October election? This was no slip of the tongue from Jeremy Hunt

Published

2 months ago

March 20, 2024

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What was Jeremy Hunt up to?

Was he aiming to snatch the headlines from his Labour rival Rachel Reeves on the evening of her weighty and well-trailed lecture on the economy?

Almost certainly.

Was he also aiming to tease Labour MPs about an October election when he and the prime minister are really planning for November?

Quite possibly.

Was he trying to calm Tory MPs’ jitters worried about a June or July election after Rishi Sunak ruled out 2 May?

No doubt.

And was he hoping to reassure his backbenchers that he and the PM have a credible economic strategy – “sticking to the plan” – including falling inflation and lower interest rates?

Of course.

Politics live: Chancellor appears to let slip when election might be

Mr Hunt’s tantalising “if the general election is in October” aside to the House of Lords’ economic affairs committee was surely no accident. No way was it a slip of the tongue.

The 14 peers who sit on their lordships’ equivalent of the Treasury select committee in the Commons include some wise and experienced old timers: an ex-chancellor and two former Treasury mandarins.

Okay, so Norman Lamont’s record as John Major’s chancellor from 1990 to 1993 was hardly an unmitigated triumph. Remember Black Wednesday?

But Terry Burns was a distinguished chief economic adviser and permanent secretary at the Treasury in the Thatcher, Major and early Blair and Brown period.

And Andrew Turnbull, the mandarin’s mandarin, was also Treasury permanent secretary under Mr Brown and then Sir Tony’s cabinet secretary.

So Mr Hunt knew exactly what he was doing.

Apart from the soap opera of Tory plots against the PM, the date of the general election is all MPs are talking about and parliament’s constant guessing game at present.

On 7 March, the day after his budget that dismayed Tory backbenchers, the chancellor told Kay Burley on Sky News the “working assumption” was that the election would be in the autumn.

That was after the PM said his “working assumption” was that it would take place in the second half of the year.

Now, the PM and the chancellor appear to be narrowing it down.

But if it is to be October, when exactly?

Mr Hunt told their lordships an election in October would make it “very, very tight” to fit in a spending review.

That, along with the expectation that he’ll deliver a tax-cutting pre-election budget in September – fulfilling Mr Sunak’s pledge to cut the basic rate of income tax from 20p to 19p before the election – suggests the second half of the month.

Forget Thursday 31 October. What prime minister is going to risk “nightmare on Halloween” headlines? Not even the accident-prone Mr Sunak, surely?

We can also rule out the previous Thursday, 24 October, which clashes with the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM) in Samoa, requiring the presence of both King Charles and whoever is PM then.

Which leaves, realistically, 10 or 17 October. And the current betting at Westminster is that if it is October, then the 17th is favourite.

Mr Hunt has presumably known that for some time. Even if his prime motive at the Lords committee was indeed to snatch the evening headlines from Ms Reeves.

UK

Emergency measure triggered to deal with prison overcrowding in England

Published

2 hours ago

May 15, 2024

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Emergency measure triggered to deal with prison overcrowding in England

An emergency measure has been triggered by the Ministry of Justice to deal with prison overcrowding in England.

Operation Early Dawn will see defendants in police custody remain there – and not be transferred to magistrates’ courts for bail hearings – in case there is no space in jail cells for that prisoner if they are remanded into custody.

Sky News understands the measure is just being used in London and the North East, at the moment.

The Law Society, which represents solicitors in England and Wales, says many magistrates’ court cases will be delayed as a result, with the most serious cases given priority.

Defendants who are not prioritised will be released on police bail, the Law Society added.

At Prime Minister’s Questions, Sir Keir said the “prison system is in chaos” and asked the prime minister if his decision to “let prisoners out 70 days early makes our country more secure”.

A Ministry of Justice spokesman said: “This government is categorical that the most dangerous offenders should stay behind bars for longer, which is why new laws will keep rapists locked up for every day of their prison sentence and ensure life means life for the most horrific murderers.

“We continue to see pressure on our prisons following the impact of the pandemic and barristers’ strike which is why we have initiated a previously used measure to securely transfer prisoners between courts and custody and ensure there is always a custody cell available should they be remanded.”

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The Law Society said it was “crystal clear” the prison space crisis “is a consequence of the government’s approach to justice including over a decade of underfunding of our criminal justice system”.

A spokesman added: “Victims, witnesses, defendants and lawyers will today turn up at magistrates’ courts across England only to find out that their cases have been delayed due to a crisis in prison and police cell capacity outside of their control.

“As of now, we understand that this pattern will be repeated every day that this emergency measure is in place.”

High-risk offenders being released early

In February, a separate scheme – the End of Custody Supervised Licence (ECSL) – to allow prisoners to be released early due to a lack of space was extended indefinitely. Those convicted of serious offences are not eligible for early release.

A row broke out over the scheme during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday after Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer accused Rishi Sunak of allowing sex offenders to be released early.

Sir Keir quoted a report published on Tuesday by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons about Lewes prison in East Sussex, after he found a “high-risk prisoner had his release date brought forward under the ECSL scheme, despite having a history of stalking, domestic abuse and being subject to a restraining order”.

“He was a risk to children and subject to an exclusion zone that included the local authority responsible for trying to house him,” the report said.

But the prime minister said: “As I’ve said, no one should be put on this scheme if they are a threat to the country.

“And let me be crystal clear… it does not apply to anyone serving a life sentence.

“Anyone convicted of a serious violent offence, anyone convicted of terrorism, anyone convicted of a sex offence, and crucially, in contrast to the system that Labour had put in place, governors and the prison service have an absolute lock so that no one is put on this scheme who shouldn’t be.”

UK

Royal Mail ‘minded’ to accept £3.5bn takeover proposal by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky

Published

4 hours ago

May 15, 2024

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Royal Mail 'minded' to accept £3.5bn takeover proposal by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky

The owner of Royal Mail has said it is “minded” to accept a revised takeover bid by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky.

The latest offer from Mr Kretinsky’s investment firm EP Group values the Royal Mail parent company International Distribution Services (IDS) at £3.5bn.

Money latest: UK economy in safe hands ‘whoever wins’ election, top bank chief says

Mr Kretinsky’s firm already owns most of IDS as a 27.6% shareholder but wishes to buy the remaining shares.

An earlier offer of £3.20 a share had been rejected last month for being too low.

But now he has offered to pay £3.60 for each share. The day before the original offer was made a share in IDS cost £2.14.

An extra shareholder pay out of 8 pence a share has been offered by EP Group, if the deal closes, as has a 2 pence per share payment to every stakeholder, expected to be paid in September.

It would bring the total value of an IDS share to 73% more than it cost before the prospect of a buyout was raised.

‘Good value’

“Having considered the proposal, the board has indicated to EP Group that it would be minded to recommend an offer to IDS shareholders”, the IDS board said.

The price is “fair” and reflects the value of current growth plans, the IDS chairman said.

Consideration was given by the board to the national significance of Royal Mail as the operator of the postal network.

“The board is particularly mindful of Royal Mail’s unique heritage and responsibilities as the designated universal service provider in the United Kingdom and a key part of national infrastructure”, it said.

In assessing the proposal, the board has also been very mindful of the impact on Royal Mail and GLS and their respective stakeholders and employees, as well as broader public interest factors”.

EP Group has until 29 May to advance or withdraw its takeover bid.

Who is Daniel Kretinsky?

There has already been scrutiny of Mr Kretinsky’s part ownership in the postal company but a government national security concerns review into his investment led to no intervention.

He also owns parts of West Ham Football Club and Sainsbury’s.

EP Group, which he controls, has financial interests in energy, logistics, and food retail.

UK

King and Queen attend royal honours service at St Paul’s Cathedral

Published

7 hours ago

May 15, 2024

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King and Queen attend royal honours service at St Paul's Cathedral

The King and Queen have arrived at St Paul’s Cathedral in central London for a service of dedication for the Order of the British Empire.

Established by King George V in 1917 to reward outstanding contributions to the war effort – it now recognises the work of people from all walks of life.

Around 2,000 people who are holders of the royal honours such as MBEs and OBEs – from the UK and Commonwealth – formed part of the congregation.

The King is the Sovereign of the Order of the British Empire, and the Queen is the Grand Master of the Order of the British Empire.

It comes after the King carried out his first investiture in five months – and his first since his cancer diagnosis – at Windsor Castle yesterday.

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby, who conducted the service for the coronation, was one of the 52 recipients of an investiture – and was given the Knight Grand Cross of the Royal Victorian Order.

Awards of the Royal Victorian Order are in the King’s gift and are bestowed independently of Downing Street to people who have served the monarch or the Royal Family in a personal way.

He said the King seemed in “very good spirits indeed” and was “looking very well” as they spoke during the ceremony.

The monarch, who is receiving treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, was given permission by his doctors to return to public duties last month.

Dean of Westminster Abbey Dr David Hoyle was among the other people honoured at the ceremony, as he was made a Knight Commander for his own role in the coronation.

He revealed there were plans for a building in the King’s honour to be built on the side of Westminster Abbey.

“We have already done the archaeology, so the site is prepared. We have plans which the King has seen. We hope we might have it built in the next two to three years,” he said.

The King has invested a handful of people with honours over the past few months.

However, these ceremonies took place in private during individual audiences at royal residences.