“The row over the Plebgate affair has escalated after the Independent Police Complaints Commission indicated that three forces had watered down the conclusions of an investigation into a meeting between the Police Federation and Andrew Mitchell last year.” – The Guardian
“The Prime Minister told MPs yesterday that the conduct of the officers, who were representing the Police Federation, was ‘not acceptable’ and backed calls for Mr Shaw to apologise to Mr Mitchell.” – Daily Mail
> Yesterday:
“The Prime Minister encouraged MPs on select committees to investigate whether the paper had broken the law or done harm to our security by printing information leaked by US whistleblower Edward Snowden.” – Daily Mail
“David Cameron yesterday signalled income tax cuts are being considered for the 5 million workers due to be paying the 40 per cent rate by 2015. … At Prime Minister’s Questions, Tory MP Dominic Raab welcomed the moves to help basic rate taxpayers, but urged Mr Cameron to act to help those on the higher rate. … Mr Cameron said: ‘Yes, I want to see taxes cut for all.’” – Daily Mail
“Government sources now say that the Prime Minister will unveil yet another list of appointments as part of a Coalition deal to drastically alter the make-up of the upper chamber. There are currently 216 Labour members, 208 Tories and 89 Lib Dems. … The Coalition parties say that when they came to power in 2010 the chamber was unfairly dominated by Labour peers.” – Daily Mail
“Elderly people paying for their own care could be protected under the same human rights laws as those who receive State care, after a landmark vote in the House of Lords last night. … Under the current system, people whose care is funded by the State may sue care homes on human rights grounds if they are treated badly. … The amendment to the Care Bill was backed by a majority of 29 despite health minister Earl Howe arguing it was ‘neither necessary or appropriate’.” – Daily Mail
“Tory MP Eleanor Laing has been elected Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons, beating six other candidates. … The Conservative MP for Epping Forest, the favourite for the role, saw off Conservative Brian Binley by 257 votes to 240.” – Daily Mail
> Yesterday:
“George Osborne yesterday welcomed investment in the UK by a controversial Chinese internet giant, despite warnings it could be spying on the West. … Welcoming plans by the firm to build a £125 million research and development centre in Britain, Mr Osborne said: ‘There are some Western governments that have blocked Huawei from making investments. Not Britain. Quite the opposite.’” – Daily Mail
“George Osborne will hail a new dawn for Britain’s civil nuclear programme on Thursday as the chancellor announces a deal between Chinese investors and EDF Energy to build the first nuclear power station in the UK in a generation. … The Chinese General Nuclear Power Group and the French energy company are expected to sign a letter of intent as the two sides finally agree a deal for a planned new plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset.” – Financial Times
“In an interview with the BBC’s Newsnight programme, broadcast last night, Mr Osborne said China’s leaders were ‘a lot more market orientated this lot than the British Labour Party are at the moment’.” – The Daily Telegraph
“Nick Boles suggested newspapers should refuse to co-operate with a new Royal Charter enshrining a newspaper watchdog. They should also mount a legal challenge to the way the Government has handled the issue. … The minister’s remarks, in an interview with the ConservativeHome website, cast serious doubt on the future of the cross-party plan and suggest it does not command support at the top of government.” – Daily Mail
“Britain has a record workforce of nearly 30million, the largest number since records began in 1971, the Office for National Statistics revealed yesterday. … [Esther McVey] told BBC News: ‘I think this is very positive news, because that’s more than a million people who have got jobs since the general election.” – Daily Mail
> Yesterday on ToryDiary: New employment statistics start to show slight improvements for the young and the long-term unemployed
“The Supreme Court dismissed an appeal by two murderers who claimed it was a breach of both the Human Rights Act and EU law to ban them from voting. … But, in a significant blow to David Cameron, the judges failed to rule that the UK’s existing blanket ban on prisoners taking part in elections is lawful.” – Daily Mail
“Brussels bureaucrats are taking steps towards setting up a European justice system that must be ‘resisted at all costs’, Chris Grayling, the Justice Secretary, said yesterday. … It was the European Commission’s ‘clear objective’ to go down the road to create such a system, he said. ‘I don’t believe it is right and I don’t believe the people of this country want it.'” – The Times (£)
“The days when a Whitehall milk rota could be categorised as ‘restricted’ are to be banished in the first shake-up in official security classifications since the second world war. … Francis Maude, Cabinet Office minister, on Wednesday said: ‘a tendency to overmark documents rather than to manage risk properly,’ had developed. ‘This can devalue the basic security principles.'” – Financial Times
“Philip Hammond, the defence secretary, is negotiating with two consortiums to set up a privately run organisation in charge of the £15bn purchasing arm of the Ministry of Defence. But one of those groups may have to drop out amid criticism of one of its key members, Serco, which has been embroiled in controversy over other government outsourcing deals.” – Financial Times
“The working poor have borne the brunt of the coalition’s deficit reduction programme, with pensioners getting off lightest, according to the first annual reporton Thursday of the government’s social mobility commission chaired by Alan Milburn, a former Labour cabinet minister.” – The Guardian
“The Church of England is investigating the reasons for the dramatic spread of food banks, and will examine the impact of benefits cuts on their use.” – The Independent
“From the moment that the Lib Dems joined the coalition they have ruthlessly pursued one big political mission. They have set out to undermine the central aim of David Cameron’s eight-year leadership of his party and his claim to have fashioned a kinder, gentler conservatism. And guess what? They’re succeeding.” – Tim Montgomerie, The Times (£)
> Today on ToryDiary: Eight years of decontamination have produced almost no serious change to the Tory brand
“Companies could face a code of conduct to prevent them exploiting workers through zero-hours contracts, Vince Cable has announced. … The Liberal Democrat business secretary said the government would intervene if it found the contracts were being abused by employers.” – Financial Times
“Mental health services in England are in crisis following the loss of more than 1,700 beds, a top psychiatrist says. … Care Minister Norman Lamb said it was ‘unacceptable’. … He added: ‘There is an institutional bias in the NHS against mental health and I am determined to end this.'” – The Sun (£)
“A Labour government would impose a new tax on payday lenders to fund a multimillion-pound increase in public support for low-cost alternatives, such as credit unions, Ed Miliband announced … Details of the rates at which the levy would be imposed have not yet been announced, but Labour said it aimed to raise enough cash to double the £13m currently provided by the government each year to fund the expansion of credit unions.” – The Guardian
“Postmen were accused of ‘glaring hypocrisy’ yesterday after voting to go on strike following the privatisation of Royal Mail – just days after accepting nearly £500million of free shares. … The Communication Workers’ Union said its members will stage a one-day walkout on November 4 – and it could be the start of a rolling programme of strikes.” – Daily Mail
“Universities and higher education colleges across the UK will shut down at the end of this month after staff voted to strike over pay. … Workers ranging from lecturers and lab technicians to porters and cleaners are due to walk out over a ‘measly’ one per cent pay rise.” – Daily Mail
“More than 10,000 schools could shut or send entire classes home after Britain’s two biggest teaching unions announced plans to walk out in protest over Coalition education reforms. … Members of the National Union of Teachers and the NASUWT are taking part in industrial action in an attempt to block changes to pay, pensions and workload.” – Daily Telegraph
“Hodgson’s virtues take several forms. Let’s start with the most obvious one. Hodgson is a grey-haired man of 66 who is at the top of his game. This makes him older than every cabinet minister bar Vince Cable and Kenneth Clarke (who both seem to be rather more popular than most of their colleagues, as it happens).” – Martin Kettle, The Guardian
“An Ofsted report, due to be published imminently, declares that the Al-Madinah Islamic school in Derby is ‘in chaos’ and has ‘not been adequately monitored or supported’. … The report, which has been leaked to the Guardian, says teachers at the faith school are inexperienced and have not been provided with proper training.” – The Guardian
> Yesterday on ToryDiary: The Al Madinah school and the limits of localism
“In a highly provocative step the Prince of Wales has accused the £2 trillion pensions industry of failing the interests of millions of savers. … The Prince claimed that the short-termism of City investors was increasingly unfit to provide for an ageing population.” – The Times (£)
“The US Congress has passed a bill to reopen the government and raise the federal debt limit, with hours to spare before the nation risked default. … The Democratic-controlled Senate’s bipartisan compromise won approval by 81 votes to 18. … The deal was then passed by 285-144 in the House of Representatives, whose Republican leadership begrudgingly agreed to support the measure.” – BBC
> Yesterday on International: Osborne will be glancing at America today, in fear at what could happen
“Alas, it seems the lure of free champagne and a star-studded party proved too much for the irrepressible Mrs Bercow, wife of Commons Speaker John. … Several hours later, her decision to stay out ended up with her dancing in the street, clambering into a cab with her underwear on show and giggling as she gestured rudely with her middle finger.” – Daily Mail
“Not only was Shirley catnip to men, but many predicted she was destined for greatness – possibly as Britain’s first female prime minister. Certainly few would have placed a bet on a quiet chemistry undergraduate called Margaret Thatcher, who’d graduated three years before, achieving this distinction.” – Daily Mail
“Police are investigating after the roof of the birds’ enclosure at the Chevening Estate in Sundridge, Kent, was broken open this week. Only 20 of the 400 birds kept on the property remain. … The property is shared by the Deputy Prime Minister with the Foreign Secretary, William Hague, as their official weekend residence.” – Daily Mail