Mel Stride's four-word answer to the question why he should be the next Tory leader
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Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government has announced that it will not take legal action against the International Criminal Court's (ICC) arrest warrants against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is accused of committing war crimes during Israel's war in Palestine.
Rishi Sunak had previously threatened to present arguments on whether the ICC had the right to order the arrests, but Downing Street has now confirmed that it will not oppose the applications as they “form part of the court's decision”.
Previously, Education Minister Bridget Phillipson defended the decision to suspend the Tory law on freedom of speech at universities, saying it was “not helpful” in light of the strong reactions from activists.
Labour's Rachel Reeves is expected to reveal a black hole in the public finances of around £20 billion and suggest tax rises could be imminent, but Jeremy Hunt dismissed these claims as “fabrication”.
In the race for the Tory leadership, Mel Stride became the fourth Conservative MP to announce his entry into the race to succeed Rishi Sunak as party leader, joining Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick.
Important points
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New Minister of Justice voluntarily wears alcohol control badge
A justice minister has volunteered to wear an alcohol control badge to help reduce recidivism rates among released prison inmates.
Lord Timpson said he expected wearing the device to provide “first-hand insights” that would give people the opportunity to “change their behaviour”.
During the Peers' examination of a report on community sentences, Lord Timpson described electronic monitoring as a “useful tool” for monitoring compliance with sentences.
They can be used for a variety of purposes, including monitoring the alcohol content of the wearer's sweat every 30 minutes, tracking the whereabouts of criminals throughout the day, and ensuring that they do not leave home during a curfew.
Lord Timpson was previously managing director of Timpson shoe repair company, which trains and employs ex-prisoners, and also served as chairman of the Prison Reform Trust.
The rehabilitation activist, who in his new role is responsible for prisons, probation and parole, told his colleagues: “Data from alcohol monitoring in community sentences shows that the devices did not register a tamper or alcohol alarm on over 97% of the days they were worn.”
“This gives the perpetrators a real chance to change their behaviour and move on with their lives.
“I have volunteered to provide an alcohol tag myself and am looking forward to gaining first-hand insight into the experiences of those under electronic surveillance.”
Liberal Democrat Baroness Hamwee joked to the minister: “I wonder if he knows if there is a chocolate label – I could do with one of those.”
Salma OuaguiraJuly 26, 2024 15:57
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Watch: Martin Lewis clears up confusion over child benefit cap
Martin Lewis clears up confusion over child benefit cap
Martin Lewis has cleared up confusion over the cap on the two-child benefit after Labour defeated an amendment to scrap the controversial measure. The cap prevents parents from claiming Universal Credit or Tax Credit for their third child. It came into force in April 2017 under a Conservative government and applies to children born after 6 April 2017. The Tories said the measures were designed to encourage benefit claimants to “make the same choices as those who earn their living solely through work”. It is a separate payment to child benefit and there is no limit on the number of children it can be claimed for.
Salma OuaguiraJuly 26, 2024 15:46
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Labour decision to suspend freedom of speech law described as ‘chilling’
Labour's move to suspend a bill that could fine universities and student unions for violating freedom of expression has been described as “appalling” by a former Conservative minister.
The government has decided to suspend the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 “to consider options, including its repeal,” Education Minister Bridget Phillipson announced on Friday.
The law, which was due to come into force next week, would have allowed the Office for Students (OfS) to sanction higher education providers and student unions in England if they did not adequately protect freedom of expression.
Claire Coutinho, energy minister in Rishi Sunak's cabinet, sharply criticised the decision on social media, claiming it was a “taste of what awaits us under the new government”.
A Labour Party spokesman denied that the decision represented a step backwards in terms of freedom of expression.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full story:
Salma OuaguiraJuly 26, 2024 15:37
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Watch: Mel Stride's four-word answer to why he should be the next Tory leader
Mel Stride's four-word answer to the question why he should be the next Tory leader
Salma Ouaguira26 July 2024 15:27
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Union leaders call on Starmer to allow suspended Labour MPs to intervene in legislation again
Ten trade union general secretaries have called on Sir Keir Starmer to return the vote of confidence to the seven Labour MPs who were suspended for rebelling against the party, Tribune Magazine reports.
The Prime Minister faced an early rebellion when he supported an amendment to the King's Speech calling for the abolition of the two-child benefit cap.
Following the suspension, Sir Keir has now been urged by several union leaders, including Mick Lynch of the RMT union and Jo Grady, chair of the Trade Union Coordinating Group, to lift the controversial ban.
A letter to the Prime Minister said: “We deeply regret that the manifesto and subsequent Royal Speech lack any plan to remove the two-child limit on Universal Credit entitlement. According to the Resolution Foundation, this affects 1.6 million children living in families affected by this policy – and in more than three-fifths of these households someone is in work.”
RMT general secretary Mick Lynch called on the Prime Minister to abolish the two-child benefit cap and reinstate the seven suspended MPs.
Salma OuaguiraJuly 26, 2024 15:18
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Full text: Starmer drops Britain's challenge to international arrest warrant against Netanyahu
Keir Starmer has dropped Rishi Sunak's plans to challenge the International Criminal Court's (ICC) request for an arrest warrant against Benjamin Netanyahu.
The previous Conservative government had suggested that the ICC was exceeding its powers, but 10 Downing Street has now confirmed that no objection will be raised under the Labour government.
The matter must be “decided by the court,” Downing Street said.
In May, ICC prosecutor Karim Khan requested arrest warrants against Israel's prime minister and defense minister Yoav Gallant over Israel's war in the Gaza Strip.
It is the first time in the history of the ICC that arrest warrants have been issued against the incumbent head of state and defence minister of a country supported by other powerful Western states, including Britain and the US, international law experts told The Independent.
Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin has the full story:
Salma OuaguiraJuly 26, 2024 15:10
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Economists say the Bank of England’s interest rate decision is on a knife edge
The Bank of England's next interest rate decision is on a knife edge, experts say, as borrowers wait to see whether there will be cost cuts for the first time since the pandemic.
Economists are divided over whether bank policymakers will decide on Thursday that it is the right time to cut interest rates.
The British base interest rate has been at 5.25 percent since August last year. This is part of the central bank's task of curbing uncontrollable inflation.
But with inflation reaching the bank's target of two percent over the past two months, there are hopes that interest rates could begin to be cut to ease pressure on borrowers.
If true, this would be the first cut in UK interest rates since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in March 2020.
James Smith, developed markets economist at ING, said it would be a “close call” but he expected the majority of politicians to vote for a 0.25 percentage point rate cut on Thursday.
He said services inflation – which only takes into account service-related industries such as hospitality and culture – was “currently the guiding light for Bank of England policy”.
“More recently, services sector inflation has been supported by a soaring hotel price index,” he said, suggesting the bank may be less concerned about the “highly volatile” nature of the data.
“The bottom line is that the latest data contains just enough to give the Bank the confidence to start cutting interest rates,” Mr Smith concluded.
Salma OuaguiraJuly 26, 2024 15:05
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Suspended Labour MP welcomes decision on arrest warrant against Netanyahu, but calls for ban on arms sales to Israel
Salma OuaguiraJuly 26, 2024 15:00
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Clever: “Labour is preparing to raise your taxes”
Salma Ouaguira26 July 2024 14:54
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Kemi Badenoch accuses her rival for the Tory leadership of ‘dirty tricks’
Kemi Badenoch has accused one of the candidates for the Conservative leadership of conducting a campaign of malicious tricks against her in the run-up to the announcement of a possible candidacy.
The shadow business secretary has attacked an unnamed rival after a dossier emerged claiming she was behind anonymous blog comments containing offensive remarks.
The former Cabinet minister claimed it was “amusing and alarming the extraordinary lengths to which people will go to pull dirty tricks”, adding: “Apparently a campaign has sent the leader of the Westminster lobby a 'dirty dossier' of 'harsh comments' from 20 years ago.”
Ms Badenoch added: “We can do better and I will say and write more about how in due course.”
She also said that much of the “discourse across the political spectrum is obsessed with pettiness and infantility.”
Salma OuaguiraJuly 26, 2024 14:49