View from Westminster
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Thursday, February 1, 2024 |
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What is Keir Starmer up to on the £28bn? |
It looked as if the Labour leadership was planning an orderly retreat from the £28bn-a-year figure for its green investment plan, but it looks more and more as if it intends to muddle through with no commitment to borrow that much but without disowning the figure. The latest form of words was deployed by Jonathan Reynolds, the shadow business secretary, who downgraded the figure to an "ambition" on the Today programme this morning. I understand that he wants to get rid of it, as does Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, Pat McFadden, the shadow cabinet minister running the election campaign, and Morgan McSweeney, Starmer's long-time adviser who is the top official on the election campaign team. Yet the figure survives, because Ed Miliband, the shadow energy secretary, fights so fiercely to keep it as a symbol of Labour standing for something. And Starmer appears unable to make up his mind between his warring subordinates. Curiouser and curiouser. |
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The title of which 1980 Abba song is the brand name of a spotlight that they used on their tours? |
Answer at the bottom of today's email |
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| James Heappey, defence minister, will re-examine cases of 400 special forces soldiers after The Independent's campaign | |
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| Labour is presenting itself as the 'party of business' at a day-long conference to woo chief executives |
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| | Mike Freer says he avoided murder by 'skin of my teeth' – prompting push for greater protection |
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| What else you need to know today |
- Simon Danczuk, the former Labour MP for Rochdale, is standing for Reform in the by-election caused by the death of Tony Lloyd
- Tony Blair has written a guide to political leadership "for the busy, aspiring leader" – the kind of thing he wishes he'd had in 1997 – to be published later this year, just in time for another possible incoming Labour government
- I wrote about the latest Tory plot twist: that Kemi Badenoch might be drafted by plotters trying to get rid of Rishi Sunak before the election
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Can the Scottish National Party recover from the fall of Nicola Sturgeon? |
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Alex Salmond and Nicola Sturgeon were titanic figures in Scottish politics for two decades, albeit in both senses of the term. Now both are discredited... Read more |
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A look back at the week in the Westminster bubble |
Spotlight of scrutiny turns to Labour |
Rishi Sunak showed that he can still solve difficult problems in government, resulting in the historic decision by the Democratic Unionist Party in the early hours of Tuesday morning to accept further changes to the Northern Ireland protocol on post-Brexit trade – and to restart devolved government. We may find out this weekend whether the deal will hold. Meanwhile, the spotlight of scrutiny is turning towards Labour, likely to take over the UK government later this year. Rachel Reeves, the shadow chancellor, shocked many in her party by telling the BBC that bankers' bonuses would remain uncapped under a Labour government. That announcement stole her own thunder in her speech to the Labour business conference today that corporation tax would not rise from 25 per cent if Labour were in power. The cap on bankers' bonuses was only ever a symbolic policy – the banks just paid higher base salaries instead – but the symbolism was powerful enough to cut through the confusion over Labour's now-you-see-it-now-you-don't £28bn-a-year green investment policy. Labour is a party of business now. |
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Nicola Sturgeon "could cry from one eye if she wanted to" |
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"I can't believe my neighbours the Olafssons have removed their son's name from the latest national survey. They've taken Leif off their census." Glenny Rodge |
Quiz answer: "Super Trouper," which was also the title of a 1973 Deep Purple song |
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