— it even led some insiders to question whether he and Reeves would survive until the next election (!) a suggestion that would have been unfathomable a few months ago
Keir Starmer plans a series of announcements in the coming months focused on the economy, NHS, migration and crime to show he is delivering for voters
Morgan McSweeney wants to put the govt on a permanent campaign footing
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
— the strategy is to tell a more positive and retail-friendly story in an effort to show the govt has learned lessons from the first 100 days
— new operation will be more political and focus relentlessly on what data and polling shows swing voters want
Labour ministers are urging Keir Starmer not to turn his back on business
They’re increasingly concerned the government’s messaging and policies since winning power are losing the confidence of companies and investors
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
— after declaring Labour the “party of business,” Starmer and Reeves risk reversing that progress in their first months in office, MPs and aides warn
— 9 days out from the investment summit, consumer and corporate sentiment is falling and GDP stagnating
*UK authorities suspect foreign state actors used bots and fake accounts to amplify the FarRightThugsUnite hashtag and other posts on X
*Russians also seen bragging about infiltrating far-right UK Telegram channels
Story with @elthorn22 >>>
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
— the “FarRightThugsUnite” hashtag was used by right-wing activists and real Britons to complain about the use of that label
— the trend saw them post photos of themselves doing everyday activities to try to counter the idea that they’re extremists
* how aides fear Rachel Reeves losing credibility in Monday’s black hole speech
* the push against sweeping tax rises
* but MPs will lobby for 2-child cap changes at budget
* No10’s zero tolerance vs Continuity Corbyn
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
— Reeves risks cries of dishonesty from the Tories and the Labour left on Monday when she details a £20b fiscal black hole
— Labour aides admit the speech is a tricky balancing act
Keir Starmer told Giorgia Meloni in a 1-1 chat on migration at EPC: “These were hard conversations to have with my party”
Early signs, on 2 child benefit+SpAd jobs too, some strains of opposition are carrying over to govt
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
— Starmer had good convos with Biden, Macron and Scholz in his first two weeks, but allies say his chief objective as PM is to avoid their fate at the hands of the populist right
— Trump’s comeback seen as proof he isn’t guaranteed a second term
🔵 Sunak/No10 aides blasted over PMQs. Kemi/Penny accused of manoeuvres. Plotters plan next salvo
🔴 Sue Gray’s leaks fury. Blame game aims at Lucy Powell v pro-Reeves hawks
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
— Sunak and his top No10 aides are accused by other Tories of being bad at politics after his Piers Morgan handshake and PMQs trans joke
— even a loyalist admits he’s slow to react under pressure
— fears he could fall apart in a ‘presidential’ campaign
Some Tory MPs — even Rishi Sunak allies — are starting to fear a worst-case scenario: electoral wipeout
They’re asking: what if the polls just don’t narrow?
Ie. What if it’s not Major 92 or 97, but more like Canada 93?
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
— conventional wisdom is that polls will close as we get nearer election day, with Tory strategists hoping to get the gap down to single figures
— but some are starting ask the unthinkable: what if that just doesn’t happen and Labour’s lead isn’t soft?
How Rishi Sunak went from being a sceptic of the Rwanda plan — and instinctively relaxed about high legal migration — to betting his political future on a policy he never loved
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
— When Priti Patel first proposed Rwanda in spring 2022, chancellor Sunak didn’t think much of it
— Sunak and the Treasury privately expressed doubts on logistical, value for money and ethical grounds, according to six people involved in the policy work
— Rishi Sunak is now polling **worse than Liz Truss** with the key voters who decided the last election
— Sunak has presided over a “year of decline” that’s caused an “implosion” in the Tory vote, according to a major study by @JLPartnersPolls
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
— @JLPartnersPolls analysed 12 months plus of polls by nine polling companies to plot voting intention of key 2019 Tory voters
— they say this gives a deeper and more nuanced assessment of true public opinion
NEW: Rishi Sunak’s reshuffle opens a deep rift with the Tory right and sparks criticism that he doesn’t have a coherent political strategy
— Right-wingers accuse the PM of a purge. They spent the day plotting how to fight Sunak *before* the election
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
🛒 one Tory official says Sunak is the new trolley, lurching from reset to reset, tacking to the right recently on net zero and culture war rhetoric, now curiosly moving to the centre with Cameron
🛥️ MP says he’s a yacht listing from right to left
NEW: Home Office officials and the UK Health Security Agency repeatedly warned the government about the risks of an infectious disease outbreak on board vessels holding migrants, prior to the Bibby Stockholm Legionella evacuation, people familiar said
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
Home Office officials advised ministers they could be sued by asylum seekers if they became ill while living on ships / barges under government care, the sources said
It was one of the reasons the policy was previously rejected
EXCLUSIVE: The Covid Inquiry is trying to track down 2 previously unknown WhatsApp groups integral to govt decision making
Members: Simon Case, Chris Whitty, Patrick Vallance and senior officials
Cabinet Office only handing over what it deems “relevant”
bloomberg.com/news/articles/…
🤳 WhatsApp Group 1: Cabinet Secretary Simon Case, Patrick Vallance and Chris Whitty, other senior Cabinet Office officials
🤳 WhatsApp Group 2: Vallance, Whitty, senior Cabinet Office and Treasury officials, permanent secretaries of key departments
