“Migrants from the European Union would no longer have their wages subsidised through tax credits, under plans being considered in Downing Street. No 10 is examining a further migrant benefit clampdown after a furious Angela Merkel forced a retreat on the imposition of quotas on EU arrivals. The German chancellor told David Cameron at last month’s EU summit that he was in danger of crossing a ‘point of no return’ with his promise to limit migration from other member nations” – The Times (£)
>Today:
ToryDiary – More party members believe students should be removed from immigration targets than retained
Comment – Ralph Buckle: We need more Commonwealth immigration
“The UK is the most prosperous of all major EU countries, according to a global analysis that has been seized on as evidence that the country could be richer still if it left the union. The 2014 Prosperity Index, compiled by the Legatum Institute think-tank, placed Norway and Switzerland at the top of its rankings. The index combines economic indicators with quality of life measures such as education and health services, personal safety and freedom” – The Times (£)
“Alistair Darling, the former chancellor, is to stand down as an MP at the next election, in a further blow to a Scottish Labour party which has collapsed in the opinion polls and now faces a leadership vacuum. But Mr Darling insisted the time was right for him to step aside while he was ‘still relatively young’ and threw his support behind Jim Murphy as the person best placed to restore the party’s fortunes north of the border” – Financial Times
>Yesterday: Tory Diary – We cannot – must not – rely on Labour’s problems to hand us re-election
“Jim Murphy took a major gamble in his attempt to become Scottish Labour leader by rejecting the prospect of full devolution of income tax yesterday, despite the majority of voters calling for the power to go to Holyrood. The MP said that by voting ‘no’ in the independence referendum, Scots had endorsed the Union and the cross-border tax system. His concerns about more powers echo those expressed by Gordon Brown — that full devolution of income tax would drive a wedge between Scotland and England” – The Times (£)
“The Government’s beleaguered inquiry into historic child abuse could be ordered to start work without a chairman following Fiona Woolf’s dramatic resignation last week, William Hague said…Mr Hague said the inquiry could start ‘temporarily even without a chairman’ while a replacement is found…The former Foreign Secretary added: ‘There are so many deeply disturbing things for it to look into. The Home Secretary will make a statement to Parliament tomorrow on how we are going to proceed now that Fiona Woolf has withdrawn from this’” – Daily Mail
“MPs accused of abusing the unreformed expenses system will escape official investigation after the House of Commons authorities destroyed all record of their claims, the Daily Telegraph can reveal. John Bercow, the Speaker, faces accusations he has presided over a fresh cover-up of MPs’ expenses after tens of thousands of pieces of paperwork relating to claims made before 2010 under the scandal-hit regime were shredded” – Daily Telegraph
“Tax statements will be sent to millions of workers from today, spelling out where each hard-earned pound is spent. For the first time, Brits will get a personally-tailored ‘tax summary’ showing how the Government uses their cash. Tories hope the annual breakdowns will boost support for slashing bloated state spending, especially on benefits. More than 24 million people will find out where their 2013-14 income tax and national insurance was spent” – The Sun (£)
“Richard Branson has not yet publicly announced whether he will attend the funeral of Michael Alsbury, the 39-year-old test pilot killed when the spacecraft Virgin Galactic exploded over the Mojave Desert last Friday. Since the question now being asked is whether Branson’s determination to send tourists into space may have contributed to Alsbury’s fate, it might be the least Virgin’s founder could do. Branson knows he is fighting for his reputation and what remains of his fortune” – Tom Bower, Daily Mail
“Barclays, HSBC, PwC, KPMG, JPMorgan and Deloitte are just a handful of the big-names pledged to pay all their staff a wage calculated to allow a full-time employee an acceptable standard of living. And it will be a Conservative politician, London mayor Boris Johnson, who will on Monday announce the new London-specific wage in a sign of how the issue of low pay is no longer a cause simply of the left” – Financial Times
>Today: The Deep End – Progressive London isn’t quite as capital as it’s cracked up to be