Guido’s News Editor Max Young spoke to Politico’s ‘Westminster Insider’ podcast about the ongoing UK DOGE project. The unit has so far categorised 74 examples of waste across taxpayer budgets totalling billions of pounds…
Labour talks up its desire to cut waste while Reform is sending its own unit on a budget-cutting tour of councils controlled by the party. Guido’s UK DOGE team stands ready to take executive waste-cutting powers as soon as it is called up…
Kemi Badenoch just finished her immigration speech launching a review on whether the UK should leave the ECHR. She said “we will likely leave the ECHR” though her ‘five tests’ must be passed first. So no firm answer…
The BBC’s Chris Mason asked:
“I’m trying to unpick precisely what you mean by what you’re saying this morning. To be clear are you saying that dependent on the outcome of the review the commission that will be underway you might actually come back in the autumn and say you know what actually we’ve got to stay in the European Convention on Human Rights?”
Kemi replied:
“This is a legal question not a political question. That’s what those five tests are. We have effectively hired Lord Wolfson to be our lawyer and set out what it is that we need to do. We will say more at party conference on what exactly the plans are going to be but what I’m not going to do is just rush out with an announcement and say we’re leaving.”
Shadow ministers will be dreading the morning rounds…
Despite not answering Mason’s question in her speech Badenoch said: “I am not asking Lord Wolfson if we should leave that’s a political and not a legal question I’m asking him to set out how we would leave and to consider what the intended consequences might be, not least in Northern Ireland. If we decide to go down this route we must do so knowingly.” As Guido pointed out this morning – if it is the case that the decision to leave is a political one, why will Kemi not make it?
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch is at defence think tank RUSI to deliver a ‘major’ speech on immigration. She’ll be launching a review into leaving the ECHR, led by Lord Wolfson KC. He’ll report back in four months at Tory conference…
Kemi says “I do believe that we will likely need to leave.” meanwhile shadow home secretary Chris Philp told Times Radio this morning “we need to leave” the ECHR. She lays out her ‘five tests’:
- The Deportation Test: Can we take back control of our asylum system?
- The Veterans Test: Can we stop our veterans being endlessly pursued by vexatious legal attacks?
- The Fairness Test: Can we put British citizens first in social housing and in receiving scarce public services, because we believe charity begins at home and those who have paid in should come first, especially when resources are limited.
- The Justice Test: Can we make sure that prison sentences actually reflect Parliament’s intentions?
- The Prosperity Test: Can we prevent courts pretending climate change is a human right?
A Survation poll for LabourList reveals 64% of over 1,300 labour members believe the government is heading in the wrong direction, while just 27% think it’s heading in the right direction. Even the party faithful believe Labour is failing on all fronts…
LabourList’s cabinet rankings also show Starmer and Reeves are still in the red, with Starmer on a -6.93 net negative rating and Rachel from complaints still at rock bottom with -27.84. That’ll likely sink further after the spending review next week…
Red Ed still remains at the top of the list with +73.59 while Rayner comes in second on +70.98. Notably Starmer’s approval was weakest among 25 and 34-year-olds at -26, while his approval was lowest in the North East at just -23. Probably not a surprise for Number 10…
With Yusuf gone as Reform chairman tongues are wagging as to who will be installed as his replacement. A few names come up recurringly:
- Sarah Pochin: The party’s newest MP is liked by Reform consiglieres and was supported by Farage, Tice, and Lee Anderson after asking Starmer whether to ban the burqa. Green but underpriced…
- David Bull: “Darling of the membership” and a popular TV man. Former MEP and deputy leader of Reform. Favoured by some in the party as a unifier…
- Arron Banks: One “Brexit bad boy” and Reform mayoral candidate for Bristol in the locals. Most recently an “adviser” to the party’s DOGE Unit in Kent. High threshold for flak-taking…
- Andy Wigmore: Brexit bad boy number two. Prominent Banks/Farage ally and veteran of the Leave campaign. Cadwalladr’s head might explode…
- Richard Tice: Current Farage’s deputy. Lives and breathes the party…
It is worth noting a point in the party constitution: “The offices of Party Leader, Deputy Leader, Party Treasurer, Party Secretary, Party Chairman, Vice Chairman and General Secretary shall each be held by a different individual.” Some shuffling might have to be done…
Farage will not want fireworks around personnel for some time. A popular hard worker will have to pick up where Yusuf left off on the professionalisation drive…
Rayner’s Employment Rights Bill is still taking heavy flak from Britain’s business leaders – a new survey from the Institute of Directors this morning reveals 72% of nearly 500 directors believe the legislation will harm UK economic growth. Who would have thunk it from Rayner’s big, beautiful bill?
It gets worse:
- 49% say they’ll be less likely to hire new staff.
- 36% admit they’ll be more likely to outsource jobs overseas.
- 23% say redundancies are now more likely on the cards.
- 52% are planning to ramp up investment in automation.
Unions are heavily in support while businesses report the added regulation will only exacerbate the sting from Reeves’ tax rises. The IoD’s chief policy advisor Alex Hall-Chen said:
“The Employment Rights Bill, in conjunction with the recent increase in employer National Insurance Contributions and above-inflation increases to the National Living Wage, is significantly damaging business hiring intentions and confidence in the UK economy. This research clearly shows that the Bill will undermine the government’s key aims of securing the highest sustained growth in the G7 and achieving an 80% employment rate.”
Shadow business secretary Andrew Griffith added “if Labour had worked in business they would know their choices mean that British workers will lose their jobs to robots and foreign workers.” His Majesty’s Cabinet of union stewards and complaints managers…
Former leader of the SNP in Westminster Ian Blackford told Times Radio why he believes Nicola Sturgeon’s claim that she spent no time in the kitchen and therefore didn’t see any of her husband’s purchases:
“She doesn’t have a passion for cooking.”
