PLUS: Spads pose with the PM
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The Times and Sunday Times
Thursday September 7 2017
Red Box
Matt Chorley
By Matt Chorley
Good morning,
It's a tough life being a spin doctor: all those late nights waiting for the newspaper front pages to drop and early mornings waiting while the boss gets shouted at on the Today programme.

As a "reward" for their sacrifice, special advisers were invited to line up and have their photograph taken with Theresa May this week. Strangely, several made themselves scarce.
Matt Chorley
Red Box Editor
Twitter icon @MattChorley
 
Must reads
  • Universities will be fined if they fail to justify paying their vice-chancellors more than the prime minister in a new drive against high salaries.

  • Jacinda Ardern, the woman expected to become New Zealand's next prime minister, says her country should consider cutting its royal ties with Britain to become a republic.

  • Maybe Jeremy Corbyn is on to something: Times2 reports that ‘plant-based’ restaurants led by American chefs and backed by billionaire investors are changing the image of veganism.
Power grabs
(Getty Images)
Look, I know it's boring and baffling in equal measure but let's get through this together.

MPs debate the most mis-named legislation ever today. It began as the Great Repeal Bill but it wasn't so great.

It became the Repeal Bill but doesn't really repeal anything; it actually copies a load of laws on to the statute book.

It is now the EU (Withdrawal) Bill but it doesn't do anything about withdrawing; in fact it makes everything exactly the same as it is now.

To add to the confusion, the people who back Brexit to restore parliamentary sovereignty are going to speak in favour of taking back control from Brussels and handing it straight to ministers in Westminster instead.

And the people who didn't back Brexit and were happy with laws being made in Brussels will suddenly become very concerned about parliamentary sovereignty in Westminster.

The Bill copies and pastes half a century of EU law into British law but because they will not all be exactly compatible (it might refer to an EU institution and will have to be changed to a British one ) they will need to be tweaked. To do that in primary legislation in the Commons would take years so ministers want the power to do these tweaks using so-called Henry VIII powers: 800-1,000 statutory instruments, which are quicker but do not get the same scrutiny.

Damian Green, the de facto deputy PM, told Sky News: “I don’t think it’s a power grab at all.” Which will have made some viewers think: "This sounds like a power grab."

Today is the start of the second reading of the bill, before a vote on Monday, when MPs give it a general thumbs up or down.

Labour is going to vote against it but Team Corbyn is pessimistic about defeating the government, while Tory whips seem to think that enough thumb screws have been applied to at least get through Monday unscathed.

Expect speeches to range from the "let's leave right now" hard Brexiteers, to pleas to stay in the single market and customs union forever.

Anna Soubry, Remainer ex-Tory minister and outspoken critic of Brexit, has already said that she will not rebel . . . yet. In unconnected news, Soubry was spotted dining with Gavin Barwell, the PM's chief of staff, at the Cinnamon Club, an Indian restaurant in Westminster, this week. I think that's what you call currying favour.

The real battles over amendments will come later, after the party conference recess. Only eight days of committee stage are planned, which the Lib Dems say is "sticking two fingers up at parliament".

In a show of solidarity, Theresa May will be on the front bench today as David Davis, the Brexit secretary, declares: "We are not rejecting EU law but embracing the work done between member states in over 40 years of membership and using that solid foundation to build on in the future, once we return to being masters of our own laws."

The Commons library says that it is "potentially one of the largest legislative projects ever undertaken in the UK". But I admit that doesn't necessarily make it the most interesting.
Politics of parma ham
Never mind all that complicated stuff about customs and Ireland and billion-pound bills: here's a Brexit story about ham

Brussels is demanding that Britain recognise parma ham, parmesan and champagne as protected products for years after Brexit.
Read the full story >
 
Red Box: Comment
Alison McGovern and Heidi Alexander
Labour must put staying in the single market for good back on the table
Alison McGovern and Heidi Alexander – Labour MPs
Border, border
The leak of Home Office plans for post-Brexit migration have caused uproar, mainly amongst people who seemed to be under the impression that leaving the EU would not mean "taking back control" of migration policy.

The ending of free movement requires some alternative rules to be put in place: adopting rules that largely apply to people from outside the EU seems a good place to start. Tone matters though: all this "Britain first" stuff is a bit, well, Britain First.

The first version, which was leaked, was not seen by ministers; the draft has been through six versions since, though it has not changed dramatically. It still pits Theresa May's hardline immigration position against Amber Rudd, the home secretary. Intriguingly, Brandon Lewis, the immigration minister, is said to be closer to May than Rudd on this.

And Labour has yet to respond...
 
In other leak news...
Several papers have versions of a Brussels negotiating paper which will today call on Britain to take responsibility for ensuring that there will be no physical customs checks on the border between the Irish Republic and Northern Ireland after Brexit.
 
Red Box: Comment
Theresa Villiers
Both sides want a sensible solution to the post-Brexit Irish border issue
Theresa Villiers – Former Northern Ireland secretary
Dear Theresa... No thanks
During the Tories' ill-fated election campaign it was noted that, unusually, the party had not pulled together the obligatory "letter from captains of industry" backing their plans for the country. We now know why.

An attempt to get the bosses of FTSE 100 companies to sign a letter in support of the government's plans for Brexit has been rebuffed. Gabe Winn, the PR guru who did these sorts of letters for the Remain campaign, says: "CEOs (rightly) won't sign if they disagree with one word, never mind the whole premise."
Read the full story >
 
Red Box: Comment
Eloise Todd
No Brexit is better than a Bad Brexit
Eloise Todd – CEO, Best for Britain campaign
Bouncebackability
Ruth Davidson uses an interview in the New Statesman to warn that Brexit could deliver an economic hit and that her fear is that "we don’t bounce back from it”.
Read the full story >
 
Thursday's best comment
David Aaronovitch
We can’t allow superstition to trump science
David Aaronovitch – The Times
Jenni Russell
These migration curbs are years too late
Jenni Russell – The Times
Iain Martin
The Labour machine is smashing the Tories
Iain Martin – The Times
Anti-abortion Jacob Rees-Mogg could set the Tories back decades — that's my business and yours
Cathy Newman - The Daily Telegraph
We don’t owe the EU any money — in fact, we’ll be owed €10 billion
Charlie Elphicke - BrexitCentral
Today's cartoon from The Times by Peter Brookes
Mogg's abortion LOLZ
It turns out that a staunch Catholic holds staunchly Catholic views.

Jacob Rees-Mogg popped up on ITV's Good Morning Britain and revealed that he opposed abortion in all circumstances, including after rape and incest, then threw in his opposition to gay marriage for good measure.

Now, the double-breasted Latinate wisecracker can obviously believe what he likes but there was a distinct lack of LOL Moggmentum memes about the appeal of the unlikely leadership contender's views to millennials. Funny that.
Read the full story >
Yawn of the day
Philip Hammond, the chancellor, seemed to find PMQs as fascinating as the rest of us (ParliamentLive.tv)

He perked up later to tell Tory MPs that help for students and young homebuyers will be in this autumn’s budget. Read the story
The Sketch
McCommons diet is sure to leave you lethargic
Patrick Kidd
Patrick Kidd
Jeremy Corbyn shuffled up to the front of the McCommons queue, where the bored woman behind the desk gave him a look of barely disguised contempt. “Wotchoowant?” she asked him, one painted claw poised over her keyboard.

Philip Hammond was suddenly unable to control himself. The chancellor threw back his head and gave an almighty yawn, just about remembering to cover his mouth. Not a good look for television but a McCommons diet can leave you with a dreadful lethargy these days.
Read the full sketch >
 
Ambassador, you are spoiling us
Only 16 more sleeps until the start of Labour conference...

With the prospect of major leadership battles receding we look elsewhere for distractions. Venezuela’s ambassador to Britain is to appear with allies of Jeremy Corbyn at a pro-regime event at the conference in Brighton this month.
Read the full story >
In the driving seat
BritainThinks, the pollster, has been asking voters about political leaders. If Jeremy Corbyn was a car, a focus group was told, he'd be a Toyota Prius: "Kind of ugly-looking car but they do good for the world.”

Theresa May would be a Reliant Robin: “The fascination is that it doesn’t tip over — it keeps going against the odds.” More here
 
Red Box: Comment
Yannis Gourtsoyannis
Momentum is gearing up for the political battle of a lifetime
Yannis Gourtsoyannis – Momentum NCG member
It's a fix
Nicola Sturgeon is prepared to consider a scheme that would give every Scot a fixed income for life: unconditional and non-withdrawable.
Read the full story >
This, that and the other
(AFP)
Nurses gathered outside parliament to demand an end to the 1 per cent pay cap yesterday as PMQs ground on inside. It would be an understatement to say that they were not impressed by Theresa May describing Labour calls for higher wages as "asking for more money to be spent on this, that and the other".

Buzzfeed reports that when asked whether nurses were "this", "that", or "the other" a Tory source replied: "They are none of the three."
On the defensive
Two Royal Navy ships and battlefield training for thousands of troops will be cut to save money from the defence budget, The Times has learnt.
Read the full story >
Throw the book at him
David Cameron (remember him?) popped into parliament last night to pick up his leaving present from the 1922 committee of Tory backbenchers: a first edition of a biography of Churchill. “I just hope it isn’t the Boris one,” Cameron replied.
Read the full story >
 
Tweet of the day
Dan Bloom, from the Mirror, thinks he knows what Theresa May's former chiefs of staff have been up to since leaving No10
This week I banned the panel from mentioning the B-word. Instead Jenni Russell sounded the alarm on the rollout of universal credit, Iain Martin asked why the nation's faith is fading and Chris Smyth, the Times health editor, explained why the NHS winter warning gets earlier every year.
Listen to the podcast:
Join us at a live debate
Join us at two exclusive Times+ Red Box events, where a panel of Times political columnists and journalists will be doing what they vowed never to do again: making a prediction about the future of British politics.

Can Jeremy Corbyn become prime minister?
4pm, Sunday September 24, Brighton Harbour Hotel, Brighton Book tickets now

Who will lead the Conservative Party next?
7pm, Monday October 2, The Studio, Manchester Book tickets now
Back to Westminster: Layla Moran
(parliament.uk)
‘It’s been suggested that I could lead the party but we’ll have to see’
In the latest interview in our series, Red Box reporter Hannah McGrath speaks to Layla Moran, the Lib Dem who overturned a 9,500 Tory majority in Oxford West and Abingdon to win by 816 votes.

She talks about Palestine, Punch and Judy politics and and co-opting Remain Conservatives to her cause.

She also reveals what Vince Cable has been been whispering in her ear.
Read the full story >
Also in the news
TMS
From the diary
By Patrick Kidd
Swear blind
On the night that Donald Trump tweeted that Nigel Farage should be the next British ambassador to the US it fell to Jon Sopel, the BBC’s man in Washington, to get a response from Downing Street. It being 3am, their comment was terse and crude, Sopel told an audience in London. “Oh f***, really?” was the official line from the duty press officer. Sopel decided it was best to censor the comment, reporting merely that there was “a shocked reaction”.
Read more from the TMS diary >
 
What the papers say
The Times
"It is no wonder that business leaders have said that they are “alarmed” at these proposals if they represent the government’s view. There is still room for manoeuvre, however. Ms Rudd and Mr Hammond seem to be the cooler heads, and business can only hope that they prevail." Read the full article

The Daily Telegraph

"The fact that Whitehall officials are working on a plan to restrict the rights of European citizens to work and settle in the UK is the inevitable consequence of Brexit." Read the full article

The Guardian

"The prime minister might be gambling that the public will suffer to leave the EU. But choosing to be poorer is rarely a decision that voters accept once they understand what it costs." Read the full article

Daily Mail

"Mrs May should shrug off their hysteria. After being ignored for far too long, the people are solidly behind her. And in a democracy, theirs is the voice that matters."

The Independent
"Brexit, in other words, may not happen. The Great Repeal Bill may one day itself have to be repealed." Read the full article

The Sun

"The Left hates the idea of prioritising our own workers — but it is what all major countries do outside the EU. Time they got used to it." Read the full article

Daily Mirror
"Cancer patients being forced to go to A&E for treatment because they are unable to get help from GPs shames Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt." Read the full article

Financial Times

"The hope is that this government can find ways to honour its political commitments while creating the flexibility that a fast-changing modern economy requires. The leaked paper at least hints at such possibilities. Hard political work will be required if they are to be realised in policy." Read the full article
Agenda
Today
  • Theresa May is expected to drop in on a meeting between Alan Duncan, foreign office minister and Julio Andres Borges, head of Venezuela’s National Assembly and critic of president Nicolas Maduro.
  • Boris Johnson, foreign secretary, attends informal meeting of EU ministers in Estonia.
  • Carwyn Jones, Welsh first minister, launches a Welsh government paper on Brexit and the fair movement of people.
  • Karen Bradley, culture secretary, visits the Great Exhibition of the North in Newcastle.
  • Population growth requires strategic thinking in Whitehall, according to a report by the Civitas think thank.
  • Government projects are failing due to inadequate Whitehall processes, according to the Institute for Government.
  • Police productivity is greatly impeded by severe limitations in data technology according to a report by the Royal United Services Institute.
  • 9am: Rebecca Long-Bailey, shadow business secretary, and Juergen Maier, CEO of Siemens, speak at launch of an interim report on the Commission for Economic Justice at the IPPR think tank.
  • 9:30am: Jo Johnson, universities minister, speaks at Universities UK annual conference in Uxbridge.
  • 10am: Sadiq Khan takes questions on the speak to Sadiq phone in show on LBC radio.
  • 10:30am: Michel Barnier, European commission chief Brexit negotiator, holds a press conference in Brussels.
  • 11:30am: Andy Burnham, mayor of Manchester, officially opens the city’s new easyHotel.
  • Noon: Protesters against the EU Withdrawal Bill take part in parade in Henry VIII and Tudor costume on college green in Westminster to highlight the risk of ‘Henry VIII powers’.
  • Noon: Nicola Sturgeon takes first minister’s questions in Holyrood.
  • 6:45pm: Greg Hands, trade and investment minister, speaks at a private policy dinner organised by the Reform think tank.
  • 7pm: CBI Scotland hosts annual dinner for business leaders in Glasgow.
House of Commons
  • 9:30am: Brexit questions
  • European Union (Withdrawal) Bill - 2nd reading (day 1) (David Davis)
  • Adjournment debate on Hive stadium and the sale of public assets (Bob Blackman)
Westminster Hall
  • 1:30pm: The transparency of the BBC (Gregory Campbell)
  • 3pm: 16 to 19 education funding (Nic Dakin)
House of Lords
  • 11am: Oral questions on: children in care obtaining boarding school places; university pension schemes; reporting on the progress of Brexit negotiations; expulsion of Bell Pottinger from the public relations and communications associations.
  • Debate on overcrowding in prisons (Lord Brown of Eaton-under-Heywood)
  • Improving digital understanding at all levels of UK society (Baroness Lane-Fox of Soho)
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