Zahawi ‘begged for peerage’ before defecting to Reform, claim Tories
“The former Conservative chancellor Nadhim Zahawi defected to Reform UK after unsuccessfully “begging” Kemi Badenoch for a peerage, senior Tories have claimed. Zahawi became the most senior Conservative to defect to Nigel Farage’s party on Monday, saying Britain was “drinking in the last chance saloon” and was on the brink of “civil unrest”. However, senior Tories dismissed his defection, claiming that it came after he had been rejected for a peerage by Badenoch because he had previously been sacked for failing to declare an investigation by HM Revenue & Customs into his tax affairs. A Tory source said: “Nadhim asked for a peerage several times. He begged for it. Given he was sacked for his dodgy tax affairs, this was never going to happen. His defection tells you everything you need to know about Reform being a repository for disgraced politicians.” – The Times
- Zahawi defects to Reform – FT
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>Today:
>Yesterday:
Iran threatens Trump with ‘unforgettable lesson’ if US attacks
“Iran has vowed to teach Donald Trump an “unforgettable lesson” if the US carries out strikes against the country. The US president has repeatedly threatened to intervene militarily in response to the regime’s brutal crackdown on the protests gripping the country and is currently weighing his response, with the White House reiterating on Monday that strikes are on the table. Abbas Araghchi, the Iranian foreign minister, warned on Monday that Tehran was “not seeking a war but is fully prepared for war”. – Daily Telegraph
- Trump slaps 25pc tariffs on countries trading with Iran – Daily Telegraph
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Secret room beneath Chinese embassy that poses threat to City
“China is to build a hidden chamber alongside Britain’s most sensitive communication cables as part of a network of 208 secret rooms beneath its new London “super-embassy”, The Telegraph can reveal. This newspaper has uncovered detailed plans for an underground complex below the vast diplomatic site in central London, which Beijing has sought to keep from public scrutiny. Despite the apparent security risk, Sir Keir Starmer is expected to approve the embassy before a visit to China later this month, when he is due to meet Xi Jinping, the Chinese president.” – Daily Telegraph
- Starmer to announce that Chinese super-embassy is approved – The Times
Mahmood ‘prepared to withdraw confidence in police chief’
“Shabana Mahmood is prepared to say that she has no confidence in the chief constable of West Midlands police if he is censured by a watchdog over the decision to ban Israeli football fans from a match in Birmingham. Pressure is mounting on Craig Guildford, the West Midlands chief constable, after Maccabi Tel Aviv fans were barred from travelling to the game at Villa Park in November by the local safety advisory group (SAG), which cited safety concerns based on advice from the police force. MPs have called for Guildford to go and accused the force of giving a misleading account.” – The Times
- Police chief calls London ‘extraordinarily safe’ – FT
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Special forces primed to seize Russian shadow fleet ships
“British special forces are being lined up to storm Russian shadow fleet vessels, The Times can disclose. Elite soldiers trained to rappel on to ships from helicopters and capture their crews could target hundreds of illegal oil tankers after the government identified a new legal basis for the raids. A defence source confirmed that options were being developed for seizures at sea, adding: “If you want to dial up the economic pressure on Russia, that looks like operators fast-roping on to illegal oil tankers.” The Special Boats Service (SBS), the Royal Navy’s answer to the Special Air Service (SAS), is likely to lead the missions, though no timeframe has been given for when they might deploy.” – The Times
Jewish MP’s school visit cancelled after pro-Palestinian campaign
“A visit by a Jewish MP to a school in his constituency was cancelled after a campaign by pro-Palestinian teachers and threats from parents to keep their children at home. Damien Egan, the Labour MP for Bristol North East, was due to visit Bristol Brunel Academy in September, but the visit was cancelled after protests were planned and teachers threatened to wear keffiyehs to school on the day. The campaign was led by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) and the National Education Union (NEU). It is understood a visit by Egan to a second school in the trust was subsequently abandoned by mutual agreement. The Bristol branch of the PSC said it acted because Egan was vice-chair of Labour Friends of Israel. Steve Reed, the communities secretary, said the incident was an “outrage” and the school’s leaders would be held to account.” – The Times
>Today:
Fury at ‘pathetic’ PM’s ‘laughable’ brainwave to stop Channel migrant dinghies
“Sir Keir Starmer’s government has unveiled its latest brainwave to stop the small boats — opening a TikTok account. The Home Office insists it is aimed at tackling online misinformation and dissuading migrants from risking the journey across the Channel. But both the Tories and Reform have dismissed it as a gimmick. And the PM risked a row last night by telling Labour MPs that “immigration is under control”. While legal net migration has fallen owing to Tory curbs and Britons moving abroad, it is still more than 200,000 annually. And crossings were up last year despite Labour’s pledge to smash the smuggling gangs.” – The Sun
- More illegal migrant workers arrested than ever before, claims Labour – Daily Telegraph
Reeves ‘misled public’ over pub tax raid
“Rachel Reeves has been accused of misleading the public over her tax raid on pubs. In her November Budget, the Chancellor claimed she would cut business rates to a 35-year low, pledging to deliver “the lowest rates since 1991” for more than 750,000 retail, hospitality and leisure properties. However, the Conservatives have said the statement was “statistically misleading” because it related to only one part of the sum used to calculate a business rates bill. The Tories said the tax take was actually at its “highest ever” level, with the Office for Budget Responsibility predicting that business rates receipts would rise by £10bn by 2031.” – Daily Telegraph
- Chancellor refuses to bail out hospitality venues as 2,000 face closure – Daily Mail
- Pensioners will never forgive Reeves – this is far worse than her other disasters – Daily Express
- Starmer and Reeves talk up UK’s economic prospects ahead of Davos – FT
- Starmer tells Labour MPs his foreign trips can help fix cost of living crisis – Guardian
- Record two million workers to fall into £100,000 tax trap – Daily Telegraph
Stride vows to protect OBR in new dividing line with Farage
“Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has vowed to protect the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) in any future Conservative government, drawing a dividing line with Reform’s Nigel Farage on approaches to controlling public finances. Stride is expected to re-establish the Conservative Party’s firm commitment to maintaining the fiscal watchdog as an independent body scoring the effects of the government’s tax, spend and growth-focused measures. At an event hosted by the Institute for Government, Stride will hit out at Farage’s ambivalence around the OBR after the Reform leader repeatedly refused to commit to keep the forecaster.” – CityAM
Mandelson apologises for Epstein association in sudden U-turn
“Peter Mandelson has issued an apology for his association with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein – after declining to do so in an interview broadcast on Sunday. The Labour peer, who was sacked as US ambassador when details of his support for Epstein emerged in September, gave an interview to the BBC in which he suggested that as a gay man he knew nothing of the disgraced financier’s sex life. On Monday night, Mandelson apologised “unequivocally” for associating with Epstein after his conviction.” – Guardian
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Other political news and comment
- Send the Army into Tunbridge Wells to fix water crisis, Starmer urged – Daily Telegraph
- Illegal migrant worker crackdown sees record numbers of raids and arrests – Sky News
- Under-16s could be banned from social media within months – the i
- Net zero costs will be worse than feared, report finds – Daily Telegraph
- Miliband’s net zero zealotry will be Labour’s downfall – Ben Marlow, Daily Telegraph
- Hermer ‘paved the way for payout to Guantanamo terror suspect’ – Daily Telegraph
- Guantanamo detainee was represented by Starmer ally Lord Hermer – The Times
- UK not ready for full-scale conflict, military chief warns – FT
- Compensation for A&E mistakes doubles in a decade – The Times
And finally…
- Welsh civil servants take away day to translate eight English words… and fail – Daily Telegraph
