve Reed…Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander confirmed the Government’s commitment to Northern Powerhouse Rail…giving service personnel priority access to new housing build on Ministry of Defence land by Defence Secretary John Healey…the first ever fair pay agreement for care workers by Health Secretary Wes Streeting…the full national rollout of free breakfast clubs and the reestablishment of targeted student maintenance grants by Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson…the expansion of rooftop solar on more schools and NHS sites by Energy Secretary Ed Miliband…the launch of an English Law Panel to promote English Law worldwide by Justice Secretary David Lammy…doubling the number of Youth Hubs over the next three years from Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden…the launch of the UK Town of Culture competition by Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy…and the creation of a Women’s Tech Taskforce by Science Secretary Liz Kendall.
A shocking terrorist attack against a synagogue in Manchester has killed two people and injured three more. The attacker drove a car at members of the public on Thursday (which was also Yom Kippur) and attacked them with a knife, before being shot by police. Tragically, it appears one of the dead and one of the injured may have been accidentally shot by police as they targeted the attacker. The UK Chief Rabbi said the Jewish community’s hearts were “shattered” and the Home Secretary has pledged increased security. The Prime Minister stated it proved the urgency of combatting antisemitism across the UK and thanked police and the synagogue’s security. Meanwhile, the Met Police has urged organisers of a pro-Palestine Action march this weekend to cancel their protest as it seeks to “prioritise protecting the community” following the attack.
We’ve all very nearly reached the end of conference season… just the Official Opposition / party currently placed fourth in the polls to go…
If you’re heading up to Manchester this weekend and need a last-minute reminder of the new faces on the opposition benches elected last summer, head over to ConservativeConference.co.uk to check out the Tory-only version of our Guessminster MP recognition trainer.
-14% – the net support for digital ID cards.
£122m – the amount the company linked to Baroness Mone has been ordered to pay for breaching a Government contract for the supply of PPE during Covid.
£21bn – the amount the IFS is forecasting annual spending on services for children with special educational needs will reach by 2029.
37 – the number of regional television and radio interviews Kemi Badenoch took part in on Thursday ahead of the Conservative Party conference.
2/3 – the national target the Prime Minister has set for young people going on to university, further education, or a ‘gold standard apprenticeship’ by the age of 25.
£45bn – the amount Morgan Stanley suggests the Treasury could raise through measures such as taxes on gambling, a freeze on income tax thresholds, and changes to council tax and pensions.
66% – the percentage of voters who support the Government’s agri-food deal, which will remove some red tape around trading food, animal, and plant products with the EU.
Migrants granted asylum in the UK will no longer be automatically given settlement and family reunion rights, after the Prime Minister announced the change at the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen on Wednesday. The plan aims to bring to an end ‘the unfair system that sees those crossing the channel in a small boat having greater rights to settlement and family reunion than those who arrive through proper legal routes.’ The announcement came after Reform announced last week that it will scrap Indefinite Leave to Remain and make all migrants to the UK apply for new visas.
The Mayor of London condemned the behaviour of police officers at Charing Cross police station exposed by a BBC Panorama investigation that aired on Wednesday evening. Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mark Rowley apologised for what he called the "reprehensible and completely unacceptable" behaviour, which showed ‘evidence of racism, misogyny and officers revelling in the use of force’. Following the expose, the Met suspended eight officers and one staff member, and removed two more officers from front-line duties.
Donald Trump’s “three or four day” deadline for Hamas to agree to his plan for a peace agreement in Gaza is nearing fast. The US President’s plan, endorsed by both Israel and leading Arab counties in the region would see the immediate release of all Israeli hostages, the release of 250 Palestinian prisoners in Israel and 1,700 Palestinians detailed since the 7 October 2023 attacks, as well as the withdrawal of Israeli armed forces to an agreed line within Gaza. It will also see amnesty granted to members of Hamas but only if their weapons are destroyed – terms it seems unlikely the terrorist organisation will agree to.
Straight after the Lib Dem Conference, the party has done what only political parties inexplicably seem to do… and conducted a reshuffle. Key changes to note: Max Wilkinson replaces Lisa Smart as Home Affairs Spokesperson; James MacCleary replaces Helen Maguire as Defence Spokesperson; Jess Brown-Fuller replaces Josh Babarinde as Justice Spokesperson, Zoe Franklin replaces Vikki Slade as Local Govt Spokesperson; Olly Glover replaces Paul Kohler as Transport Spokesperson; and Anne Sabine replaces Max Wilkinson as DCMS Spokesperson.
Kemi Badenoch joined Rachel Reeves and others calling for former Conservative Peer Baroness Mone to be stripped of her peerage after the High Court ruled a company owned by her husband should return £122m it was paid by the Department of Health during the pandemic for surgical gowns that did not meet department’s sterility requirements. The company, PPE Medpro, has said they have been made scapegoats by the Government and that the Department had agreed to the manufacturing and sterilising process before the contract had been awarded.
Apsana Begum and John McDonnell have had the Labour whip restored, over a year after it was withdrawn for voting to scrap the two child benefit cap. The former Shadow Chancellor under Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership said in response that he hoped it was a signal the Government were going to “scrap the cap”.
Scottish Labour MSP Foysol Choudhury was suspended from the Party following an allegation of inappropriate conduct by a younger female member of staff in the Scottish Parliament.
Dame Sarah Mullally has been appointed as the first female Archbishop of Canterbury. The former nurse, who served as Chief Nursing Officer for England until 2004, was only ordained as a priest in 2002 at the age of 40. She was one of the first women in the Church consecrated as a Bishop in 2015, before becoming the Bishop of London in 2017. She is seen as a liberal in the church and replaces Justin Welby who resigned from the role in January this year.
It’s bad news for Ed Davey MP, as despite his best attempts at acrobatics, sports prowess and all round tomfoolery, 64% of people still do not recognise his face, according to polling from Deltapoll. This is compared with 21% of people who do now know who Nigel Farage is; though the bad news is shared with Leader of the Opposition Kemi Badenoch too as she also has a more unrecognisable face according to the polling (with 55% not recognising her). Perhaps the most damning for the Conservatives… most do not recognise the Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride (92%) or Shadow Justice Secretary/leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick (91%). By comparison, only 86% were unsure of Reform UK’s Richard Tice.
There is a disconnect between public awareness and support for Labour’s policies, found Ipsos’ latest poll, which concluded that policies with the highest net rating (such as increased funding of the NHS) had a negative net awareness (with fewer people knowing about the policy than not knowing about it). This is in direct contrast with the least popular policies by net rating (with the changes to inheritance tax sitting at a -15 net rating), as they are the most well-known Labour policies.
There is a strong case for the government to review all systems of support for children with special educational needs and disabilities, concluded the IFS in its report on the SEND system this week. The report suggests that the OBR should ‘produce and publish annual forecasts for high-needs spending and high-needs deficits’, given the ‘scale and growth’ of spending on educational support for children with high needs, and the associated risks.
Conference season = karaoke season… brilliantly showcased by a slew of videos circulating online of Labour grandees belting out off-key renditions of classic hits. Highlights included Wes Streeting strutting his stuff with Elton John’s Don’t Let the Sun Go Down on Me; Victims Minister Alex Davies-Jones leading Hillsborough families in You’ll Never Walk Alone; and Culture Secretary Lisa Nandy joining Streeting Jon Ashworth (decked out in a flashy gold sequined number, naturally) for a rousing rendition of Don’t Look Back in Anger. Labour Conference proved one thing at least, and that is to keep calm and karaoke.
In a proud moment for accuracy in public life, Kemi Badenoch insisted that Northern Ireland voted to leave the EU in an interview with BBC News NI on Thursday… which is an interesting take, considering 56% voted to remain. Pressed on the details, Badenoch later walked it back, clarifying that “a lot of people in Northern Ireland voted to remain”, but the faux pas has not gone unnoticed. Roll on Sunday!
Meanwhile, at Holyrood, the gulls are getting organised. This week, the Scottish Parliament held a serious discussion about an urban gulls summit, because nothing squawks democracy like ministers locked in talks about seagull strategy. Practical solutions discussed to deter the pesky airborne chip thieves included sticking googly eyes on takeaway boxes and advising the public to walk down the street with their arms flailing above their heads, a technique former Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross has kindly demonstrated here. To use Ross’s own words “it would be funny if it wasn’t so serious.” One wonders how gullible the gulls are, but so far they remain unruffled and extremely hungry.
