Newslinks for Monday 17th March 2025

March 17, 2025

Tories say Government is ‘unpicking Brexit by the back door’

“Labour has been accused of “quietly shelving” a law to strip EU judges of their power as Sir Keir Starmer seeks a closer relationship with Brussels. Ministers have cancelled the planned start date for the law, passed by the last government, which would have ended the supremacy of European law in Britain. The Tories said it showed that the Prime Minister was “desperate to rejoin” the bloc and was planning to “unpick Brexit by the back door”. Last year, the Conservatives passed the law designed to free British courts from having to follow legacy EU rules which were passed before Brexit. It was supposed to come into force on Oct 1, but just weeks beforehand Labour amended the legislation to remove the planned start date.” – Daily Telegraph

Straw is first to call on Starmer to back away from ECHR – Daily Express

Immigration:

Exposed, the ‘skilled worker’ ruse that saw 53 asylum claims jump to 5,300 in two years – Daily Mail
Officials do not fully understand skilled worker visa, watchdog says – FT

Asylum:

Part-time court officials advised that breaching cap of 180 days’ service could constitute misconduct – The Times
Number of asylum seekers awaiting appeals up by nearly 500% in two years – The Guardian
Total rose to nearly 42,000 by the end of last year – The Times

Comment:

‘Fair’ sentencing will tarnish respect for law – Joanna Williams, The Times

>Today:

>Yesterday: Video: Trott declines to say if Lowe would be welcome in the Conservative Party or not

Starmer ‘in trouble’ as Farage and Cummings hold secret meeting

“Nigel Farage has met with Dominic Cummings to discuss the reform of Whitehall, fuelling speculation that the Reform UK leader is serious about positioning himself as a future prime minister. The apparent meeting would mark a remarkable turnaround, given the animosity between the two men during the Brexit campaign and beyond. Mr Cummings, who masterminded the official Vote Leave campaign, was a fierce opponent of Clacton MP Mr Farage, whose separate Leave.EU group was, in effect, sidelined… They also discussed “the catastrophe of the Tory party and what Reform has to do to replace the Tories”. In recent months, Mr Cummings has been increasingly vocal in his criticism of the Conservative Party. Previously, in talks to launch his own political movement, he backed Reform UK.” – Daily Express

‘Unite the Right’ plot to oust Badenoch – Daily Telegraph
Reform UK candidate who praised Hitler and Assad put in charge of vetting – The Guardian
What Clacton locals think of the Reform civil war – Daily Mail

Truss ‘lacked self-awareness needed to be PM’, says former lover – Daily Telegraph

Comment:

Lowe is completely missing the point on Farage – James Whale, Daily Express

Editorial:

Cheshire voters will choose a new MP and set the course of British politics for the next four years – The Guardian

Helen Whately: Kendall is fiddling while Rome burns with welfare reforms

“This runaway bill is not just unfair to the hard-working taxpayers paying it; it’s also unfair to the people consigned to a life of worklessness. Because without work, what hope can anyone have of achieving financial security, of having the satisfaction of paying your own way, or getting somewhere in life? But despite the enormity of the task at hand, Labour arrived in government without a plan to deal with it. They have spent the past nine months talking about the problem without coming up with any answers. Those months of dither and delay while they figure out what to do have already cost the taxpayer £7 billion and counting.” – Daily Telegraph

Starmer must banish corrosive idea that self-responsibility is merely an option – Stephen Pollard, Daily Mail
Reeves has one big ally in slashing benefits: the public – Kamal Ahmed, Daily Telegraph
Labour’s plan to overhaul long-term benefits is laudable, putting a moral slant on it is not – Heather Stewart, The Guardian
Jobcentres should be Live Well centres… this is what that means – Andy Burnham, The Times

Ministers to drop plan to freeze key disability benefit…

“Ministers are set to drop plans to freeze a major disability benefit next year in an attempt to quell a growing rebellion by Labour MPs over the UK government’s wider package of reforms to the welfare system. Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall had been considering a plan not to increase personal independent payments (PIPs) in line with inflation in April 2026 as part of a bid to curb benefits spending. But government figures said the proposal was no longer expected after complaints from dozens of Labour MPs. Kendall will, however, push ahead with broader reforms to welfare, including tighter eligibility criteria for PIP claimants, when she sets out on Tuesday a contentious package of measures designed to slash government outlays on health-related benefits.” – FT

Fears of major backbench rebellion – Daily Mail
Crackdown set to be watered down despite Cabinet Minister warning system is ‘unsustainable’ – The Sun

With Labour at war over benefits cuts, one in four young people consider quitting workforce entirely – Daily Mail

…as Starmer to drive through welfare cuts that ‘could affect UK’s most severely disabled’…

“The Resolution Foundation thinktank warned that cutting Pip by £5bn in 2029-30 by raising the qualifying threshold for support could mean about 620,000 people lose £675 a month on average. It said 70% of these cuts would be concentrated on those families in the poorest half of the income distribution. The sweep of the cuts has greatly alarmed disability rights campaigners as well as Labour MPs, who have been lobbying No 10 this week to change course. But plans to freeze increases in Pip payments are now unlikely – a measure that would have required a parliamentary vote. Cabinet ministers are among those who have raised doubts about the scale of the cuts and private fears about how No 10 has handled the messaging.” – The Guardian

What went wrong with the UK’s welfare system? – FT
Starmer appears to be about to go where even the Tories were unwilling to tread – The Times

Editorial:

Motability scheme has been corrupted beyond recognition by obvious scammers – The Sun

…and Labour’s benefits rift deepens as Streeting blames ‘overdiagnosis’

“Britain is overdiagnosing mental health conditions and people are being “written off”, the health secretary has said as the government prepares to cut disability benefits for a million people. The government will announce plans on Tuesday to overhaul the benefits system so that only the most severely disabled qualify. It is likely to be opposed by scores of Labour MPs, and cabinet ministers have raised concerns. Writing in The Times, Andy Burnham, the Labour mayor of Greater Manchester, said the changes would “trap too many people in poverty”. In an escalation of government rhetoric, Streeting said that mental illness was a “spectrum” and that doctors were too readily diagnosing people with mental health conditions. He said that with the right support the government could give people the “resilience and coping skills” they need in life.” – The Times

Health Secretary’s comments come ahead of proposed changes to PIP payments – Daily Telegraph
Experts criticise Streeting for saying mental health problems overdiagnosed – The Guardian

Editorial:

Bold solutions are needed to address the shameful collapse of NHS dentistry – The Times

>Yesterday:

Ex-Ofsted chief launches scathing attack on Education Secretary

“The former head of Ofsted has accused the Education Secretary of putting the interests of unions ahead of children in a scathing attack on her school reforms. Amanda Spielman, who stepped down as chief inspector at the schools watchdog at the end of 2023, calls on Bridget Phillipson to abandon her plans “before the damage is done”. Writing in The Telegraph on the eve of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill returning to Parliament, she accuses the Education Secretary of bowing to the “demands of unions”. Critics have claimed the reforms in the Bill will significantly curb freedoms for academies – state-funded schools able to set their own pay and curriculum that are unpopular with some teaching unions.” – Daily Telegraph

Spielman accuses Phillipson of prioritising unions’ interests above children – Daily Mail
Labour’s school reforms are mad, say academy chiefs – The Times
Town Hall chiefs planning to slash places at top performing academy schools under new Labour powers – The Sun

>Today: ToryDiary: Labour’s education policy adds up to teaching those they don’t like a lesson they won’t forget

Rayner madness as ‘logic defying’ tax raid to derail her own housing drive…

“Angela Rayner’s plan to build 1.5 million new homes faces a significant obstacle after a new cladding tax was announced, threatening to drive up costs for developers and jeopardising the housing targets. The £3.4bn levy, which is set to take effect in autumn 2025, will apply to all new residential buildings. Already grappling with rising construction costs and regulatory delays, developers have warned that this new tax could cost them between £3,000 and £5,000 per property – a sum that could put large swathes of land across the North and Midlands out of reach for development. Small family-run businesses that have never constructed larger homes or used cladding will be hit hardest as they struggle to absorb these additional costs. The Home Builders Federation (HBF), representing over 50,000 businesses in the construction industry, has expressed deep concern over the potential impact of the levy.” – Daily Express

Nine in ten councils in England to levy maximum council tax increase – The Guardian
Rural Britain ‘hamstrung’ by planning decisions that take years – The Times
Slough residents upset at prospect of absorption by London – Daily Mail
Buyers property market looms amid record numbers of homes for sale – The Guardian

Employment rights bill must do more to stop ‘disposable labour’, say unions – The Guardian

>Today: Richard Clewer in Local Government: Community benefits can ensure a fair energy transition

…as Reeves to outline plan to cut regulation costs and boost growth

“Rachel Reeves will meet UK regulators on Monday after calling for more action to restrict red tape and spur economic growth. The chancellor argued that government plans would reduce costly delays and disputes, saving businesses billions, and said regulators must accept a more streamlined decision-making process. Reeves is expected to use the meeting to announce more detail on how the government will cut the cost of regulation by a quarter and set out plans to slim down or abolish regulators themselves. High on the chancellor’s target list are the costly hold-ups to major infrastructure projects when environmental concerns are raised. Citing the long battle over a covering for HS2 through ancient woodland, dubbed the bat tunnel, Reeves said wrangling between environmental regulators, councils and government departments needed to stop or time and cost overruns would persist.” – The Guardian

Regulators told to cut costs for firms as Streeting says ‘more change to come’ – Daily Mail
Chancellor to restrict competition watchdog’s merger investigations – FT
Regulators get targets to cut red tape and boost the economy – The Times

Reeves set to unleash tax bombshell on one million Britons – Daily Express
Pension funds do not take ‘enough risk’, says wealth fund executive – FT
New poll reveals Labour is the ‘anti-fun’ party that loves to ban things people enjoy – Daily Express

Comment:

Cutting red tape for businesses will allow Britain to fulfil its potential – Rachel Reeves MP, The Sun

Prime Minister ready to put British troops in Ukraine for years

“Sir Keir Starmer is willing to station thousands of British soldiers in Ukraine for years to maintain a ceasefire and deter another Russian invasion. The prime minister is prepared to make an open-ended commitment to deploy British troops for “as long as it takes” alongside western allies in an effort to keep the peace. Defence chiefs from the “coalition of the willing” will meet in London on Thursday to discuss “in great specificity” where the peacekeeping force should be deployed. About half a dozen countries including the UK, France, Turkey, Canada and Australia are discussing plans to send as many as 30,000 troops to Ukraine. Other countries are prepared to help with weapons and logistics. However, the prime minister has refused to say whether the peacekeeping force will be authorised to open fire against Russian soldiers in the event of an attack.” – The Times

Plans for European force of 10,000 troops in post-war Ukraine made at meeting hosted by Starmer – The Sun
Trump ‘expects Ukraine ceasefire deal in weeks’ – Daily Telegraph

Army officers to quit as ‘bloated’ top ranks block promotion – The Times

Comment:

Defence spending spree can transform our economy… if we do it right – Roger Bootle, Daily Telegraph

>Yesterday: Video: ‘Trump is the worst dealmaker in the world’, Portillo claims

News in Brief:

The Conservatives are still getting Northern Ireland wrong – Owen Polley, The Critic
Labour has no answer to Britain’s teacher shortage – Kristina Murkett, UnHerd
The Government’s growth plan is already failing – Andy Haldane, New Statesman
Is Reeves tough enough to cut disability benefits? – Ross Clark, The Spectator
The failure of the land value tax – Samuel Watling, Works in Progress

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