Afternoon summary
Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, has rejected claims from the Institute for Fiscal Studies thinktank that the spending plans in the autumn statement imply more austerity is on the way. (See 9.25am.)
The Foreign Office has issued a statement condemning the killing of Palestinian civilians by Israeli settlers in the West Bank, where David Cameron, the foreign secretary, has been meeting Palestinian leaders today. (See 3.31pm.)
Updated
There has been much delight on X this afternoon about a video clip, from yesterday, showing Rishi Sunak apparently unable to use a hammer properly. Even the Labour party’s campaigns department has been joining in.
Rishi Sunak: not the son of a toolmaker pic.twitter.com/zFwCFTf6rU
— The Labour Party (@UKLabour) November 24, 2023
At the risk of spoiling the fun, the BBC’s Ione Wells has established that Sunak was actually told to use the hammer sideways when he visited a jewellery making studio in Farsley, West Yorkshire.
This clip is going viral - but in the full unedited rushes of the clip the woman with him actually says beforehand 'use this bit' to which he replies 'sideways?' and she says 'yes.' https://t.co/hd0yWRWbWX
— Ione Wells (@ionewells) November 24, 2023
Updated
Foreign Office condemns killing of Palestinian civilians on West Bank by Israeli settlers
The Foreign Office has issued a statement condemning the killing of Palestinian civilians on the West Bank by Israeli settlers. It put out the statement in a post on X featuring a picture of David Cameron, the foreign secretary, at a viewpoint looking across the West Bank with Daniel Seidermann, an Israeli lawyer and peace campaigner. The Foreign Office says:
Looking over the West Bank, @David_Cameron heard about the impact of settlement expansion and settler violence.
Reports of Palestinian civilians being killed by settlers across the West Bank are appalling.
Israel must prevent these acts of violence and hold those responsible to account.
Looking over the West Bank, @David_Cameron heard about the impact of settlement expansion and settler violence.
— Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (@FCDOGovUK) November 24, 2023
Reports of Palestinian civilians being killed by settlers across the West Bank are appalling.
Israel must prevent these acts of violence and hold those responsible to… pic.twitter.com/umPK1mrXyd
Updated
Downing Street has not denied reports that the Foreign Office intervened to “soften” language used by the culture secretary to avoid offending an Abu Dhabi-backed fund seeking to take over the Telegraph newspaper, PA Media reports. PA says:
Lucy Frazer had suggested this week she was “minded” to open an investigation into whether the deal was against the public interest and the effect it may have on press freedom.
She said she had written to the fund, RedBird IMI, as well as the publication’s previous owners, the Barclay family, and their bank, Lloyds, to inform them of the possible intervention.
Officials are said to have been worried about offending the United Arab Emirates – which includes Abu Dhabi – ahead of a summit in London for foreign investors next week, the Telegraph reported.
On Friday, Number 10 said it was “standard procedure” for the Foreign Office to advise other government departments.
Asked whether there were concerns over the reports, a spokesperson said: “I wouldn’t usually get into speculative reporting. I would just say it’s also standard practice for the Foreign Office to provide advice to other government departments, but to be very clear this matter and decision is solely one for the culture secretary.”
Humza Yousaf says Scottish government will 'robustly' defend itself against Salmond's legal action
Alex Salmond, the former Scottish first minister, has said the Scottish government faces “a day of reckoning” as a result of his legal action against it. (See 1.26pm.)
In a statement he said:
Despite Lord Pentland’s findings in the court of session that the behaviour of the former permanent secretary and her officials was ‘unlawful’, ‘unfair’ and ‘tainted by apparent bias’, despite the ongoing police and Crown Office inquiries into the criminal leaks and potential perjury at the criminal trial, despite the astonishing revelations of misfeasance contained in the eventual publication of the government’s own legal advice, and despite the specific findings of the parliamentary inquiry into the conduct of the former permanent secretary and the former first minister, not one single person has been held accountable. With this court action that evasion of responsibility ends.
Humza Yousaf, the current first minister, said the government would defend its record. Speaking in Dublin, where he is attending the British-Irish Council meeting, he said:
Unsurprisingly to anyone listening or watching, the Scottish government will defend its position robustly, but I’ll say no more because that’s a live case.
Updated
Salmond launches £3m legal action against Scottish government over its handling of harassment claims against him
Alex Salmond, Scotland’s former first minister, has launched legal action against the Scottish government over its botched investigation of harassment complaints against him, PA Media reports. PA says:
The court of session confirmed to the PA the case, Alex Salmond v Scottish ministers, had been called.
The Herald reported the now-Alba party leader has alleged “misfeasance” by civil servants and is seeking £3m in damages and loss of earnings.
Salmond – who was first minister between 2007 and 2014 – was investigated by the Scottish government after two complaints from staff were made under a new complaints procedure which included former ministers.
The investigation was deemed by a judicial review to have been “tainted with apparent bias” after the Scottish government conceded defeat and Salmond was awarded £512,000 as a result.
He was subsequently cleared of 13 charges of sexual misconduct – including attempted rape – following a trial at the high court in Edinburgh.
Then followed a protracted Holyrood inquiry into the Scottish government’s handling of the original two complaints, which called both Salmond and former first minister Nicola Sturgeon to give evidence.
Updated
Starmer names Ode to Joy as classical music that best sums up Labour
Pro-Europeans despair at Keir Starmer’s refusal to criticise Brexit, let alone to suggest that it should be reversed. But they may take some comfort from the fact that he has named Beethoven’s Ode to Joy, which serves as the EU’s anthem, as the piece of classical music that best sums up Labour.
Starmer was responding to a question in an interview with Classic FM, and he told the station:
One of the pieces I’ve got is Beethoven’s 9th Symphony, the choral Ode to Joy. You’ve got the orchestra, you’ve got the voices, you’ve got this big combination. This is very sort of Labour. You’re getting everybody, Beethoven’s getting everybody on to the stage for this.
I talk about a national mission for the next Labour government. This is a sense of something. It has got a sense of destiny and is hugely optimistic. And so, for me, that’s been hardwired in me for a long, long time. So, I would go with that.
There are many others that I could associate with the Labour party, but that sense of moving forward to a better place is incredibly powerful.
As PA Media reports, Starmer was a former junior scholar at Guildhall and played the flute, piano and violin as a child. He has spoken previously of listening to Beethoven more generally to help deal with the strains of work, describing classical music as a “great release” for him.
No 10 says New Zealand's decision to repeal law banning smoking for future generations won't stop UK passing same law
Rishi Sunak’s plan to pass a law that would stop anyone 14 or younger every being able to buy cigarettes (by raising the legal age at which people can buy them year by year) was inspired by legislation doing the same in New Zealand. It was passed by the governing Labour and Green parties and came into force in January this year.
But, following an election last month, a rightwing coalition has taken power in New Zealand and, under the coalition agreement, it is going to repeal the law banning smoking for future generations.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing this morning the No 10 spokesperson said the U-turn in New Zealand would not stop Sunak implementing the measure in the UK. Asked if Sunak would drop the plan, the spokesperson said:
No, our position remains unchanged. We are committed to that.
This is an important long-term decision and step to deliver a smoke-free generation which remains critically important.
Updated
At the Downing Street lobby briefing this morning the No 10 spokesperson would not say whether Rishi Sunak supports the plans for tighter immigration controls reportedly proposed by Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister. The spokesperson just said discussions between No 10 and government departments were “routine”.
But No 10 did back James Cleverly, the home secretary. Asked if Rishi Sunak found Cleverly’s new account of his foul-mouthed outburst at PMQs on Wednesday credible, the spokesperson said yes.
Updated
When Nigel Farage was leading the Brexit party, it was considerably influential for a party with no MPs, winning the European elections in 2019 and helping to push the Conservative party into a harder position on Brexit. After the 2019 election it was renamed Reform UK, Richard Tice took over as leader and it became much more marginal. But in an interview on the Today programme this morning Tice claimed that the government’s failure to bring down immigration was presenting it with an opportunity. He told the programme:
The British people voted to control immigration, and the government have betrayed the people’s promises. And that’s why so many thousands of people, former Tory members, are joining us. Our polling numbers – we got record polling last week, four different polls where we’re in double figures. This week, we’ve had Tory donors joining us. Frankly, I fully expect Tory MPs who are furious and angry with the government to be calling me next week.
Tice said Reform UK wanted a “one in, one out” policy on migration.
The latest Politico poll of polls puts Reform UK support at 7%. On this measure, backing for the party has increased marginally in recent months.
Updated
Stride says he believes James Cleverly's claim he did not insult Stockton, just its MP
In his interview on the Today programme this morning Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, said he accepted James Cleverly’s claim that he did not refer to Stockton as a “shit-hole” in the Commons at PMQs on Wednesday, but that he did insult the town’s Labour MP.
Asked about Cleverly’s version of what was said, which is not believed by the Stockton North MP Alex Cunningham, Stride said:
[Cleverly] has made the point that he says that it was not aimed at a particular place. Knowing James well, he’s not the sort of person, in my opinion, who would have made that kind of remark in that kind of context.
But he has accepted that this was certainly unparliamentary language and he has rightly apologised.
In fact, Cleverly has not apologised in person. Yesterday “a source” close to him told PA Media that Cleverly apologises, which is not quite the same thing.
Turning back to immigration, this is from Craig Oliver, David Cameron’s former communications director at No 10. Oliver doesn’t often criticise his old boss in public but it was Cameron who promised, ahead of the 2010 general election, to get annual net migration below 100,000, and Oliver is including him in the last of Tory leaders who have mishandled this issue.
The great strategic error of the @Conservatives has been telling people repeatedly there are simple solutions to net migration. The 10s of thousands plan, Brexit, Rwanda, now pure panic. It’s time for a grown up conversation on immigration.
The great strategic error of the @Conservatives has been telling people repeatedly there are simple solutions to net migration. The 10s of thousands plan, Brexit, Rwanda, now pure panic. It’s time for a grown up conversation on immigration. https://t.co/Pvd9eUbIIz
— Craig Oliver (@CraigOliver100) November 24, 2023
Autumn statement does little to make people feel more positive about their economic prospects, poll suggests
Coming back to the Times YouGov polling (see 10.06am), the responses to questions about the autumn statement are more significant than the latest voting intention findings.
The poll suggests many of the main announcements have strong public support (but not freezing alcohol duties – which may come as a surprise to politicians who assume that’s always a dead-cert vote winner).
But, as Oliver Wright reports reports in his story, while voters may have welcomed what Jeremy Hunt was doing, the chancellor did not make them feel more positive about their economic prospects. Wright says:
Only 7% said the economy was in a good state, compared with 6% in March, and the number saying it was in a bad state had dropped from 73% to 69%.
There was very little optimism about the future. Only 14% thought that the financial situation of their household would get better over the next 12 months compared with 12% in March. The proportion saying it would get worse had dropped, however, from 51% to 41%.
When asked about Britain’s economic situation overall 18% thought things would get better over the next year — unchanged since March while 48% thought they would get worse.
Asked whether Hunt’s budget measures would make them and their family better off 18% said they would, compared with 15% who said they would be worse off and 55% who said the changes would not make much difference to their circumstances.
Updated
Sunak says immigration must fall to 'more sustainable' level – but declines to say what further measures he backs
In an interview at the Nissan plant, Rishi Sunak refused to apologise for the government failing to honour the 2019 Tory manifesto promise to reduce immigration. But he said he did think immigration levels were too high.
He said:
I’m very clear that the levels of migration are too high, and they’ve got to come down to more sustainable levels. I’ve been clear about that.
It’s good to see that the ONS yesterday did say that the levels of migration are now slowing, in their words, which is a welcome step. But we’ve got more to go.
That’s why I announced a policy earlier [in May] to clamp down on the number of dependents that students can bring when they’re coming here … That action I took represents the single toughest measure that anyone has taken to bring down the levels of legal migration in a very long time. So that should give people a sense of my commitment to bringing migration down. And if we see further abuse of the system, of course, we’re prepared to act to do more.
But when asked if he supported the measures that Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, is reportedly proposing, such as a higher minimum salary threshold for people getting work visas, and a cap on the number of people getting NHS work visas, Sunak refused to answer, and largely just repeated what he had said already (quoted above).
Updated
Sunak claims £2bn Nissan investment in Sunderland shows investors have confidence in government's economic strategy
Rishi Sunak has described the £2bn investment in the Nissan plant in Sunderland as evidence of the confidence that investors have in the government’s economic strategy.
Speaking to the media as he visited the factory with Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, Sunak said:
We’ve just had a track record now of company after company committing to the UK … BMW, Stellantis, Tata with their largest investment outside of India that we announced earlier this year, and now here Nissan in Sunderland, our largest car manufacturer. All of them committing money to the UK, building the next generation of electric vehicles here in the UK, creating and safeguarding thousands of jobs across the UK.
All of those companies think we’re doing the right thing, they actually welcome the changes that we made in the autumn statement recently to make sure that we cut taxes for businesses like this that are investing. They think we’ve got our strategy right as we approach net zero, and they think this is a fantastic place to be.
They’re all voting with their feet. They’re putting money into the country, they’re creating jobs in the country. That’s a huge vote of confidence in this government’s economic strategy.
The Times has published a YouGov poll this morning, carried out on Wednesday and Thursday, suggesting support for the Conservatives is up four point on the previous week. It has them on 25%. With Labour unchanged at 44%,still 19 points ahead.
Labour lead down four to 19 points in latest YouGov poll for The Times
— Lara Spirit (@lara_spirit) November 24, 2023
CON 25 (+4)
LAB 44 (=)
LIB DEM 10 (=)
REF UK 9 (-1)
GREEN 7 (-1)
Fieldwork 22 - 23 November pic.twitter.com/bPQZ94ZhgH
In its story, the Times suggests the autumn statement announcements are responsible for this modest boost in Tory popularity.
But psephology Twitter isn’t convinced. Will Jennings, an academic, says that talk of a four-point rise is misleading because the last YouGov poll, which had them on 21 points, was an outlier (making it an unreliable benchmark).
Move on, nothing to see here. pic.twitter.com/WhwEX1RlI9
— Will Jennings (@drjennings) November 23, 2023
Another poll out today, from Techne, which was also carried out on Wednesday and Thursday, has picked up no evidence of an autumn statement boost.
NEW POLL: Labour lead by 25 points:
— Techne UK (@techneUK) November 24, 2023
Lab: 46% (=)
Con: 21% (-1)
Lib Dem: 12% (+1)
Reform: 8% (=)
Green: 7% (=)
SNP: 3% (=)
Others: 3% (=)
👥 1,640 questioned.
🗓️ +/- 14/15 Nov
🔗 Data https://t.co/70GPBMvAyN #Labour #Conservatives #LiberalDemocrats #ReformUK #GreenParty #SNP pic.twitter.com/yfXLWpXkto
Updated
Cameron announces £30m more aid for Gaza ahead of meetings with Palestinian leaders
David Cameron, the foreign secretary, will meet with Palestinian leaders and commit a further £30m in aid for people in Gaza following the announcement of a four-day ceasefire in the conflict in the Middle East, PA Media reports. PA says:
The former prime minister is urging “all parties to continue to work towards the release of every hostage” after holding talks with Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and president, Isaac Herzog, during a visit to Israel yesterday.
Today he will be in the occupied Palestinian territories, meeting Palestinian leaders and agencies delivering aid in Gaza, advocating adherence to the new agreement on all sides.
The ceasefire was due to begin this morning, with aid “going in as soon as possible”, according to Qatari officials.
The first set of civilians held captive by Hamas are expected to be freed at about 4pm on Friday local time, including 13 women and children.
Cameron said: “We are hopeful that today will see the release of hostages, and I am urging all parties to continue to work towards the release of every hostage. A pause will also allow access for life-saving aid to the people of Gaza.
“I am proud that a fourth UK flight carrying critical supplies landed in Egypt today, and I can announce new £30m of funding which will be spent on vital aid such as shelter and medical provisions.
“It is vital to protect civilians from harm, and we are urgently looking at all avenues to get aid into Gaza, including land, maritime and air routes.”
Updated
Work and pensions secretary Mel Stride rejects claim that Hunt’s autumn statement means more austerity
Good morning. We are expecting to hear from Rishi Sunak this morning. He and Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, are in the north-east of England on a visit linked to the announcement that Nissan is investing £2bn in its plant in Sunderland where three new electric car models will be made. Jasper Jolly has the story.
In a statement about this issued this morning, Sunak said:
Nissan’s investment is a massive vote of confidence in the UK’s automotive industry, which already contributes a massive £71bn a year to our economy. This venture will no doubt secure Sunderland’s future as the UK’s Silicon Valley for electric vehicle innovation and manufacturing.
Making the UK the best place to do business is at the heart of our economic plan. We will continue to back businesses like Nissan to expand and grow their roots in the UK every step of the way as we make the right long term decisions for a brighter future.
But it is never easy to get the media to focus primarily on good news, and Sunak is instead likely to face questions about two of the much more tricky questions in his in-tray.
First, if No 10 says net migration is “far too high”, what is he going to do about it? As Jamie Grierson reports, following the publication of figures yesterday saying net migration peaked at 745,000 in the year ending December 2022, Conservative MPs are furious and demanding an immediate response. Robert Jenrick, the immigration minister, has drawn up plans for further restrictions, including lifting the annual salary required for people getting a work visa to £35,000. The BBC’s Chris Mason has the details.
Secondly, the debate about the merits of the autumn statement continues, particularly after the experts yesterday made it very clear that Hunt’s tax cuts are in effect funded by projected spending cuts that may be impossibly tight. As Richard Partington, Kiran Stacey and Phillip Inman report, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says these cuts would be worse than George Osborne’s austerity programme.
The government’s response has been to claim that it can cut spending on public services without making them worse by making them more efficient. In interviews this morning, Mel Stride, the work and pensions secretary, rejected claims that the autumn statement meant another round of austerity was coming. He told ITV’s Good Morning Britain:
I really don’t see us going into any era of austerity, as you put it.
I think there are two important points here. One is that in the autumn statement, the chancellor came forward with the kind of long-term thinking and actions now that will lead to greater business investment and growth in the economy going forward.
For example, the 100% full expensing for investments makes us the most competitive destination for businesses out of the G7 and across the OECD.
But secondly, we have to look at productivity. Public services aren’t all about just constantly spending ever more money. It is about the outputs.
So John Glen [Cabinet Office minister], one of my very capable colleagues, and others across government, are absolutely engaged in a mission to improve productivity across the public sector. I believe it is the case that if we were to increase productivity by 0.5% for example, there wouldn’t be any further pressure on increases in taxes.
So I think there is a huge amount we can do through productivity and investing in the long-term to get that growth going.
We are expecting to hear from Sunak this morning. Otherwise, it looks quiet. The Commons is not sitting, and the diary is pretty empty. But David Cameron, the new foreign secretary, is still in the Middle East where today he will be in the occupied Palestinian territories, meeting Palestinian leaders and agencies delivering aid to Gaza.
If you want to contact me, do try the “send us a message” feature. You’ll see it just below the byline – on the left of the screen, if you are reading on a laptop or a desktop. This is for people who want to message me directly. I find it very useful when people message to point out errors (even typos – no mistake is too small to correct). Often I find your questions very interesting, too. I can’t promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either in the comments below the line; privately (if you leave an email address and that seems more appropriate); or in the main blog, if I think it is a topic of wide interest.
Updated
