Newslinks for Monday 30th June

Starmer stuck with Labour welfare rebellion

“Sir Keir Starmer will launch a last-ditch attempt on Monday to convince MPs to back cuts to disability benefits, but faces a stand-off with about 50 Labour backbenchers still set on rebelling. Ministers insist they have offered the rebels everything possible to back down after concessions last week staved off a probable defeat in the Commons on Tuesday. Starmer potentially faces the choice between removing the whip from the sizeable group of backbenchers still intent on voting against the government, or suffering a further blow to his authority, which has already been severely undermined by the row. Downing Street has not yet indicated what sanctions would be brought against the rebels. Instead, ministers will announce the terms for a review of disability benefits in the hope it will quell further rebellions. The Times understands government whips have told MPs over the weekend to wait and see what the review — to be led by Sir Stephen Timms, the disability minister — can achieve before voting against the government.” – The Times

• Tories can cut the welfare bill by “£12billion”, Helen Whately tells GB News – GB News
• Starmer’s disability benefit concessions are not enough, says rebel Labour whip – The Guardian
• Andy Burnham Calls On Labour MPs To Vote Against Welfare Cuts Despite Starmer U-Turn – HuffPost
• Just one in five voters want disability benefits cut in fresh blow for Starmer – The i
• Keir Starmer admits humiliating benefits U-turn WAS his fault after being ‘distracted’ by Middle East and Nato – The Sun
• Disabled people ‘could face extra annual costs of £15,000 by end of the decade’ – PA

Comment:

• I will vote against the Welfare Bill – I don’t want anyone to feel the regret I’ve had since 2015 – Emma Lewell, The House
• Keir Starmer has a new plan – and it starts with finding his personality – Anne McElvoy, The i
• How Keir Starmer’s feeble grip on power got weaker – Trevor Phillips, The Times
• After a dreadful first year, Starmer has no hope of fixing the economy – Roger Bootle, Daily Telegraph

>: Today: Helen Whately: How Labour sabotaged itself three different ways on Welfare – and still misses the real point

>: Yesterday: A tale of two leaders is becoming a ‘Dickens’ of story and this week could be a crucial chapter

BBC under fire for broadcasting Glastonbury ‘death to the IDF chant’ – Tories call for prosecutions

“BBC bosses should be prosecuted for broadcasting a vile anti-Semitic outburst at the Glastonbury festival, the Tory party said tonight. Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp said the corporation ‘appears to have broken the law’ by transmitting a punk duo’s calls for the deaths of Israeli soldiers. Top lawyer Lord Carlile said the BBC may have committed a criminal offence, while Sir Keir Starmer said the broadcaster had serious questions to answer. The growing backlash comes after the BBC live-streamed Bob Vylan’s performance uninterrupted on its iPlayer site. It could now face an investigation into whether it has breached public-order laws. Such are the implications of the chants that the US State Department is also reportedly gearing up to revoke the band’s visas ahead of a forthcoming tour. During Saturday’s performance by the London-based pro-Palestinian duo, vocalist Bobby Vylan shouted ‘Death, death to the IDF’, the Israeli Defence Forces. He followed the chant, which was repeated by the audience, with ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine… will be free’ – regarded by many Jews as a call for Israel’s elimination. Broadcasting material calling for the death of an individual or group is an offence under the Public Order Act 1986. It carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison.” – Daily Mail

• Starmer blasts BBC and demands explanation for broadcasting Bob Vylan’s ‘appalling’ ‘death to the IDF’ Glastonbury chant – The Sun
• BBC staff ‘ashamed’ over Glastonbury ‘death to IDF’ chants – The Times
• Islamist extremists fuelling rise in antisemitism, Blunkett warns – The Times

Comment:

• The BBC’s broadcast of Glastonbury hate chanting is nothing short of criminal – Danny Cohen, Daily Telegraph
• The BBC have made error after error in their anti-Israel coverage since October 7 – The Sun Says

Kneecap avoid charge over ‘dead Tory’ video

“How low is too low? Kneecap seem determined to find out, judging by their never-ending mission to troll the UK. But last month even the West Belfast trio seemed to go too far, after a video emerged of them calling for the death of British MPs. It prompted a grovelling statement from the band, insisting that they would not incite violence against any individual. Real hard men, eh? Of course, cynics suggested that Kneecap’s capitulation had less to do with genuine remorse and concern for the likes of David Amess’s family, and more to do with an effect on ticket sales. But now the not-so-funny trio can sleep easy, for Steerpike has checked and counter-terror police have confirmed they will not be charging the group over a November 2023 video in which they say ‘the only good Tory is a dead Tory. Kill your local MP’.” – The Spectator

• Terrorism inquiry into Kneecap’s alleged call to murder Tory MPs dropped, Met Police confirms – Irish Times
• Kneecap lead anti-Starmer chant during politically charged Glastonbury set – The Guardian

Comment:

• Let Kneecap and Bob Vylan speak freely – Finn McRedmond, The New Statesman
• Bob Vylan and Kneecap have exposed a disturbing truth about our democracy – Ian Birrell, The i

News in brief:

The bluster and waffle of George Freeman – Sam Leith, The Spectator

Choosing a chancellor of Cambridge is no joke – Eliot Wilson, CityAM

What Starmer could learn from Blair – Richard Johnson, Unherd

The end of Keir Starmer – Sebastian Milbank, The Critic