Afternoon summary
Almost 90% of people, including 65% of Conservative supporters, think Britain needs a fresh team of leaders, new polling suggests. (See 3.18pm.) This is what Rob Ford, a politics professor, says about the implications of these findings.
Given the evidence from polling like this, it is hard to see exactly what could lead senior Conservatives to believe a “small boats” focussed May election is the path to victory, but apparently at least some do believe this.
Given the evidence from polling like this, it is hard to see exactly what could lead senior Conservatives to believe a "small boats" focussed May election is the path to victory, but apparently at least some do believe this: https://t.co/FJUFLsOEE7
— Rob Ford (@robfordmancs) September 19, 2023
And this is what Will Jennings, another politics professor, is saying.
My current view on Westminster polling is that it is unlikely that Labour leads of 20+ points will last up until an election, but that the government has a huge uphill task to win back voters - that is just not being reflected in most commentary.
My current view on Westminster polling is that it is unlikely that Labour leads of 20+ points will last up until an election, but that the government has a huge uphill task to win back voters - that is just not being reflected in most commentary.
— Will 𝕏ennings (@drjennings) September 19, 2023
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Diane Abbott has posted an open letter on X (Twitter) saying she has concluded that the Labour party internal investigation into her is “fraudulent” and that she will not get a fair hearing. She was suspended from the parliamentary party in April, pending an investigation, after she wrote a letter to the Observer that appeared to downplay the significance of racism experienced by Jewish, Irish and Traveller people because it said that, unlike black people, they were not subject to racism for “all of their lives”.
As a Black woman, and someone on the left of the Labour Party, I have unfortunately been forced to reach the conclusion that I will not get a fair hearing from this Labour leadership. pic.twitter.com/jZjVCJxeVW
— Diane Abbott MP (@HackneyAbbott) September 19, 2023
Lib Dems say Liz Truss should not get payments from allowance to fund ex-PMs still active in public life
The Liberal Democrats have said it is an “outrage” that Liz Truss received £23,310 from a fund available for former prime ministers who still play a role in public life between November last year and March 2023.
The figure is disclosed in the Cabinet Office’s annual report and accounts. Most former PMs claim close to the full amount from public duty cost allowance – £115,000 per year – but the report shows that Boris Johnson has not claimed anything from it.
Pointing out that Truss also received £18,660 in severance pay when she resigned as PM, Christine Jardine, the Lib Dem spokesperson for the Cabinet Office, said:
It’s an outrage that while families struggle to pay their bills and put food on the table, Liz Truss profits from her own failure.
If Liz Truss wants to cut tax she should lead by example and stop taking hardworking British taxpayers for a ride by claiming handouts … It is time for Rishi Sunak to do the right thing and stop Liz Truss from claiming taxpayers’ cash from the ex-PM fund.
Despite not claiming from the fund, Johnson has not been hard up since leaving office 12 months ago. Before he resigned as an MP, he declared outside earnings of £4.8m.
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Scottish government accuses London of 'misuse of executive power' as it opens legal challenge against trans law veto
Blocking controversial gender reforms in Scotland because of a “policy disagreement” is “inconsistent with the constitutional principles” of the UK, the lord advocate has argued. As PA Media reports, Dorothy Bain KC used this argument as she started significant constitutional battle between the UK and Scottish governments in the court of session in Edinburgh. PA says:
Bain was arguing against Westminster’s use of the section 35 order of the Scotland Act to prevent the gender recognition reform (Scotland) bill gaining royal assent.
In her opening remarks, Bain told the hearing, presided over by Judge Lady Haldane, that Scottish ministers believe the order is “unlawful” and want it dropped.
The Scottish secretary, Alister Jack, triggered the never-before-used power of the Scotland Act – the legislation which established the Scottish parliament – to halt gender laws which sought to simplify the process for trans people to self-identify and obtain a gender recognition certificate (GRC).
Bain told Scotland’s highest court the decision would effectively mean Holyrood was not able to legislate on issues which Westminster disagreed with.
She said: “There are those who disagree with the bill or those who would have legislated differently, or not at all. It is apparent from the respondent’s answers that the secretary of state is within that number.”
She went on to argue the decision to use the section 35 order did not go through adequate scrutiny in the House of Commons, requiring the court to “occupy dead ground and stepping into the vacuum” to prevent the “misuse of executive power”.
Bain said: “It would be inconsistent with the constitutional principle of parliamentary accountability for the UK government to be able to veto Scottish legislation simply on the grounds of a policy disagreement.”
The lord advocate said if the secretary of state really had concerns about the contents of the Holyrood legislation, he would have raised it during multiple consultations and scrutiny of the bill in the Scottish parliament.
She said: “If the secretary of state had such fundamental concerns, it is striking there was not a whisper of them through the various consultations and the earlier stages of the bill’s parliamentary process. Indeed, the UK government got sight of this bill and the appropriate supporting documents before the bill was introduced to the Scottish government.”
However, Lady Haldane interrupted Bain to state that the UK government did not have a requirement to consult with the Scottish government prior to the section 35 order.
Later in the session, Bain then went on to address arguments that the Scottish legislation infringed on reserved UK equality laws, arguing the bill only alters the process of obtaining a GRC, not the effect of the certificate.
She also said no explanation was given on what the secretary of state meant when he said the legislation would have adverse effects on UK tax IT systems, arguing Jack should explain his rationale, rather than Scottish ministers “to try to work out what he was on about”.
The Scottish legislation seeks to change the age at which a person can obtain a GRC from 18 to 16, and removes the requirement of a gender dysphoria diagnosis.
The UK government’s argument is expected to be set out by the advocate general on Wednesday afternoon, with the three-day hearing expected to conclude on Thursday.
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This is from Alex Wickham at Politico on the Starmer/Macron meeting.
NEW with our top France reporter @Newsbaum_ >>
— Macron and Starmer discussed possibility of a second Trump presidency and the overall impact of US elections in Paris meeting today
— also China, economy, energy security, Ukraine
— sidestepped Brexit
NEW with our top France reporter @Newsbaum_ >>
— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) September 19, 2023
— Macron and Starmer discussed possibility of a second Trump presidency and the overall impact of US elections in Paris meeting today
— also China, economy, energy security, Ukraine
— sidestepped Brexithttps://t.co/LpXjFcmSCb
Almost 90% of voters - including 65% of Tories - say Britain needs fresh team of leaders, poll suggests
If anyone is still wondering why Emmanuel Macron found time to meet Keir Starmer today, a quick glance at figures in the latest politcal monitor polling report from Ipsos will explain all.
Labour has had a huge lead in opinion polls for about a year now, and the voting intention figures from Ipsos, putting Labour on 44%, and the Tories on 24%, suggest the Labour lead is as strong as ever. What is more significant is what the polling says about underlying attitudes. Here are five of the most striking figures.
1) Almost 90% of people think Britain needs a fresh team of leaders, the poll suggests. And that includes two-thirds of people (65%) who voted Conservative in 2019. And the desire for change has increased since May, when just 55% of Tory supporters wanted a fresh team of leaders, and 80% of all voters wanted new leadership (not 86%, which is the figure now). The more people have seen of Sunak, the more they want someone different. Doubtless many of the 65% of Tories who say Britain needs a fresh team of leaders are angling for someone like Kemi Badenoch as PM, not Keir Starmer. But these are still dire figures for Sunak.
2) Sunak’s government is viewed as even less competent than Boris Johnson’s. This result may come as a surprise to anyone familiar with the internal dynamics of the Johnson government. Most observers would accept that, in terms of the core prime ministerial skill set (taking decisions, reading the briefings, obeying the law and not making things up), Sunak is a vast improvement on his predecessor. It probably reflects the extent to which Johnson got credit for implementing Brexit after years of paralysis and leading the country through Covid. It is probably also indicative of how Sunak is being blamed for problems that have built up over years.
3) The Conservative party is more unpopular than Labour on every indicator that counts. Ipsos asked people about 11 qualities that might apply to political parties, and the Tories come out worse on all but one of them – often by a wide margin. (The only exception is being “different”, where the Tories are narrowly ahead. Some people might view being different as a bad thing, but some respondents may consider it a bonus, and so it is hard to be sure how to interpret this result.)
4) Sunak is less popular than Starmer, and Sunak’s ratings have been falling over the summer.
5) Sunak is only ahead of Starmer on two of the 11 leadership traits featured in the survey. He had a lead on being good in a crisis, and being a good representative for Britain on the world stage. Given that, unlike Starmer, he does represent the UK on the world stage, and he does have to deal with the crises affecting the country (Starmer is only responsible for crises affecting the Labour party), these findings are perhaps not surprising. On most of the other indicators, Starmer has a good lead.
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Gove says he is appointing commissioners to run Birmingham council, and announces inquiry into what went wrong
Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, is making a statement to MPs about Birmingham city council.
Birmingham is a great city. But for years the city has suffered because the council has failed to grip mismanagement, he says.
The one constant has been “a failure to deliver for residents who deserve better”, he says.
Gove says, in the light of the council’s decision to issue a section 114 notice, in effect declaring the council bankrupt, he is satisfied that Birmingham council is failing to comply with its best value duty. He is today writing to the council notifiying it of his intention to intervene, and to appoint commissioners to run the council.
And he says he is launching an inquiry into what went wrong.
Rupert Neate covered the background to this story in his First Edition briefing today.
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Christopher Hope from GB News has more on the Starmer/Macron meeting – including details of the gifts.
NEW Great to bump into Sir Keir Starmer just now after his meeting with Emmanuel Macron.
The pair spoke for 45 minutes, with no advisers present, in English.
Starmer gave Macron an Arsenal shirt with 25 (for 25th President) and “MACRON” on the back; Macron gave Starmer cufflinks.
NEW Great to bump into Sir Keir Starmer just now after his meeting with Emmanuel Macron.
— Christopher Hope📝 (@christopherhope) September 19, 2023
The pair spoke for 45 minutes, with no advisers present, in English.
Starmer gave Macron an Arsenal shirt with 25 (for 25th President) and “MACRON” on the back; Macron gave Starmer cufflinks.
The conversation was described as “warm” and “constructive”.
It was the pair’s first ever sit down chat having met previously on the margins of the Queen’s funeral and the King’s coronation.
Brexit was discussed along with other issues, sources said.
The conversation was described as “warm” and “constructive”.
— Christopher Hope📝 (@christopherhope) September 19, 2023
It was the pair’s first ever sit down chat having met previously on the margins of the Queen’s funeral and the King’s coronation.
Brexit was discussed along with other issues, sources said.
Starmer says meeting with Macron 'very constructive and positive'
Keir Starmer has described his talks with the French president as “very constructive and positive”. In an interview with Sky News after the meeting in the Élysée Palace, Starmer did not give details of what was discussed, but he said overall it was positive. He said:
We had a very constructive and positive meeting which, as you can imagine, covered a wide range of issues. It was my first opportunity to say how much I value the relationship between our two countries, particularly when it comes to prosperity and security and how, if we are privileged enough to be elected into power, we intend to build on that relationship and make it even stronger than it is today …
We had a very political discussion covering a lot of issues to do with global politics but also it was that opportunity to look at future prosperity, future security, some of the most pressing issues on my mind, on the president’s mind.
Starmer also said there had been an exchange of gifts.
Asked if he thought Macron was hoping for the election of a Labour government, Starmer dodged the question. But he did say it was their first meeting and that it was important they got to know each other.
"It was a positive meeting, it was my first opportunity to say how much I value the relationship between our two countries"
— Sky News (@SkyNews) September 19, 2023
Sir Keir Starmer reflects on his meeting with President Macron in Paris this morning
Politics latest: https://t.co/OdENLjE5i3
📺 Sky 501, Virgin 602 pic.twitter.com/aY3UAlgdcP
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Tory West Midlands mayor Andy Street says business case for HS2 won't exist if it isn't built in full
Rishi Sunak is facing fresh pressure to end doubts about the future of HS2 after the Conservative mayor of the West Midlands said that its business case only stacks up if the line is built in full – going all the way from Euston in London to Manchester and with an eastern “spur” in to the east midlands.
The intervention by Andy Street comes amid reports that plans were being drawn up by Downing Street and the Treasury to dramatically scale back the project. A spokesperson for Street said:
It makes perfect sense for the prime minister and chancellor to keep it under review and regularly look at the best ways to deliver the project for the taxpayer.
That is very different to ‘scrapping’ some or all of HS2. Remember, the business case only stacks up if the line is built in full - which is what should happen.
Andy fought tooth and nail to win this once-in-a-generation investment for the West Midlands, and he has no intention of reopening the argument.
Yesterday a transport minister repeatedly refused to confirm to MPs whether the project would run to Manchester. Originally planned as a Y-shaped route between London and the north, HS2 has been cut back repeatedly amid ballooning costs, with the eastern leg to Leeds scrapped in 2021 and the Manchester leg delayed by another two years in March.
The pressure comes in the wake of signs of fresh tensions with the Labour over the project after the shadow Treasury minister Tulip Siddiq told Times Radio that her frontbench colleague Nick Thomas-Symonds “maybe knows something I don’t” after he promised a Labour government would build HS2 in full.
The comments on Monday to BBC Radio 4 by Thomas-Symonds, the shadow trade secretary, come after the party’s national campaigns coordinator, Pat McFadden, wanted to look at the cost of the project before making a final decision. While they were singled out by the Tories as amounting to an uncosted £7bn, they were welcomed this morning by the leader of Liverpool city council, Liam Robinson.
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Labour says £8m-a-day cost of housing asylum seekers in hotels shows Tories' 'asylum chaos'
The Home Office has revealed that it is now spending around £8m a day housing asylum seekers in hotels. The figure is included in the department’s annual report and accounts for 2022-23. Until recently Suella Braverman, the home secretary, has been quoting around £6m per day as the cost to the taxpayer of hotel accommodation for asylum seekers.
The report also says the asylum system as a whole, and the accommodation provided as part of it, is costing more than £3bn a year.
Commenting on the figures, Yvette Cooper, the shadow home secretary, said:
This report illustrates the staggering costs of the Tories’ asylum chaos, with the taxpayer now spending an astronomical £8m in a day on hotels and the costs still going up and up. That is the price of the Conservatives’ utter failure to get a grip on this issue – now costing over £3bn a year.
Shockingly, the cost of hotel accommodation has gone up by a third since Rishi Sunak promised to end hotel use. The Tories have busted the Home Office budget, they’ve broken the asylum system, and the British people are paying the price.
Cooper claimed that Labour would save the taxpayer billions of pounds through its plans, which include ending the use of hotels by speeding up the processing of asylum claims.
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Keegan rejects Labour claim she waited too long before issuing new Raac safety advice to schools this summer
Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, is responding to Gillian Keegan’s answer to the urgent question.
She says evidence given to the education committee today showed that, after receiving updated safety advice about Raac on 21 August this summer, Keegan waited for four days. She then acted decisively – by going on holiday, Phillipson says. Phillipson says Keegan waited a full 10 days before responding to that advice and issuing new guidance to schools.
In response, Keegan says that, when she received the updated safety advice, she asked for further technical guidance.
And she also realised that she needed operational guidance in place before she would be in a position to issue new safety rules for schools. That process took a week, she says. She says that, for taking a decision and operationalising it, that was quick.
Gillian Keegan, the education secretary, is responding to an urgent question about Raac in schools.
She says the government has always taken the view that parents should find out from schools first if they have a problem with Raac, not by seeing the name of the school on a government list.
But she confirms that an updated list has been published.
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Petition in Wales against 20mph speed limit for residential roads attracts record number of signatures
A petition set up to oppose the nationwide 20mph limit for residential roads in Wales has broken a record for signatures and shows no sign of slowing down.
More than 150,000 people have signed the Senedd petition, easily passing the 68,000 mark for the previous largest, which was launched during Covid and called for supermarkets to be allowed to sell non-essential goods.
The petition calls for the “disastrous” law to be scrapped and says:
The Welsh government was put there BY THE PEOPLE OF WALES, We are your boss! We demand that this foolish idea be stopped.
It was opened on 13 September and reached the number needed to prompt a debate in the Senedd – 10,000 – just before midnight on 17 September.
Welsh ministers insist they have not misjudged public opinion and insist the policy will save lives and prevent injuries. The consul general and minister for the constitution, Mick Antoniw, said he was confident they would “bed in”.
But the Welsh Conservative shadow transport minister, Natasha Asghar, said:
For more than 150,000 people to sign a petition within such a short space of time highlights the extent of public outrage towards Labour’s disastrous policy.
Labour and Plaid Cymru have refused to listen to public opinion and are continuing to wage their anti-worker, anti-road and anti-motorist agenda. Labour can still U-turn on this disastrous rollout and deliver what Wales wants by scrapping blanket 20mph zones across Wales.
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‘Toxic culture’ at Brook House immigration removal centre, inquiry finds
The first public inquiry into abuses at a UK immigration detention centre has identified a “toxic culture” and numerous breaches of human rights laws relating to torture and inhuman or degrading treatment, as well as racist, derogatory language used by some staff towards detainees, Diane Taylor reports.
Boris Johnson's premiership exposed flaws in constitution that need to be fixed, report says
Boris Johnson’s premiership exposed flaws in Britain’s constitution that need to be fixed, a major report says today.
The Institute for Government and the Bennett Institute for Public Policy say that, although Johnson’s “misdemeanours” were not all unprecedented, his conduct showed that the checks and balances built into the constitution were not functioning properly.
In their report, they say:
The UK system is in theory self-regulating. It relies on those within it being willing to exercise restraint, adhering to largely unwritten rules of behaviour, and, when they fail to do so, facing political consequences. In recent years, various political actors have shown an increased willingness to test constitutional boundaries – seen most brazenly in proposals to break international law and by the executive repeatedly passing legislation on devolved matters without consent from their respective legislatures – with such political checks providing little impediment to them doing so.
Referring to Johnson in particular, the report says:
Boris Johnson’s attempt to prorogue parliament, disregard for the ministerial code, willingness to break the law while in office and misleading of parliament were all examples of a prime minister who, in the words of his cabinet secretary, believed he had “a mandate to test established boundaries”.
Not all of his misdemeanours were unprecedented; but his premiership shone a light on existing problems within the UK’s governing arrangements, and heightened the concern that there has been a steady erosion of the tacit norms on which government in the UK rests.
The report contains various recommendation that would beef up the status of constitutional laws, including the creation of a new parliamentary committee on the constitution which it says should have the power to delay legislation for further consultation, or insist on matters being put to a vote on the floor of the Commons.
Almost 250 temporary classrooms ordered to help schools in England affected by Raac crisis, MPs told
Almost 250 temporary classrooms have been ordered by at least 29 schools in England in response to the Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) crisis, the Department for Education’s top official has told MPs.
As PA Media reports, Susan Acland-Hood, the DfE permanent secretary, told the education committee:
Combining those we knew about before the summer and those we are working on now, we think that so far we are aware of at least 29 schools that we think will require temporary accommodation.
Of those, 11 are in place. That is a mixture of those that were provided centrally and those that were provided by the responsible body.
Before announcing the temporary classroom figures, Acland-Hood said the numbers should be taken with “some caution” because they referred to orders that might not be needed. As PA reports, she went on:
I will give you this figure because I want to be transparent, but I don’t think it is a target because if we can remediate through timber framing on the classroom ceiling, then that is often a better solution.
But at close on Friday, project directors and case workers had made inquiries requesting potential orders … relating to 180 single classrooms and 68 double classrooms, and a mix of what I think are brilliantly referred to as hygiene facilities, which I think means loos.
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This is from Peter Ricketts, a former head of the Foreign Office and a former ambassador to France, on the Starmer/Macron meeting.
This is certainly UK week in France! Continuing the upward swing in the bilateral relationship evident at the Macron/Sunak summit in March. For the reasons given here, it’s no surprise that Macron wants to meet Starmer. And the State Visit will highlight the enduring 🇬🇧🇫🇷ties.
This is certainly UK week in France! Continuing the upward swing in the bilateral relationship evident at the Macron/Sunak summit in March. For the reasons given here, it’s no surprise that Macron wants to meet Starmer. And the State Visit will highlight the enduring 🇬🇧🇫🇷ties. https://t.co/Z8aT6OWv3J
— Peter Ricketts (@LordRickettsP) September 19, 2023
And here is an extract from the Economist article that Ricketts is retweeting. It says the focus of the meeting is likely to be President Macron listening to what Keir Starmer has to offer.
The French are well aware, though, that they also need to look ahead. It is hard not to see the appeal for them in working with a future British government under a leader who both voted against Brexit and is serious about engaging in a more structured and open-minded way with the EU, especially on defence and security. “The French really miss the strategic dimension that the British bring to the table,” says Mujtaba Rahman, of the Eurasia Group, a consulting firm. The chances are that Mr Macron and Sir Keir will get on well.
Updated
Today is the last day the Commons is sitting before the conference recess. After 12.30pm we’ve got two urgent questions, and then two statements. Here they are, with rough timings.
12.30pm: Education minister to respond to a Labour urgent question on Raac.
Around 1.15pm: Transport minister to respond to SNP urgent question on the West Coast mainline franchise.
Around 2pm: Johnny Mercer, the veterans minister, makes a statement on the Afghan resettlement scheme.
Around 3pm: Michael Gove, the levelling up secretary, makes a statement on Birmingham city council.
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The report from UK in a Changing Europe today on how the UK-EU Brexit deal could be renegotiated highlights the difficulties. It is not critical of the Labour’s ambition for a better deal, but it makes the point that goodwill alone will not be enough to achieve that.
Mujtaba Rahman, the Brexit specialist at the Eurasia Group consultancy, has posted a more upbeat take in a thread on Twitter. It starts here.
There’s a lot of negativity about @Keir_Starmer trip to Paris today to see @EmmanuelMacron. A lot of “@UKLabour is delusional & don’t understand EU” kind of thing. That it’s all pointless given “no CU, no SM” redlines. That’s premature. There’s also a positive case to be made 1/
There's a lot of negativity about @Keir_Starmer trip to Paris today to see @EmmanuelMacron. A lot of “@UKLabour is delusional & don't understand EU” kind of thing. That it's all pointless given “no CU, no SM” redlines. That's premature. There's also a positive case to be made 1/
— Mujtaba Rahman (@Mij_Europe) September 19, 2023
And here are some of his points.
Ruling out CU/SM will arguably also give a Labour Govt political cover to do a lot else & quickly. As there’s a lot UKG can offer: institutionalised foreign & security policy co-operation, fish, serious & substantive engagement w @EmmanuelMacron “European Political Community” 6/
CU is the customs union, and SM is the single market.
Ruling out CU/SM will arguably also give a Labour Govt political cover to do a lot else & quickly. As there's a lot UKG can offer: institutionalised foreign & security policy co-operation, fish, serious & substantive engagement w @EmmanuelMacron “European Political Community” 6/
— Mujtaba Rahman (@Mij_Europe) September 19, 2023
An acknowledgement that reducing trade friction = alignment/rule taking; recognition that migration deal = co-op at EU level on a returns agreement. Of course details will take time. But Tories simply refused to accept these realities. That killed incentives for EU to engage 7/
An acknowledgement that reducing trade friction = alignment/rule taking; recognition that migration deal = co-op at EU level on a returns agreement. Of course details will take time. But Tories simply refused to accept these realities. That killed incentives for EU to engage 7/
— Mujtaba Rahman (@Mij_Europe) September 19, 2023
There’s also a lot of determinism about EU position in 1, 2 or even 5y time. But fact is EU is less worried today about a member state copying UK - as Brexit has been such an obv shitshow - compared to 2016. Sure, cakeism won’t be allowed. But political reality IS diff today 8/
There's also a lot of determinism about EU position in 1, 2 or even 5y time. But fact is EU is less worried today about a member state copying UK - as Brexit has been such an obv shitshow - compared to 2016. Sure, cakeism won't be allowed. But political reality IS diff today 8/
— Mujtaba Rahman (@Mij_Europe) September 19, 2023
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These are from Sophie Pedder, the Economist’s Paris bureau chief, on Keir Starmer’s meeting with President Macron this morning.
A year after Truss couldn’t decide whether Macron was a friend or foe, [France] is rolling out the red carpet for [the UK]. Macron meets Starmer today, ahead of the royal state visit. It’s part of a welcome reset of cross-channel ties after the dismal Johnson period
A year after Truss couldn't decide whether Macron was a friend or foe, 🇫🇷 is rolling out the red carpet for 🇬🇧. Macron meets Starmer today, ahead of the royal state visit. It's part of a welcome reset of cross-channel ties after the dismal Johnson periodhttps://t.co/WvxE8skv8Q
— Sophie Pedder (@PedderSophie) September 19, 2023
Macron and Starmer have never met. But I think they will get on well. Both had pre-politics professional careers, lean (or leaned) to the centre-left and count Blair as an interlocutor. Fun fact: both are amateur pianists who share a love of German music, especially Beethoven
Macron and Starmer have never met. But I think they will get on well. Both had pre-politics professional careers, lean (or leaned) to the centre-left and count Blair as an interlocutor. Fun fact: both are amateur pianists who share a love of German music, especially Beethoven
— Sophie Pedder (@PedderSophie) September 19, 2023
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The Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act has now received royal assent, which means it has now become law, the government has said. The legislation, which is opposed by the political parties in Northern Ireland and by the Irish government, is intended to help the Troubles reconciliation process by providing an immunity from prosecution to people who cooperate with inquiries into Troubles-era killings carried out by a new Independent Commission for Reconciliation and Information Recovery (ICRIR).
In a statement Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, said:
Now that the legislation has become law, the UK government will do all it can to support the ICRIR, consistent with its operational independence, as it establishes itself and seeks to deliver effectively for victims and families. I hope that others, including the Irish government, can do the same.
UK set for highest inflation in G7 in 2023, OECD says
The UK economy is set to witness the highest inflation rate of the world’s G7 advanced economies this year, according to new forecasts, PA Media reports. PA says:
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) also increased its predicted average UK inflation rate for 2023 compared with its previous estimate.
Economists at the globally recognised organisation also reduced their UK growth forecast slightly for next year amid pressure from higher interest rates.
Growth across global economies was better than expected at the start of the year but is “expected to moderate” due to the impact of higher borrowing costs, which have been introduced in many countries as part of efforts to grapple inflation.
Last year, the UK saw inflation average at 9.1% over the year, with a peak of 11.1%.
Today the OECD said it expects UK inflation of 7.2% for 2023, increasing its previous forecast of 6.9% from June.
This would be the fastest rate across the G7 and third fastest across the G20.
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Barran tells the education committee that the response rate for questionnaires sent to schools to help assess whether they are likely to have a problem with Raac is now up to 98.6%. Asked why some schools have not yet replied, she does not give an answer, but says the Department for Education is now conducting them by phone.
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At the education committee Lady Barran, the education minister, has been giving MPs more details of the three incidents over the summer that persuaded the government to increase precautions taken in schools with Raac.
The Department for Education has already said there were three incidents of Raac failing: one involving a school not in England, one involving Raac in a commercial setting, and the final one involving Raac failing in a school in England over the summer.
Barran said the final incident happened in a school where workmen were doing drilling to install lights. As they were working, “large pieces” of Raac started to come down, she said. She said this was Raac that would not have been graded critical.
Education minister tells MPs 85% of schools in England affected by Raac offering face-to-face teaching
Lady Barran, the education minister, is giving evidence to the Commons education committee about Raac.
Robin Walker, the chair, starts by saying they are grateful for the Raac information published by the department this morning. But it was published just before the hearing, he points out. He says that is a bit like handing in homework late.
Barran says 85% of schools affected by Raac are offering face-to-face education.
She says the DfE has been working on Raac for some time. But, when new information emerged during the summer, the department decided to take a precautionary approach, and to ask schools to close areas affected by Raac.
She says no two cases of Raac are the same. The DfE is trying to provide a tailored approach for schools. And every school affected gets a caseworker, she says.
She says the data published this morning shows that the number of schools affected has gone up by 27. But the number of schools affected where pupils are getting face-to-face education has risen by 43, she says. She goes on:
That underlines the work that has gone on, on the ground for children who were, when we last published data, either in hybrid or remote or had a delayed start to term.
She says the number of schools where pupils are being taught via hybrid arrangements has gone up from 20 to 23. And there is one school where teaching is fully remote, she says.
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DfE publishes updated list of schools affected by Raac
The Department for Education has published its updated list of schools in England affected by Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete). As more school building surveys have been completed, the number of schools affected has risen from 147 to 174.
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Photograph: Kiran Ridley/Getty Images
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Steve Barclay accuses NHS staff of planning ‘politically timed’ strikes
Steve Barclay, the health secretary, has accused NHS staff in England of planning “politically timed” industrial action as he outlined proposals to extend strike laws to ensure doctors and nurses in hospitals provide a minimum level of cover, Ben Quinn reports.
Starmer to meet Macron in Paris as thinktank says Labour’s proposed Brexit renegotiation might not be worth it
Good morning. Keir Starmer is in Paris today for a meeting with the French president, Emmanuel Macron. The Labour leader is already ahead of Rishi Sunak on who would make the best PM according to most polls (it depends exactly how you ask the question), but if you want to look prime ministerial, there is no substitute for doing the sort of things that a prime minister does. We are not expecting to get TV footage of the meeting, because there are protocol issues that kick in when a head of state is just meeting an opposition leader. But, coming after his recent trip to The Hague and to the Global Progress Action conference in Canada, Starmer’s latest outing on the world stage should provide a helpful boost to his political authority.
Starmer posted this picture on X (formerly Twitter) yesterday.
Labour will improve our relationship with Europe and make Brexit work for Britain.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) September 18, 2023
Great to be in Paris today with Rachel and David. pic.twitter.com/YjrcXDB5gd
But will Starmer make any progress on substance? One topic that is bound to come up is Starmer’s suggestion, in a Financial Times interview published yesterday, that he would negotiate a “much better” Brexit deal with the EU. In an analysis, Kiran Stacey, Lisa O’Carroll and Pippa Crerar suggest that Labour is “unlikely to find a receptive audience in European capitals for such a renegotiation unless the party is willing to offer significant concessions”.
Today UK in a Changing Europe, which is probably the leading British thinktank on Brexit issues, has published a report on how the Brexit deal might be renegotiated, and it says achieving the sort of renegotiation that Labour wants could take years and might not be worth it. It says:
Assuming Labour’s position holds, it will need to persuade the EU to undertake an expansive TCA [trade and cooperation agreement] review. Its current proposals focus on UK priorities (trade easements), and it would have to refine its offer to address key EU interests, which are likely to lie in improving mobility arrangements for young people and enhanced cooperation on security and defence.
The kinds of agreements Labour is seeking often entail long, technical negotiations which can take years to conclude. They would demand significant administrative resources at a time when the party would have many other priorities. There could also be political costs to signing up to agreements which require continuous, ongoing alignment with EU regulations over which the UK will have no say. The EU would also have to trust that future UK governments, which could be far more Eeurosceptic, will uphold such agreements.
While these kinds of agreements would have clear benefits for certain sectors, they would not address the bulk of the overall economic cost of Brexit for the UK, as it would remain outside the single market and customs union. Labour would have to think carefully about whether the benefits of a maximalist TCA review justify the administrative and political capital it would have to expend.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Rishi Sunak chairs cabinet.
10am: Lady Barran, an education minister, and Susan Acland-Hood, permanent secretary at Department for Education, give evidence to the Commons education committee about Raac (reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete) in schools.
10am: The Scottish government begins a legal challenge at the court of session in Edinburgh against the UK government’s decision to block its gender recognition reform bill.
11am (UK time): Keir Starmer meets the French president, Emmanuel Macron, at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
11.15am: Chris Heaton-Harris, the Northern Ireland secretary, gives evidence to the Lords protocol on Ireland/Northern Ireland sub committee about the Windsor framework.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
11.30am: Claire Coutinho, the new energy secretary, takes questions in the Commons for the first time.
2.15pm: Kemi Badenoch, the business and trade secretary, gives evidence to the Commons business and trade committee.
Also, hospital consultants in England are on strike.
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