UK is facing £8bn bill to rejoin student exchange scheme
“Britain faces an £8.75bn bill after Sir Keir Starmer agreed a deal to rejoin the European Union’s student exchange programme. Ministers announced on Wednesday that Britain would rejoin the Erasmus scheme, which allows students to spend a year studying at a European university, for the first time since Brexit. It is the first step in Sir Keir’s drive for closer ties with Europe after he said he was prepared to make “trade-offs”. It follows other agreements, including granting EU boats access to British fishing waters and a pledge to follow European standards on food exports. Labour said that rejoining Erasmus would cost £570m in 2027 for a one-year membership, but declined to say what the future costs would be.” – Daily Telegraph
- The £6bn cost of Starmer’s new bid ‘to suck up to’ Brussels – Daily Mail
Comment
Tories vow to create £50bn defence fund through green cuts
“Net zero projects and “nonsense” research grants would be scrapped under Tory plans to divert £17bn towards funding Britain’s defence. Kemi Badenoch has announced she would axe taxpayer funding for “vanity” schemes and funnel the cash into boosting the UK’s “war readiness”. The Conservative leader would set up a £50bn “sovereign defence fund”, made up of public and private investment, to replenish the Armed Forces. Her intervention comes after the head of the Navy warned that a shortage of cash could mean Britain loses control of the North Atlantic to Russia. Under the Tory plans, £11bn for green energy schemes would be taken out of Labour’s national wealth fund and reallocated to defence spending. The money would be put into a new national defence and resilience bank and used to bankroll military projects like weapons development.” – Daily Telegraph
- Net Zero schemes will be slashed to pay for £50bn mega defence war chest under Tory plans – The Sun
- Tories will use Miliband’s ‘vanity’ Net Zero project cash to deter Putin – Daily Express
Comment
>Today:
>Yesterday:
MPs warn that agreements with Trump are ‘built on sand’
“Ministers and senior MPs have warned that the UK’s agreements with Donald Trump are “built on sand” after the Guardian established that the deal to avoid drug tariffs has no underlying text beyond limited headline terms. The “milestone” US-UK deal announced this month on pharmaceuticals, which will mean the NHS pays more for medicines in exchange for a promise of zero tariffs on the industry, still lacks a legal footing beyond top lines contained in two government press releases. Concerns over the basis of the agreement have been heightened by Washington’s decision to suspend the £31bn “tech prosperity deal”, which had been hailed as “a generational step-change in our relationship with the US”. – Guardian
Boys to be sent on anti-misogyny courses
“Boys as young as 11 will be sent on anti-misogyny courses designed to stamp out violence against women and girls, under government plans. Pupils who show harmful behaviour will be signed up to “behaviour change programmes” in schools. The courses will be “focused on challenging deep-rooted misogynist influences”. Sir Keir Starmer said “every parent should be able to trust that their daughter is safe at school, online and in her relationships” as the government announced its long-awaited strategy to halve violence against women and girls. Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, pledged to “deploy the full power of the state to introduce the largest crackdown to stop violence perpetrated against women and girls”. – The Times
- Boys to learn difference between porn and real life – Guardian
Comment
Six wealthy councils in south will get power to hike council tax
“Council tax would have to rise by as much as 75 per cent in parts of London just to balance the books after Labour redistributed local authority funding to poorer areas. Ministers have scrapped the need for a residents’ referendum in six councils to approve an increase of more than 5 per cent. The areas exempt from the referendum rules are Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Wandsworth, Windsor & Maidenhead, Westminster, and the City of London. The funding allocations to Wandsworth and Westminster assume an increase in council tax bills of about 75 per cent, the Institute for Fiscal Studies said.” – The Times
- Council tax could soar 75% in some areas – Daily Mail
Australia’s PM announces hate speech laws after ‘many red flags’
“Australia’s prime minister has announced a sweeping crackdown on antisemitism in the wake of a terror attack in Sydney that left Jewish leaders anguished and infuriated. A raft of offences he will look to fold into new legislation includes “aggravated hate speech” aimed at Islamic preachers who promote violence. The country’s interior ministry will also be given additional powers to cancel or reject visas of those who spread “hate and division”. “Australians are shocked and angry. I am angry. It is clear we need to do more to combat this evil scourge,” Anthony Albanese said, speaking in the nation’s capital, Canberra, on Thursday as funerals continued for those killed.” – The Times
- Tougher hate speech laws announced after Bondi terror attack – Daily Telegraph
- Cops arrest protesters chanting ‘globalise the intifada’ – The Sun
- Palestine Action hunger strikers ‘set to die unless minister acts’ – The Times
- Pro-Palestine protesters arrested after calling for intifada – Daily Telegraph
- BBC forced to correct claim intifada militants were ‘largely unarmed’ – Daily Telegraph
Comment
Farage told to ‘come out of hiding’ over alleged election overspending
“Nigel Farage is facing a possible second investigation into allegations he overspent on his Clacton election battle by £9,000 after the official watchdog said it was assessing the claims. The Electoral Commission was asked by Labour to look into Reform UK’s election expenses after a whistleblower told the Daily Telegraph that the party failed to declare spending on leaflets, banners, utility bills and refurbishment of a bar in its Clacton campaign office. Anna Turley, the Labour party chair, called on Farage to “urgently come out of hiding” and explain whether his party spent more than the £20,660 limit for campaigning.” – Guardian
Other political news and comment
- Acas offers to help break deadlock in resident doctors’ strike – Guardian
- Auditors raise red flags at public body run by Houchen – FT
- Belgian politicians and finance bosses targeted by Russian intelligence over seized assets – Guardian
- British Museum sends artefacts abroad to help countries ‘decolonise’ – Daily Telegraph
News in Brief
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