Newslinks for Sunday 21st September 2025

PM planning Hamas sanctions ‘to appease Trump’

“Sir Keir Starmer will hit Hamas with new sanctions in an attempt to blunt criticism of his decision to recognise a Palestinian state. The Prime Minister will harden his stance towards the terrorist group in a statement on Sunday, which will confirm that Britain intends to recognise an independent Palestine. His approach will be seen as an attempt to placate Donald Trump, coming just days after the US president publicly criticised the UK’s stance during his state visit. Dame Priti Patel, the shadow foreign secretary, said that the preparation of sanctions was a “feeble last-minute attempt” to appease the White House.” – Sunday Telegraph

• UK set to recognise Palestinian state – Observer
• Recognising Palestinian statehood is a moral duty, says Starmer – Sunday Times
• Nearly nine out of 10 Britons do not back Starmer’s Palestine recognition – Sunday Telegraph
• PM’s decision to recognise a state of Palestine could lead to UK paying £2trillion in reparations – Mail on Sunday
• Palestine state will never exist, says son of Hamas founder – Sunday Telegraph

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>Today:

Phillipson to launch fresh attack on private schools

“Private schools will be charged up to three times more for Ofsted inspections under a fresh raid on the independent sector to be unveiled by the Education Secretary. Bridget Phillipson will announce plans to axe subsidies for independent schools in a move that could spark more accusations she is waging a class war. Ms Phillipson is currently currying favour with Labour’s Left-wing members in the battle to succeed Angela Rayner as the party’s deputy leader. Her move risks further pushing up fees for parents already struggling to cope with the impact of Labour’s VAT raid, which has sparked a wave of school closures.” – Sunday Telegraph

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Tory rebel sets up ‘countdown clock’ to day Badenoch will be toppled as leader

“Kemi Badenoch faced fresh pressure last night after a Tory MP set up a ‘countdown clock’ to the day they hope she will be toppled. News about the account on X, named @kemicountdown, follows a week in which the Tory leader was hit by a fresh wave of defections to Reform UK. East Wiltshire MP Danny Kruger made the switch before ex-Tory health minister Maria Caulfield became the 15th former Conservative MP to defect to Nigel Farage’s party. And it comes as one of Reform’s top targets for defection, Sir John Hayes, warns in today’s Mail on Sunday: ‘Unless the Conservative Party changes it will wither and die…The anonymous disgruntled MP posts on @kemicountdown every day, gleefully counting down until November 3 – the first date a leadership challenge can be launched under Tory party rules.” – Mail on Sunday

Starmer and his Cabinet could be wiped out by Corbyn

“Sir Keir Starmer and his Cabinet face losing their seats to Left-wing candidates, analysis shows. Labour won 411 seats at last year’s general election. But that would plummet to just 126 if an election took place this autumn, analysis suggests. Up to 52 Labour seats are at risk to a combination of Left-wing alternatives, including candidates from the Green Party and independent MPs allied to Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana’s new party. Almost one in three British adults (31 per cent) would vote for a Corbyn-Green alliance, the polling found, rising to 52 per cent of 16 to 34-year-olds, with the Israel-Gaza conflict high up on the agenda of voter concern.” – Sunday Telegraph

• More than half of UK want Starmer out – Sunday Express
• Starmer’s new spin doctor accused of conflict of interest – Sunday Telegraph
• PM set to announce digital ID scheme – FT
• Reed: This country isn’t working for far too many people – Sunday Telegraph
• ‘He’ll be prime minister one day’: The meteoric rise of Darren Jones – Sunday Telegraph

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Reeves facing ‘dizzying’ £11bn deficit

“Tax hikes are “increasingly likely” when the Chancellor delivers her first Budget in November, a leading financial expert has warned, after new figures revealed a sharp deterioration in the Government’s finances. Official data show that public borrowing overshot forecasts by more than £11 billion in the first five months of the fiscal year. The shortfall has intensified pressure on the Chancellor to find new revenue sources to reassure investors that Britain’s debt remains on a sustainable path. Nigel Green, chief executive of global financial advisory firm deVere Group, said the worsening fiscal position left Ms Reeves with little room for manoeuvre.” – Sunday Express

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Other political news and comment

• More than 1,000 people arrive in UK in small boats in one day – Observer
• Don’t use British flag to whip up violence warns Starmer – Sun on Sunday
• Robinson kicked out of two more Latin American countries – Sun on Sunday
• Lammy arms prison guards with Tasers and stab vests – Sunday Telegraph
• Davey urges regulator to go after Musk over X ‘crimes’ – BBC News
• ‘The Greens’ new deputy leader unleashed hate on my family’ – Sunday Times
• Former top civil servant in running to replace Mandelson – FT
• Mandelson failed to declare flights paid for by Epstein – FT

News in Brief