A spokesperson for Rachel Reeves has been in touch to say that, in the extracts from her Mais lecture released overnight, she is not saying that Margaret Thatcher ushered in a “decade of renewal”.
Here is the quote in full.
I remain an optimist about our ability to rise to the challenges we face. If we can bring together public and private sectors, in a national mission – directed at restoring strong economic growth across Britain.
When we speak of a decade of national renewal, that is what we mean. As we did at the end of the 1970s, we stand at an inflection point, and as in earlier decades, the solution lies in wide-ranging supply-side reform to drive investment, remove the blockages constraining our productive capacity, and fashion a new economic settlement, drawing on evolutions in economic thought.
A new chapter in Britain’s economic history. And unlike the 1980s, growth in the years to come must be broad-based, inclusive, and resilient.
The spokeperson accepts that, when Reeves talks about supply-side reforms offering the solution “as in earlier decades”, she is referring to the 1980s. But Reeves is not endorsing the whole Thatcher experience, the spokesperson suggested. The spokesperson said that, in the sentence “when we speak of a decade of national renewal, that is what we mean”, she is referring to what she was talking about in the previous sentence (what might happen under Labour), not to what she references in the following sentence (what happened under Thatcher).
I’ve amended the headlines in the posts at 9.16am and 12.44pm to make allowance for this.
Updated
Early evening summary
A Labour government will make fighting global heating a priority for the Bank of England as it seeks to put environmental sustainability at the heart of its plans to grow the economy, Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, is to announce. She has also been criticised by Labour leftwingers for saying the party Labour wants an “inclusive” version of the supply-side policies that led to economic revival following Margaret Thatcher’s election in 1979. (See 12.44pm.)
We are now closing this blog, thanks for following developments with us today.
Updated
Drakeford quits as first minister saying 'if you're in progressive politics, stick to things that will make greatest difference'
Mark Drakeford has taken his final question session in the Senedd as Wales’ first minister. And towards the end of proceedings in the chamber today he delivered a resignation statement, in which he argued that progressive politicians should always do what’s best for future generations, regardless of the opposition they will face from vested interests.
He said:
My influence as first minister has been to use the mandate, my party, my government secured, to keep the promises we made to people across Wales, and to do so with the wellbeing of future generations always as our guiding principle.
And that meant being prepared to do things which are difficult because we know that the benefits will lie in the lives of the generations to come.
And if you set out to be that radical, reforming government, then you have to be prepared for opposition. As we’ve heard this afternoon, no ground was ever gained without a struggle for a progressive cause, even when the case for change is so clear, or the object of that change so apparently innocuous, because in politics you will always face vested interests, some of them benign, others determined not to surrender their own positions of power and of privilege.
And that has been a feature of the whole of my time as first minister.
The first major decision that I faced was whether or not to proceed with an M4 relief road.
The easy decision would have been to say, go ahead. The powerful voices in Wales were lined up in support of it.
My decision, having spent many, many days reading and thinking about it, was that that was not in the long-term interests of Wales.
And even in this last couple of weeks, the debates that we have been having about reforming council tax, reforming the school year, eliminating profits from the care of looked-after children, every one of those will be opposed. We know that.
But if you’re in the business of progressive politics, and if you’re in the business of using the opportunity that comes your way, your job is to stick to the things that you believe will make the greatest difference, today, of course, but especially for the generations ahead of us.
Updated
Stormont fails to approve EU regulation in first test of consent mechanism under Windsor framework
The first ever motion on extending a new EU law to Northern Ireland has been defeated at the Stormont assembly, PA Media reports. PA says:
The DUP’s Jonathan Buckley said his party voted against introducing a law which he insisted would create a “new regulatory border within the United Kingdom”.
However, Sinn Féin described the debate brought by the unionist party as a “sham fight” and said the assembly should be concentrating on bringing new investors to Northern Ireland.
The DUP brought the applicability motion to the assembly to vote on the protection of geographical indications for craft and industrial products.
Under the rules of the Windsor framework, a deal agreed to allay unionist concerns over post-Brexit trading arrangements, some EU laws still apply in Northern Ireland.
The framework contains mechanisms by which the Stormont Assembly can consent to new or amended regulations.
One of these is the applicability motion. Under this arrangement, the UK will not automatically agree to new EU laws being applied in Northern Ireland unless the assembly passes the motion, with cross-community consent.
The motion debated today proposed that a regulation legally defining and protecting certain products which are tied to a geographical area should be applied to Northern Ireland.
The motion fell after failing to secure cross-community consent when unionists voted against it.
It now falls on the UK government to decide whether the new law should be introduced in Northern Ireland.
Jayne McCormack and Brendan Hughes at the BBC have written a good explainer on what this means. This is what they say on what will happen next.
The introduction of new EU laws under the Windsor Framework is ultimately a matter for the UK government.
As the assembly has not expressed cross-party support for the law, via an applicability motion, it may be expected that the government would veto it.
But the veto will not be applied if the government assesses that the new law would not create a new regulatory border between Great Britain and Northern Ireland, or if exceptional circumstances apply.
If the government vetoes the law the EU could ultimately take “appropriate remedial measures”.
McCormack and Hughes also point out that the UK government has said adopting the EU law would only lead to a few products being marketable in Great Britain but not Northern Ireland. But the DUP thinks adopting the EU rule would affect the UK single market.
Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, will say in her Mais lecture that Labour would restore addressing climate change as a priority for the Bank of England, the BBC’s Faisal Islam reports.
NEW
— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 19, 2024
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves promises to overturn Hunt decision to remove climate change from the Bank of England’s priorities, should Labour elected in he Mais lecture, and direct the OBR to report on public investment levels - a move that could prioritise spending…
Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves promises to overturn Hunt decision to remove climate change from the Bank of England’s priorities, should Labour elected in he Mais lecture, and direct the OBR to report on public investment levels - a move that could prioritise spending…
The Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves tells me that a Labour Government would have to make “impossible trade offs” on tax and spend if the UK does not grow, and even with public services “on their knees” the UK cant “tax its way to better public services”
— Faisal Islam (@faisalislam) March 19, 2024
The Shadow Chancellor Rachel Reeves tells me that a Labour Government would have to make “impossible trade offs” on tax and spend if the UK does not grow, and even with public services “on their knees” the UK cant “tax its way to better public services”
Council tax is set to be frozen in all of Scotland’s councils after the two local authorities who defied the freeze announced U-turns, PA Media reports. PA says:
Councillors in Argyll and Bute initially approved a 10% increase, while Inverclyde would have seen an 8.2% rise this year and 6% the following year.
But leaders of both local authorities have now confirmed they will recommend those decisions be overturned following positive discussions with the Scottish government.
Argyll and Bute Council leader Robin Currie said he announced he will advocate for the freeze at a special meeting next month after ministers pledged “extra assistance” to deal with the impact of severe weather.
In Inverclyde, leader Stephen McCabe said the decision to overturn the council tax increase was made “reluctantly” and on the basis that ministers would provide £2.9m in additional funding.
Ed Miliband, the shadow secretary for climate change and net zero, has accused the Conservatives under Rishi Sunak of slipping from “climate delay to denial”, as he made a pitch to voters on green issues.
In a speech to the Green Alliance thinktank this morning, he also described the forthcoming election as the most important on climate and energy the UK has ever had.
He said:
There is a stark election choice: Labour’s case for climate action as the route to lower energy bills, energy security, good jobs and doing our duties by future generations against a Conservative party slipping from climate delay into denial which will mean higher bills, energy insecurity, fewer jobs and betrayal of future generations.
Families across the country are united in their desire for good jobs, lower bills, cleaner water, and a green and pleasant home that we can leave for our children.
Instead of embracing this mainstream majority, Rishi Sunak is willing to give up the fight for lower bills and energy security because he wants to stoke the fires of a culture war.
Miliband claimed there was “nothing Conservative” about the Tories’ current approach, which amounted to “vote blue to be anti-green”, and urged voters to turn to Labour to deliver on climate action.
Updated
Although Rachel Reeves’ office has clarified that she is not saying in her Mais lecture tonight that Margaret Thatcher delivered “a decade of national renewal” (see 3.14pm), her deputy, Darren Jones, the shadow chief secretary to the Treasury, did use that phrase about the Thatcher years in an interview this morning. As the National reports, he told Times Radio:
Both Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair delivered that decade of national renewal for our country, in terms of economic growth and wealth creation. Clearly, I prefer the Tony Blair version to the Margaret Thatcher version, given that there were people that suffered as a consequence of Thatcher’s approach.
Football governance bill reveals extent of English regulator’s proposed powers
The proposed powers of the English Independent Football Regulator (IFR) would allow the new body access to real-time financial information from inside clubs, conduct enhanced due diligence on the financial resources of new owners and force unsuitable owners to divest their holdings should they fail key tests, Paul McInnes reports.
And here is the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s press release about the bill.
Earlier I quoted an academic who specialises in media law saying that Richard Tice cannot argue that calling Reform UK “far-right” is defamatory because political parties cannot sue for libel under English and Welsh defamation law. (See 2.49pm.)
That has prompted several readers to ask a version of this question.
Given Reform is set up as a company rather than a political party, does this have any impact on whether it is defamatory to label them as far-right?
No, is the answer. My academic source tells me:
The functions of the company are what counts, and Reform UK’s are those of a political party. Indeed, it identifies itself on its website as a political party; it has a member of parliament, and some councillors. The courts will treat it the same as any other political party for the purposes of defamation law, since the justification for denying standing – the importance of uninhibited criticism of those who put up candidates for public office – applies notwithstanding its registration as a company.
Updated
Sunak to host European Political Community summit at Blenheim Palace on 18 July
In other news related to the timing of the election, the government has announced the government will host a meeting of the European Political Community at Blenheim Palace on Thursday 18 July.
The EPC was set up two years ago as a forum where EU leaders can meet non-EU European leaders to discuss matters of mutual interest. This will be its fourth meeting.
Although it has been known for some time that Britain is hosting the meeting, there were reports that European diplomats were frustrated at how long it was taking No 10 to confirm a date – and there have been suspicions that Sunak was delaying until he had a firmer idea as to when the election might be.
In a news release, Downing Street says Rishi Sunak will use the meeting to focus on illegal migration. It also said:
The meeting will be held at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire – a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the birthplace and ancestral home of former prime minister Sir Winston Churchill who played such a central role in standing up to aggression and tyranny in Europe. During the second world war, Blenheim Palace was used by MI5 after their headquarters was damaged in the Blitz.
The flexibility of the EPC format allows for progress on discussions which effect the continent as a whole, but also time for bilateral discussions or for groups of states to meet. The UK will support that flexibility and will be consulting with partners on their requirements in the coming period.
Hunt hints at October election, saying that would allow spending review before next April
Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, has told the Lords economic affairs committee that a spending review could just about be carried out in time for next April (the start of the next financial year) if the election is held in October. The government has ruled out a spending review before polling day.
For obvious reasons, this has been seen as a hint as to when the general election might be.
Hunt told the committee:
This particular spending review has to be complete before next April, when the next financial year starts.
And of course if the general election is in October that will mean it’s very very tight and that is why we are thinking in advance about the most important element of that spending review which is the productivity element.
Updated
A spokesperson for Rachel Reeves has been in touch to say that, in the extracts from her Mais lecture released overnight, she is not saying that Margaret Thatcher ushered in a “decade of renewal”.
Here is the quote in full.
I remain an optimist about our ability to rise to the challenges we face. If we can bring together public and private sectors, in a national mission – directed at restoring strong economic growth across Britain.
When we speak of a decade of national renewal, that is what we mean. As we did at the end of the 1970s, we stand at an inflection point, and as in earlier decades, the solution lies in wide-ranging supply-side reform to drive investment, remove the blockages constraining our productive capacity, and fashion a new economic settlement, drawing on evolutions in economic thought.
A new chapter in Britain’s economic history. And unlike the 1980s, growth in the years to come must be broad-based, inclusive, and resilient.
The spokeperson accepts that, when Reeves talks about supply-side reforms offering the solution “as in earlier decades”, she is referring to the 1980s. But Reeves is not endorsing the whole Thatcher experience, the spokesperson suggested. The spokesperson said that the sentence “when we speak of a decade of national renewal, that is what we mean”, she is referring to what she was talking about in the previous sentence (what might happen under Labour), not to what she references in the following sentence (what happened under Thatcher).
I’ve amended the headlines in the posts at 9.16am and 12.44pm to make allowance for this.
An academic who specialises in media law has been in touch to say that Richard Tice was wrong to claim that calling Reform UK “far-right” would be defamatory. (See 11.36am.) He explains:
Richard Tice’s assertion that labelling Reform UK “far-right” is defamatory, and in particular his threat to involve lawyers against those repeating the statement, has no basis in law.
Under English and Welsh defamation law, political parties have no standing to bring claims for libel or slander. This is a longstanding rule established in Goldsmith v Bhoyrul [1997] EMLR 407, on the basis that political parties must be open to uninhibited public criticism. The courts will swiftly strike out such a claim.
Labelling particular individuals as far-right can, by contrast, give rise to actionable defamation claims in principle. However, if they have themselves made statements publicly that might be interpreted as far-right, they have essentially brought that view upon themselves and therefore the statement they are now complaining about has not caused them “serious harm” within the meaning of section 1 of the Defamation Act 2013 (and is thus not defamatory). We saw this reasoning recently in the libel counter-claim brought by Lawrence Fox against Simon Blake and Crystal, which he lost.
SNP claims Reeves speech shows Labour just offering 'new chapter in the same economic handbook used by Tories'
The SNP has claimed that published extracts from Rachel Reeves’s Mais lecture tonight (see 9.16am) show Labour is just offering a new version of Tory economics.
In a statement Drew Hendry, the SNP’s economy spokesperson at Westminster, said:
Labour will claim this is a new chapter in Britain’s economic history, but it’s simply a new chapter in the same economic handbook used by the Tories.
The IFS has been clear that there is a ‘conspiracy of silence’ between the Tories and Labour on public service cuts. Rachel Reeves and Labour need to finally come clean on their austerity plans and answer that £20bn question.
Hendry was referring to an analysis from the Institute for Fiscal Studies saying that the budget assumes spending cuts worth £20bn a year and that the Tories and Labour are united in “a conspiracy of silence in not acknowledging the scale of the choices and trade-offs that will face us after the election”.
Attack on Rafah would have 'most appalling humanitarian consequences', Foreign Office minister tells MPs
Andrew Mitchell, the Foreign Office minister, told MPs that if Israel launches an offensive against Rafah in Gaza, that will have “the most appalling humanitarian consequences”.
He was speaking in the Commons in response to an urgent question tabled by his Labour shadow, David Lammy, who urged the government to work to prevent such an attack.
Lammy also said levels of aid being supplied to Gaza were “woefully inadequate”. He said:
Famine in Gaza is imminent, half the population is expected to face catastrophic levels of hunger, the highest number of people ever recorded under this system. Only twice in 20 years have famine conditions been reached.
But what distinguishes the horror in Gaza from what has come before is this is not driven by drought or natural disaster – it is man-made. It is the consequences of war, it is the consequence of aid that is available not reaching those who need it. Food is piled up in trucks just a few kilometres away, while children in Gaza are starving. It’s unbearable, and it must not go on.
International law is clear, Israel has an obligation to ensure the provision of aid, the binding measures ordered by the ICJ [International Court of Justice] require this. The world has demanded it for months, yet still aid flows are woefully inadequate.
Lammy also said an attack against Rafah would risk “catastrophic humanitarian consequences” and he asked what the government was doing to stop that.
Mitchell replied:
The foreign secretary and the prime minister and indeed all our allies have consistently warned that an offensive against Rafah at this time would have the most appalling humanitarian consequences.
Mitchell also said the government was “deeply concerned about the growing risk of famine, exacerbated by the spread of disease and of course the terrible psychosocial impacts of the conflict that will be felt for years to come”.
Updated
No 10 urges House of Lords not to hold up Rwanda bill
Downing Street has urged peers to approve the safety of Rwanda (asylum and immigration) bill when it returns to the House of Lords tomorrow.
Peers added 10 amendments to the bill when they debated it, all of which were intended to add safeguards for refugees facing deportation to Rwanda, but MPs removed all those amendments in votes last night.
The bill will not become law until the Lords and the Commons agree and at this stage of the process it is normal for a bill to shuttle between both houses – a process known as “ping pong” – until there is consensus. Eventually the Lords almost always backs down, but occasionally it can secure a minor concession in the process.
Today No 10 urged peers to back down so that the bill can get royal assent quickly. At the lobby briefing the PM’s spokesperson told journalists:
Not acting, in the government’s view, is not an option and it certainly wouldn’t be a compassionate route.
We want to end the business of people-smuggling and ensure that vulnerable people are not lured into making the perilous journey across the Channel, so there’s an opportunity for the Lords to work with the government this week and pass this bill.
Peers are expected to reinstate new versions of some of the amendments originally passed in the Lords tomorrow and this could lead to the bill not becoming law until after Easter.
In the Commons last night the government had ranging from 57 to 78 in the divisions overturning the Lords amendments. Only one Conservative voted with the opposition – Sir Robert Buckland, the former justice secretary, who voted against the government four times.
Explaining his position, in his speech during the debate last night Buckland said “it is vital that we do not end up in a position where the law goes so far ahead of reality – say, through Rwanda’s failure to carry out its treaty obligations, or its slowness to do so – that we create that legal fiction [saying Rwands is safe if it is not] that a lot of us are rightly worried about”.
Reeves criticised by Labour's left for suggesting Britain had economic revival under Thatcher
Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, is getting more criticism from the Labour left over her Mais lecture tonight, in which (according to extracts released in advance) she is going to say Labour wants an “inclusive” version of the supply-side policies that led to economic revival following Margaret Thatcher’s election in 1979. (See 9.16am and 9.32am.)
This is from Momentum, the leftwing Labour group.
This is a Labour Leadership out of touch with the labour movement and Labour values.
— Momentum 🌹 (@PeoplesMomentum) March 19, 2024
We want to overturn Thatcher's disastrous settlement, not recreate it. https://t.co/O0ABZptKVC
This is a Labour Leadership out of touch with the labour movement and Labour values.
We want to overturn Thatcher’s disastrous settlement, not recreate it.
And this is from Richard Leonard MSP, the former Scottish Labour party leader.
In the 1980s manufacturing was butchered, factory after factory closed, privatisation was let rip, unemployment rocketed, profits boomed, the wage share fell, the rich got richer, and inequality soared.
— Richard Leonard (@LabourRichard) March 19, 2024
No rewriting of history.
Thatcher didn't renew the economy, she broke it.
In the 1980s manufacturing was butchered, factory after factory closed, privatisation was let rip, unemployment rocketed, profits boomed, the wage share fell, the rich got richer, and inequality soared.
No rewriting of history.
Thatcher didn’t renew the economy, she broke it.
In her speech Reeves will say:
As we did at the end of the 1970s, we stand at an inflection point, and as in earlier decades, the solution lies in wide-ranging supply-side reform to drive investment, remove the blockages constraining our productive capacity, and fashion a new economic settlement, drawing on evolutions in economic thought.
Thatcher’s government was associated with extensive supply-side reforms, including privatisation, deregulation and restrictions on trade unions.
In her speech Reeves will also stress the need for supply-side reform, but she will refer to the case for reform of planning laws, public services, the labour market and democracy.
She will also say that “unlike the 1980s, growth in the years to come must be broad-based, inclusive, and resilient”.
UPDATE: I’ve changed the headline on this post, and amended the first sentence, after a spokesperson for Reeves said that she is not saying in the speech that Margaret Thatcher ushered in a “decade of renewal”. (See 3.14pm.)
Updated
Rees-Mogg claims it's 'barmy' for Ofcom to say that he could not present news about a stabbing with due impartiality
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the Tory MP and former business secretary, has described as “barmy” a ruling from Ofcom saying that GB News broke impartiality rules because it allowed him to present news during his show on the channel.
Ofcom said GB News had broken these rules on five occasions – two relating to programmes presented by Rees-Mogg, and three relating to programmes presented by Esther McVey, the Cabinet Office minister, and her husband, the Tory MP Philip Davies.
The regulator said that, while it was acceptable for MPs to present current affairs programmes, “news, in whatever form, must be presented with due impartiality, and … a politician cannot be a newsreader, news interviewer or news reporter”.
The five complaints all related to segments of the shows where the MPs were presenting news. One related to Rees-Mogg interviewing a GB News reporter about a murder in Nottingham and the MP told Times Radio this morning that he thought it was “barmy” to suggest he had not been impartial. He said:
This strikes me as completely barmy that reporting, in a programme that lasts for an hour, an event that has happened, where somebody has been stabbed, where does due impartiality come into somebody’s being stabbed?
I just think this is a really eccentric judgment on that particular issue. It’s just a strange thing to say that there’s a question of impartiality on a stabbing. Stabbing people is wrong.
Was I meant to have to stabber on and say, can you give me your view of why you’ve carried out this stabbing? It’s just bizarre to say that due impartiality could possibly have been breached in relation to a stabbing.
In its adjudication, Ofcom said that, even thought what Rees-Mogg said about the murder may have been impartial, the fact that he is an MP meant that viewers’ perception of what was being reported may have been coloured by his politics. It said:
We recognise the factual nature of the content delivered by Jacob ReesMogg, which did not include any partial comment on, or discussion of, the wider issues involved.
However, as set out above, there are additional protections afforded to news because of its fundamental importance in a democratic society.
In Ofcom’s view, particular care needs to be taken to preserve the due impartiality of news content on licensed services – not only in terms of the content itself, but also in respect of its presentation and how it is likely to be perceived by viewers.
Politicians have an inherently partial role in society and news content presented by them is likely to be viewed by audiences in light of that perceived bias.
For that reason, we consider that the presentation of broadcast news content by a politician without exceptional editorial justification gives rise to an inherent lack of due impartiality which conflicts with the fundamental standard in rule 5.1 of the code.
Section 5.1 of the code says: “News, in whatever form, must be reported with due accuracy and presented with due impartiality.”
Culture secretary Lucy Frazer raises concerns about V&A exhibit saying puppet shows have treated Thatcher as villain
Lucy Frazer, the culture secretary, has raised concerns about an exhibit in the Victoria and Albert Museum which appears to describe former Conservative prime minister Margaret Thatcher as among “contemporary villains”.
The caption at the exhibition, which mentions Thatcher alongside Adolf Hitler and Osama bin Laden as people who have been portrayed as baddies in puppet shows, has been portrayed as an insult to the former PM in reports in rightwing papers.
Asked about the terminology used by the museum, Frazer told LBC:
Yes I saw that and I didn’t think that that was appropriate.
Well, I think in describing objects, in museums and galleries, I think the creator has an important role to look at history to make sure that their objects are understood. But these are matters for those individual institutions.
The V&A description said:
Punch and Judy is seen as traditionally British, but it evolved from the 16th-century Italian street performance commedia dell’arte.
Although aimed at a family audience, the original narrative in its Victoria heyday featured domestic violence, hangings and racist caricatures – a jarring and inacceptable combination for modern audiences.
Over the years, the evil character in this seaside puppet show has shifted from the Devil to unpopular public figures including Adolf Hitler, Margaret Thatcher and Osama bin Laden, to offer contemporary villains.
The V&A said it was always open to feedback from visitors and that it would review the wording and update it “if necessary”.
Reform UK leader Richard Tice claims it is 'defamatory and libellous' to call his party far-right
Richard Tice, the Reform UK leader, has claimed that it would be defamatory to call his party “far-right”.
He spoke out after the BBC apologised for using the phrase to describe the party in an article at the weekend primarily about the Liberal Democrats’ conference.
The BBC said:
In an article about the Liberal Democrats’ spring conference we wrongly described the political party Reform UK as far-right when referring to polling.
This sentence was subsequently removed from the article as it fell short of our usual editorial standards.
While the original wording was based on news agency copy, we take full responsibility and apologise for the error.
And in response Tice said:
The BBC has apologised for the news website referring to Reform UK as ‘far-right’ following an intervention from my lawyers.
My lawyers are also in touch with other news organisations who repeated the BBC line.
To be clear, I view this as defamatory and libellous.
The fact that the BBC has chosen not to use the term to describe Reform UK may deter other media organisations from using it too, but it does not prove that it is libellous. Ultimately that is something that would have to be decided by a court.
Journalists and commentators sometimes use the term “far-right” quite loosely, and it is almost always pejorative. But political scientists do use the term with care and precision. Last year we reported on Dutch academics who have studied European political parties to consider how many of them might be called “far-right”. They considered whether the Conservative party could be described in these terms, but ultimately decided against it. “In the end we didn’t because nativism was not their core focus. But we may in future,” Matthijs Rooduijn, the political scientist in charge of the project said.
One of the academics who has studied this issue most closely is Cas Mudde and in his book The Far Right Today he argues that the far right divides into two categories: the extreme right which “rejects the essence of democracy, that is, popular sovereignty and majority rule”; and the radical right, which “accepts the essence of democracy, but opposes fundamental elements of liberal democracy, most notably minority rights, rule of law and separation of powers”.
Reform UK is a party that respects democracy and clearly does not fit the extreme version of Mudde’s definition. But the label might apply to some aspects of its politics. For example, the call by Lee Anderson, the party’s new MP, last year for the government to ignore the supreme court after it ruled against the Rwanda policy would count as far-right within Mudde’s radical right category.
Updated
Cabinet secretary Simon Case to give evidence to Covid inquiry on 23 May
Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, will give evidence to the Covid inquiry on Thursday 23 May, the inquiry had announced.
He had been due to give evidence last year, but he was unable to because he was off work for health reasons.
As PA Media reports, Case is expected to face questions on highly critical WhatsApp messages that emerged during evidence last year showing his exasperation with the handling of the pandemic under Boris Johnson’s premiership.
In July 2020, before he became cabinet secretary, he said: “I’ve never seen a bunch of people less well-equipped to run a country” in a message to Lord Sedwill, who was the civil service chief at the time.
Case also described Johnson and his inner circle as “basically feral” and suggested the then-prime minister’s wife Carrie was “the real person in charge” in No 10.
Tory party fined £10,750 by Electoral Commission for not accurately reporting non-cash donations
The Conservative party has been fined £10,750 by the Electoral Commission for failing to accurately report non-cash donations worth more than £200,000.
The donations related to an employee who had been seconded to the party by a donor. The commission said:
The party under-reported non-cash donations, in the form of an employee seconded to the party by a donor between April 2020 to December 2023. The non-cash donations were under reported by more than £200,000, when the seconded employee went from part-time to full-time work at the party.
The party also reported late a single non-cash donation relating to the same seconded employee, in December 2023.
Louise Edwards, director of regulation and digital transformation at the commission, said:
Our investigation into the Conservative and Unionist Party found a number of donations inaccurately reported or reported late. The political finance laws we enforce are there to ensure transparency in how parties are funded and to increase public confidence in our system, so it’s important donations are fully and clearly reported.
Where we find offences, we carefully consider the circumstances before deciding whether to impose a sanction. We take into account a range of factors before making our final decision, including proportionality.
Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg, the former business secretary, has said it is “inconceivable” that Penny Mordaunt, the leader of the Commons, could replace Rishi Sunak as a unity candidate backed by all wings of the party.
Rees-Mogg was speaking in response to reports saying rightwingers who want Sunak to be replaced have indicated that they might support Mordaunt, a “centrist” in Tory politics, as a unity candidate to replace him. These claims attracted quite a lot of media coverage over the weekend, but it is now thought they were inspired by hostile briefing from Mordaunt’s rivals.
Rees-Mogg told Times Radio this morning:
Penny Mordaunt is not going to become the leader of the Conservative party with a coronation. That idea is inconceivable.
Rees-Mogg, who did not support Sunak becoming leader, also said that he did not hold the PM personally responsible for the plight of the party. He explained:
In defence of Rishi Sunak, it is quite hard for a leader to be, at this stage in his leadership, significantly more popular than the party, because the two get quite closely identified and the Conservative party’s popularity fell before Rishi Sunak did, so I wouldn’t hold him personally responsible.
I think we’ve been in office for a long time, and I agree with you that the changes of leadership didn’t help. I was not in favour of removing Boris Johnson, as you may remember, but that has happened and parties need to deal with the current situation, not what might have been.
Labour selection contest being investigated by police over allegations of 'computer misuse'
A Labour party selection contest is being investigated by the police over allegations of “computer misuse” after reports of a data breach, PA Media reports. PA says:
The selection process for a parliamentary candidate in Croydon East was paused by the party in November last year after complaints that data on local members provided to some candidates was inaccurate and allegations the membership database had been tampered with.
Last night the Metropolitan police confirmed they were now investigating the matter, following the conclusion of Labour’s own inquiry.
A spokesperson for the force said: “We have received allegations of computer misuse in relation to an internal selection process for a political party in Croydon during October and November last year. The Met’s Cyber Crime team are investigating and enquiries are ongoing.”
The news comes a week after one of the candidates for selection in Croydon East withdrew from the contest, citing abuse he had received during the original process.
Joel Bodmer, an organiser with the trade union Unison, made the announcement that he was withdrawing on 12 March.
He said: “I do not want to expose myself or my family to the distressing level of abuse that arose from some quarters during the original selection campaign. My personal circumstances are now very different from when I put myself forward for Croydon East in the summer of 2023 and I do not currently have the emotional energy required for this contest.”
Labour declined to comment while there was an ongoing police investigation.
Updated
The Conservative party sent out a response to the Rachel Reeves speech extracts last night. As with almost all the rebuttal lines coming out of CCHQ these days, it does not really address the point being made by Labour but just says Labour would put up taxes.
Rachel Reeves may be promising a ‘new chapter’, but it will be the same old Labour. No plan – just more borrowing and more taxes – exactly how the last Labour government wrecked our economy.
Tribune, the long-established paper (now a magazine and website) for the Labour left, is not impressed by Rachel Reeves’ suggestion that Margaret Thatcher delivered a decade of renewal.
Rachel Reeves’ claim that Margaret Thatcher ‘delivered a decade of national renewal’ is the latest attempt to justify the suffering caused by her policies — but decades after she left office, it's clear that she left the economy weaker and more unequal. https://t.co/4cWbCOqvy6
— Tribune (@tribunemagazine) March 19, 2024
Rachel Reeves’ claim that Margaret Thatcher ‘delivered a decade of national renewal’ is the latest attempt to justify the suffering caused by her policies — but decades after she left office, it’s clear that she left the economy weaker and more unequal.
And Alex Nunns, a former speechwriter for Jeremy Corbyn when he was Labour leader, has posted a thread on X criticising what Reeves is saying, as reported based on extracts released in advance.
Reeves vows an economic take-off similar to the Thatcher years. Let’s hope not. Thatcher came in and, in 1980-1, plunged the country into the sharpest, deepest recession since the war to that time, shutting down swathes of industry. Large parts of the country have not recovered.> pic.twitter.com/h14JGkgGe1
— Alex Nunns (@alexnunns) March 19, 2024
Reeves vows an economic take-off similar to the Thatcher years. Let’s hope not. Thatcher came in and, in 1980-1, plunged the country into the sharpest, deepest recession since the war to that time, shutting down swathes of industry. Large parts of the country have not recovered.>
Under Thatcher the share of financial services in the total business income of the country rose from 15 to 24%, while that of manufacturing fell from 21 to 17%. The factories were replaced by the banks. Reeves is giving her speech to an audience of bankers in the City of London.
According to Reeves: “As in earlier decades, the solution lies in wide-ranging supply-side reform to drive investment, remove the blockages constraining our productive capacity, and fashion a new economic settlement.”
Supply-side reform is the essence of Thatcherite economic policy - attacking regulations, cutting tax for corporations and the rich, privatising everything, clobbering trade unions. Eg Thatcher’s Big Bang deregulation of the City, from which you can draw a line to the 2008 crash.
Reeves says the goal is growth. But despite the image of the 80s as a time of brash consumption, as against the recession-hit 70s, in fact economic growth was the same in both decades – 2.2%. Growth was stronger in the 50s and 60s. 2.2% was average by international standards.
So why does Reeves vow “a decade of national renewal” comparable to the 80s, when the historical record doesn’t support it? And why laud supply-side reforms “as in earlier decades,” which kicked the crap out of Labour’s base? Because she believes in it, I guess, as a Thatcherite.
Rachel Reeves says Labour wants ‘inclusive’ version of supply-side policies that followed Thatcher’s election in 1979
Good morning. Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, is delivering the Mais lecture today, an annual City of London event where someone from the world of finance is invited to give an hour-long, heavyweight address on economics. (It’s called the Mais lecture, not the Mais speech, for a reason.) It’s a very presitigious gig, and the organisers like to invite someone powerful and important. It seems they didn’t want to hear from Jeremy Hunt.
We won’t get the full text of Reeve’s lecture until later, but Labour has released some substantial extracts in advance and there are two elements of particular note.
First, in news terms, Reeves is announcing plans to rewire the Treasury to put more focus on achieving growth. Larry Elliott has the details here.
Second, in political positioning terms, Reeves is aligning herself with Margaret Thatcher. She is stressing the need for supply-side reform, and she is arguing that Britain’s challenges are similar to those faced in 1979. She will say:
We have found ourselves in a moment of political turbulence and recurrent crises with the burden falling on the shoulders of working people.
With at its root, a failure to deliver the supply-side reform needed to equip Britain to compete in a fast changing world ….
I remain an optimist about our ability to rise to the challenges we face. If we can bring together public and private sectors, in a national mission – directed at restoring strong economic growth across Britain.
When we speak of a decade of national renewal, that is what we mean. As we did at the end of the 1970s, we stand at an inflection point, and as in earlier decades, the solution lies in wide-ranging supply-side reform to drive investment, remove the blockages constraining our productive capacity, and fashion a new economic settlement, drawing on evolutions in economic thought.
But Reeves will also stress that in some respects she does not want to follow the Thatcher model. She will say that Labour wants “a new chapter in Britain’s economic history” but she will add:
And unlike the 1980s, growth in the years to come must be broad-based, inclusive, and resilient.
Growth achieved through stability – built on the strength of our institutions. Investment – through partnership between active government and enterprising business. And reform – of our planning system, our public services, our labour market, and our democracy.
In other words, she’s offering inclusive Thatcherism.
This does not seem to be going down well with the Labour left (more on that soon), but Labour’s campaigns team will probably care more about the fact that they are getting positive coverage on the front page of the Daily Telegraph.
Tuesday's DAILY TELEGRAPH: Reeves: Britain faces 1979 moment#TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/gAMkmJcDxh
— Jack Surfleet (@jacksurfleet) March 18, 2024
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Rishi Sunak chairs cabinet.
10.30am: Ed Miliband, the shadow secretary for climate change and net zero, gives a speech at a Green Alliance conference.
10.30am: David Neal, the former independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, gives evidence to the Lords justice and home affairs committee.
11am: Andrea Leadsom, the health minister, gives evidence to the Commons health committee about dentistry.
11.30am: Jeremy Hunt, the chancellor, takes questions in the Commons.
1.30pm: Mark Drakeford takes his final first minister’s questions in the Senedd (Welsh parliament).
3pm: Hunt gives evidence to the Lords economic affairs committee.
4pm: Simon Case, the cabinet secretary, gives evidence to the liaison committee’s inquiry into strategic thinking in government.
Also, the government is publishing its football governance bill today.
If you want to contact me, do use 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
