Guido hears there was drama in Cabinet this morning over the Chancellor’s landmark growth speech in Oxford tomorrow. Starmer and Reeves were blatant in their well-publicised breakfast with business chiefs this morning. “Should we do X? If it’s good for growth, good for wealth creation, the answer is ‘yes’, if it’s not then the answer is ‘no’”…
Chris Wormald will have to implement the “growth test” across departments and push ministers to ditch policies that fail it. Surely the Budget should be the first to go in that case…
According to sources the contents of Reeves’ growth plan briefing document was changed at the last minute prior to her 9.30 a.m. Cabinet sign-off meeting. The new briefing was not circulated in the normal way and readable documents were stored on secure devices which were not allowed to leave the room. Blindsiding opponents and watering up…
The primary change from tomorrow is to process – with a concerted push on as many growth projects at the same time. Guido is told there are few untrailed headline-grabbing growth projects apart from on flights – Reeves is said to have upgraded her support for airport expansion. Some in SW1 expected the government’s support to be limited…
Reeves’ Cabinet enemies (led by Miliband) are on the back foot. Co-conspirators should not underestimate their ability to weaponise Whitehall against growth…
The Office for National Statistics projects that the UK population will surge to 72.5 million by mid-2032, up from 67.6 million in 2022—an increase of 4.9 million, or 7.3%. Driven almost entirely by net migration…
Meanwhile, over 150,000 migrants have crossed the Channel since 2018, with more than 1,000 arrivals this year alone. Yet, migration isn’t even one of Starmer’s “six milestones” for change. Yvette Cooper dismissed it last month as not a “practical milestone,” offering zero commitment to reducing numbers. A population boom means more pressure on housing, schools, hospitals, and public services. Not exactly the sort of “growth” voters were promised…
In the wake of the Southport riots in August Yvette Cooper commissioned a “rapid analytical sprint” review into extremism policy, whose contents have now been leaked to think tank Policy Exchange. In the view of the Home Office:
Policy Exchange warns counter-terror forces’ attention would be diluted by the recommendations, which also threaten free speech and to tar “swathes of the public” as far-right for no reason. Labour claims it has rejected the widened definition of extremism and has yet to sign off on the report. The Home Office says it is “considering a wide range of potential next steps arising” from the document. Nonetheless, the above is the internal view of the Home Office. And Whitehall usually gets its way…
Tory turncoat and Iceland boss Richard Walker has been given a cool reward for defecting to Labour after repeatedly failing to get selected as a Tory candidate, even going so far as to beg Sunak for a safe seat. Only to be frozen out…
Now it’s been briefed that criminals facing short jail time could be sentenced with an alternative punishment: a job at Iceland Foods. Walker and Paul Cowley, Iceland’s first director of rehabilitation, have written a letter to prisons minister Lord Timpson to thaw out the idea as part of efforts to tackle the overcrowded prison crisis. Cowley was crystal-clear that “We won’t consider anyone on the sex offenders register,” whilst also issuing a cold warning: “If people mess up and they don’t turn up for work, then they do go inside.” A frosty welcome…
Over the weekend, the CIA concluded the Covid pandemic was “more likely” to have leaked from a Wuhan lab than emerged naturally – something long labelled as a “conspiracy theory” by Chinese officials. And by left-wing media outlets…
Back in 2020, The Guardian confidently declared: “Ignore the conspiracy theories: scientists know Covid-19 wasn’t created in a lab.” Readers were sternly warned against falling for such “false claims,” assured instead that speculation about the virus being leaked was just part of a “tale of blame, misinformation and finger-pointing.” By 2021, The Observer doubled down, dismissing lab-leak concerns as “more about politics than science.” The real culprit apparently was, “the destruction of animal habitats”, the piece arguing that “fiddling with viruses in laboratories is not the dangerous activity. The real threat comes from the wildlife trade”. Naturally…
The BBC also enjoyed pouring cold water on the ‘theory’. In 2022, it stated “Covid origin studies say evidence points to Wuhan market,” before hedging in 2023: “Those who entertain the theory say it could have leaked from a WIV lab… The controversial theory first emerged early on in the pandemic, and was promoted by then-US President Donald Trump.” The ultimate sin…
Meanwhile across the pond in 2020, USA Today published a fact-check titled, “Did the coronavirus originate in a Chinese laboratory?” concluding the lab leak theory was “false information” that was pushed by right-leaning outlets. In 2023, LA Times scoffed: “U.S. government debunks COVID lab-leak conspiracy theory, enraging conspiracy theorists.” With the CIA backing what they once dismissed, the progressive media are left red-faced once again…
Other outlets have opted to brush off the CIA’s assessment all together. ‘Slow news’ Tortoise Media put out an article today trying to downplay the conclusion, writing: “Without much conviction, the CIA says it now thinks the Covid pandemic started with a lab leak…Some scientists have admitted giving the lab leak theory a wide berth because it was always Donald Trump’s preferred explanation for the pandemic and he gave it a bad name…Others note no firm evidence of a leak from the Wuhan Institute of Virology or any other lab has come to light.” Clearly shell-shocked…
Downing Street confirmed this afternoon that the PM has zero plans to mark the fifth anniversary of Brexit on Friday. If anyone was left who needed convincing as to Starmer’s position on the matter…
Last year the DBT released a report on the benefits of Brexit. On the day itself in 2020 Union Flags adorned the Mall alongside other celebrations. On this landmark date the latest development will be Labour’s intention to join an EU customs union. The next step in the Brexit betrayal…
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.”