Foreign students will be given two years to stay in UK in screeching Tory U-turn The policy is a victory for students and reverses the legacy of Theresa May - who closed down two-year visas in 2012 claiming they were "too generous"
Foreign students will be given two years to stay in the UK after they graduate in a massive Tory U-turn. The new policy rips up the current grace period of four months and will be available for students who start any undergraduate-or-above courses from Autumn 2020.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new system will let "international students unlock their potential and start their careers in the UK." It is a screeching departure from the hardline policy of Theresa May - who closed down two-year graduate visas in 2012 claiming they were "too generous". And it comes after months of warnings from universities that Britain could be left without key skills in a no-deal Brexit .
I wonder if we would have got a different referendum result, if David Cameron had postponed it, implemented Boris policies of spending money like it is going out of fashion, particularly in the towns and cities that have been left behind, and ended the austerity measures.
A potential shift in the DUP's Brexit red lines leads the Times, which says the move could help Boris Johnson unlock a deal with Brussels. The party is reported to have said for the first time that it would accept Northern Ireland abiding by some EU rules after the UK leaves, as part of a new agreement to replace the Irish backstop. A government source has told the Times the move is "significant" but a deal is still "a long way off". John Bercow's speech on Thursday night is reported by several papers, including the Guardian, which interprets the outgoing Speaker's comments as a "direct warning" to No 10. The paper says Mr Bercow "lambasted" the idea that Boris Johnson could even consider ignoring legislation which mandates him to seek a three-month Brexit delay if there's no deal with the EU by mid-October, in what it calls a "dramatic intervention". Meanwhile, the Independent website claims to have seen a leaked draft document from the European Parliament, which shows the hostile environment policy employed by the Home Office is "making things worse" for EU citizens ahead of Brexit.
Private schools tax 'raid' Jeremy Corbyn is planning a £1.6bn tax raid on private schools if Labour comes to power, according to the Daily Telegraph. It says it has seen a leaked document, which shows Labour is considering scrapping discounted business rates for independent schools, and imposing VAT on fees. The paper says the memo forms part of Labour's "preparing for government" strategy, with Mr Corbyn's inner circle "increasingly confident" they may be in Downing Street by Christmas. Labour declined to comment on the story.
Andy Capp breaks his 62 year political silence to give his views on Brexit After today's comic showed Andy Capp joining an anti-Brexit march, we went straight to the man himself to clear up what he really thinks about the biggest issue in British politics
Michael Gove’s hamfisted attempts to spin the Yellowhammer Brexit plan are a disgrace The most effective line would be to say parliament has already passed an act to prevent a no-deal Brexit. But that would mean cheering the most galling of Boris Johnson’s multiple defeats
When the Yellowhammer document assessing the effect of leaving the EU without a deal was leaked to The Sunday Times last month, Michael Gove, the minister in charge of no-deal planning, dismissed it as an “old document”. It turned out to have been 16 days old, drawn up eight days after he and Boris Johnson took office.
Gove also said that the paper – with its warnings of medicine shortages and civil unrest – set out “the absolutely worst case”. Now the government has published a version of the document headed “Reasonable Worst Case Planning Assumptions”, so he appeared to be guilty merely of exaggeration.
But wait. Rosamund Urwin, the Sunday Times journalist who got the scoop, said the version she saw was headed: “Planning Assumptions” then “Base scenario”. In other words, not the worst possible outcomes but just the expected ones.
Gove disagreed with her on Twitter, saying she was “persisting in an error” and referring to his evidence to the Brexit select committee. Unfortunately for him, Urwin replied with extracts from the committee minutes in which Gove admitted that the phrase “base scenario” appeared in the document.
The most effective line he could take, however, would be to say that parliament has already passed an act to prevent a no-deal Brexit. He could say we do not need to worry about a no-deal exit because it is not going to happen.
The Yellowhammer document has already been published by The Sunday Times and is about a scenario that is now unlikely to happen, while the important fact about prorogation is that, if it was to stop an anti-no-deal law being passed, it didn’t work. Gove could set out the facts. One fact is that the government has been defeated. But you can see why he doesn’t want to say that.
Coverage of David Cameron's memoirs dominates Saturday's newspapers. "I'm sorry. I failed" is the headline on the front of the Times, which is serialising his book. In an interview with the paper, the former prime minister says the victory for the Leave campaign - in the referendum he approved - has left him "hugely depressed", and he knows some people will never forgive him. Mr Cameron says he has had "robust exchanges" with people in the street over the painful consequences of the Brexit vote.
In an editorial in the Daily Telegraph, the paper's associate editor, Camilla Tominey, describes the book as a mixture of "eye-watering candour" and "exasperating understatement". She believes Mr Cameron's acknowledgement that he "didn't foresee" that a lot of Tories wanted to get out of the EU is a "startling admission". Ms Tominey adds that the fact he now thinks a second referendum may be necessary suggests he "still cannot accept the original result". The front page of the Daily Mirror takes a less political angle from the book. It highlights Mr Cameron's confession to smoking cannabis with his wife Samantha, and getting "off his head" while at Eton.
The Financial Times reports that Boris Johnson has plans to fast-track any Brexit deal through Parliament in just 10 days. It says Number 10 will push for late night and weekend sittings if a deal can be secured at the EU summit in mid-October. The paper points out that the value of the pound rose amid "growing optimism" that the prime minister had shifted away from a no-deal Brexit to a compromise based largely on predecessor Theresa May's deal. There is a totally different lead in the Sun, which carries an interview with the woman former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott was convicted of assaulting. It has a picture of 67-year-old Margaret Moore on its front page and describes her as "furious" about his newly-awarded knighthood. She tells the paper he does not deserve it and it is "disgusting".
The Guardian has spoken to the French judge who found the former cricketer guilty. Dominique Haumant tells the paper she stands by her decision to convict him and his conduct during the trial was "deplorable". Boycott has always denied the allegations. Finally, several papers report on the reunion of two former Beatles, to record a "lost" song written by John Lennon the year before his death in 1980. The Daily Express says Sir Ringo Starr enlisted the help of Sir Paul MCartney for the song called Grow Old with Me. It explains how Sir Ringo was introduced to the song by a record producer who worked on Lennon's Double Fantasy album. He says it made him emotional to sing because it brought back memories of his bandmate. The song will be released next month.
Tory civil war: Cameron reveals shock text to Brexiteer frontbencher: ‘Don’t be a w**ker!' DAVID CAMERON has revealed a furious text message he sent to a Tory cabinet member who refused to be moved as part of the 2014 reshuffle.
“I rang him and said, ‘I don’t accept your email. You have agreed to do this job. I’ve told you everything we’re planning. I accept your withdrawal of the email, and I expect to speak to you later on today about how we are going to finalise the reshuffle.’ “I followed this with a text: ‘You must realise that I divide the world into team players and w**kers. You’ve always been a team player. Please don’t become a w**ker.’ ”
The Sunday Times leads on further attacks by David Cameron on his former colleagues, in extracts from his memoir. The paper says the stiffest criticisms are reserved for Michael Gove, who according to Mr Cameron became "an ambassador for truth-twisting age of populism" during the EU referendum campaign. And Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said in private conversations to have raised the possibility of holding another referendum after fresh negotiations with the EU. The Times believes this could damage Mr Johnson - who now says he's strongly opposed to a second vote.
The revelation from the former rugby player Gareth Thomas that he is HIV positive is the main story for the Sunday Mirror. Thomas tells the paper that after being diagnosed he sobbed in the arms of his doctor fearing he would die. He says, like many people, he had associated HIV with death and frailty - and is speaking out to break the stigma. The former British and Irish Lion explains to the Mirror that he is now fitter than when he played rugby - with the virus all but undetectable thanks to daily medication. The paper's editorial praises Thomas, calling him a "shining star" for those struggling with the same stigma. The government is planning to introduce longer jail sentences for the most violent offenders, according to the Sunday Telegraph. The paper says that under the plans, child murderers would never be released from prison, and prisoners would have to serve two-thirds of their terms to be eligible for release, up from half at the moment.
A government source tells the Telegraph that most people think political parties and the courts have lost the plot on sentencing, adding, "We agree with the public." In what the Mail on Sunday calls a "surreal comparison" Mr Johnson - in an interview with the paper - vows the UK will break free from the EU "like the Incredible Hulk". Driving home the point, the prime minister explains "the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets". The newspaper says his "extraordinary rallying cry" comes ahead of a "crunch meeting" with the European Commission President Jean Claude-Juncker in Brussels tomorrow. Mr Johnson tells the paper the most important message he will bring is that Brexit will be delivered by 31 October despite the "kerfuffle" in Parliament. The Sunday Express has carried out a poll which it says shows that Britain has lost faith in its MPs. Of the 2,000 people surveyed by ComRes, 80% believe Parliament is in desperate need of reform, the paper says, while 60% think MPs haven't respected the result of the EU referendum. The Express's leader column says most people would agree with the sentiment expressed by Oliver Cromwell in 1953, when he told parliamentarians "In the name of god, go!".
Labour's Keir Starmer mounts a 'secret plot' to lead unity government... but even his own party leader would prefer Tory Ken Clarke as caretaker PM Allies are building a base of moderate Labour MPs to back Sir Keir as a unity PM Comes as Corbyn warms to idea of a temporary PM to request Brexit extension But the Labour leader has dismissed the idea of another MP being caretaker PM
Labour frontbencher Sir Keir Starmer was accused last night of mounting a secret operation to supplant Jeremy Corbyn and install himself as the head of an anti- No Deal Brexit unity government. It comes amid claims that the Labour leader is warming to the idea of a temporary Prime Minister being appointed to ask Brussels for a Brexit extension – as long as it is not a Labour figure. But sources claim the Shadow Brexit Secretary is running a covert bid to outflank Mr Corbyn by building up a base of moderate Labour MPs to back him as the only credible unity PM. Allies of Sir Keir – who backs a second referendum on any Brexit deal – are said to be telling Labour MPs he is the one who can win over enough Tory rebels and Liberal Democrats to form a unity government if Boris Johnson is forced out.
Nigel Farage's Brexit Party have just signed their first pact with the Tories Nine Independent Hartlepool councillors have defected to The Brexit Party making it the ruling group on the council
Voters would back temporary government of national unity to avoid no deal, poll finds Kenneth Clarke and Jeremy Corbyn are favoured options to lead a cross-party administration
In BMG’s survey, some 34 per cent of those questioned said they would back a government of national unity (GNU) to block a no-deal Brexit, against 31 per cent who would oppose it and 20 per cent who neither opposed nor supported it.
When those who backed a GNU were asked to choose between a list of potential prime ministers to lead it, Mr Clarke and Mr Corbyn were each favoured by 15 per cent, followed by Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson on 11 per cent, Labour backbencher Hilary Benn (5 per cent), Mother of the House Harriet Harman, Green MP Caroline Lucas and Labour’s Yvette Cooper (4 per cent each) and former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve (3 per cent).
The poll found just 17 per cent of those questioned think Mr Johnson will get a Brexit deal by his Halloween deadline, against 58 per cent who think he will not.
But a majority said he should take some other course, 5 per cent backing the adoption of Theresa May’s thrice-rejected withdrawal agreement, 10 per cent the extension of talks, 16 per cent a second referendum and 19 per cent the revocation of the UK’s Article 50 withdrawal notice.
The poll put Mr Johnson’s Tories on 31 per cent, ahead of Labour on 27 per cent, Lib Dems on 19 and the Brexit Party on 13 – virtually unchanged since a similar survey last month.
These are the five most likely routes to a new Brexit referendum The logic still holds (and Dominic Cummings once agreed) that there is no way out of this without seeking the people’s approval
Johnson loses an election The PM bottles it MPs force a people’s vote
UK transition deal with the EU 'could last until 2022' Brexit Secretary Steve Barclay admits
Britain could stay in a transition deal with the EU until the end of 2022, Brexit secretary Steve Barclay has said. Mr Barlclay's comments are a significant weakening in the language of top Tories around the issue - as speculation mounts that they will try and finalise a deal with the EU before the October 31 deadline. The Brexit Secretary suggested that the transition could be extended until December 2022 to allow more time to crack tense negotiations in Northern Ireland about reconvening the Stormont in Belfast.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's comments comparing himself to the Incredible Hulk in his determination to get Britain out of the EU by the end of next month fires the imagination of the cartoonists and headline writers. The Sun describes Monday's talks between the prime minister and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, as a showdown featuring "the Hulk versus Le Sulk". But the Guardian cartoon sees it the other way round, showing Mr Johnson rejecting the outstretched hands of EU officials and dubbing him "the Incredible Sulk"
The Daily Telegraph says the meeting should provide the first clear signs of whether a Brexit deal is possible by 31 October. It suggests that since Mr Johnson is adamant that he wants a deal, it is incumbent upon him to indicate how he thinks he can get one. But - the paper adds - it will equally become apparent on Monday whether there is complete intransigence at the top of the EU that makes further discussion pointless. The Daily Mail says an investigation by the paper has revealed that hundreds of thousands of crimes are being written off by police within only 24 hours of being reported. According to the paper, these include more than half of thefts and burglaries. It says the Metropolitan Police drops 36% of new cases inside a day, while the figure for Greater Manchester Police is 27%. The practice has become increasingly widespread as overstretched forces struggle to prioritise their resources, the paper explains. However, its leader column says it betrays a managerial approach to crime that has a human cost.
University students are taking out payday loans to fund holidays, gym memberships and healthy eating, according to figures published in the Telegraph. It says research by the price comparison website, Moneysupermarket, has shown a big increase in the number of students taking out the costly short-term loans to help fund their lifestyles. The study found that some students were spending their entire maintenance loan - up to £3,000 per term - in just five weeks. Finally, the sports writers seem satisfied with the result of the Ashes series. OK - the Mail says - England did not regain the Ashes, but they won the World Cup and drew the Test series. In the Mirror's words, it made 2019 an "unforgettable summer". The Sun describes the Ashes draw as an acceptable outcome. The Telegraph says England restored pride and parity. Australia return home with the urn - the the i says - but England won the final battle
Tories and Labour almost neck and neck - as conference season begins Results: Con 28%, Lab 27%, Lib Dem 20%, Brexit Party 13%, Green 5%. SAMPLE SIZE: 2,009 interviews. WHAT IT SHOWED: This slight outlier of a poll shows Labour and the Conservatives neck and neck as the parties head into the conference season
Opinium, September 11-13
Tories hold lead over Labour despite Parliament suspension Results: Con 37%, Lab 25%, Lib Dem 16%, Brexit Party 13%, Green 2%. SAMPLE SIZE: 2,002 interviews. WHAT IT SHOWED: Labour trail the Conservatives by 12 in the week Boris Johnson suspended Parliament. But despite performances like this Labour believe that opinion will move dramatically when an election is called - and voters’ minds are focussed.
Kantar, September 5-9
Tories and Labour slump - but Johnson holds a commanding lead Results: Con 38%, Lab 24%, Lib Dem 20%, Brexit Party 7%, Green 3%. SAMPLE SIZE: 1,144 interviews, online. WHAT IT SHOWED: The Kantar polls does not prompt voters for the Green Party or the Brexit Party, meaning their results may be slightly lower in this poll than in other methodologies. Both Labour and the Tories lost four points from the previous Kantar poll in August, the Lib Dems were up 5% and the Brexit Party 2%
Hopes of clean break with EU are nonsense, says ex-Brexit official A no-deal exit would trigger complex negotiations, argues former top DexEU civil servant
Claiming a no-deal Brexit represents a clean break with the European Union is “nonsensical”, according to Philip Rycroft, the former permanent secretary at the Department for Exiting the EU. Boris Johnson has promised to extricate the UK from the EU on 31 October “come what may” – and has hinted that he could try to get around legislation mandating him to request a Brexit delay. The Brexit party leader, Nigel Farage, whose party trounced the Tories in May’s European elections, has been urging the PM to deliver a “clean break Brexit” by leaving without a deal. But Rycroft, who was the most senior civil servant at DexEU until March this year, told the Guardian a no-deal Brexit would mark the beginning of a complex series of negotiations.
“It is not a clean break: what it does is it takes us legally out of the EU. But what it can’t do is undo all of the very close economic ties that we have with the EU, on which so much of our trade as a country depends. And nor would we want to undo all of the close security ties that we have with the EU,” he said.
“And because of the importance of those ties both for the EU and the UK, it will remain hugely important to have those expressed through a formal relationship. In other words, we’re going to have to negotiate – and that negotiation on the future relationship starts with citizens, money and the border on the island of Ireland. “So the notion that no deal somehow means that we can turn our backs on the EU and break all our ties is just nonsensical.”
Comments
The policy is a victory for students and reverses the legacy of Theresa May - who closed down two-year visas in 2012 claiming they were "too generous"
Foreign students will be given two years to stay in the UK after they graduate in a massive Tory U-turn.
The new policy rips up the current grace period of four months and will be available for students who start any undergraduate-or-above courses from Autumn 2020.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson said the new system will let "international students unlock their potential and start their careers in the UK."
It is a screeching departure from the hardline policy of Theresa May - who closed down two-year graduate visas in 2012 claiming they were "too generous".
And it comes after months of warnings from universities that Britain could be left without key skills in a no-deal Brexit .
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/foreign-students-given-two-years-20005568
Boris using skulduggery to avoid the law, and leave in October with no deal.
Boris getting The Withdrawal Bill through, resulting in a Blind Brexit.
This would probably result in a Canada style free trade agreement, and NI having alternative arrangements compared to the rest of the UK.
An extension with no purpose other than a general election.
A general election resulting in no overall majority for any party, resulting in a continued impasse.
How many people does any of the above, reflect the will of?
Another general election is seen by many that espouse the "will of the people" argument as a solution. Yet it would be unlikely to provide one.
So they are quite happy to have another vote, in the form of a general election, which will be the third in 4 years.
Yet the same people reject a second referendum (also another vote) out of hand.
When this would be another vote that would be guaranteed to provide a definitive solution, and move the country forward.
Many voters from both sides of the argument will not be satisfied by any of the above solutions.
So what was the will of the people?
Many voters on both sides of the argument would be happy to leave while remaining close to the EU, but unhappy with an alternative solution.
Remaining close to the EU currently seems very unlikely.
CON: 38% (-4)
LAB: 24% (-4)
LDM: 20% (+5)
BXP: 7% (+2)
GRN: 3% (=)
UKIP: 1% (+1)
CHUK: 1% (=)
https://uk.yahoo.com/news/liberal-democrats-almost-level-with-labour-in-election-poll-shows-191144718.html
A potential shift in the DUP's Brexit red lines leads the Times, which says the move could help Boris Johnson unlock a deal with Brussels.
The party is reported to have said for the first time that it would accept Northern Ireland abiding by some EU rules after the UK leaves, as part of a new agreement to replace the Irish backstop.
A government source has told the Times the move is "significant" but a deal is still "a long way off".
John Bercow's speech on Thursday night is reported by several papers, including the Guardian, which interprets the outgoing Speaker's comments as a "direct warning" to No 10.
The paper says Mr Bercow "lambasted" the idea that Boris Johnson could even consider ignoring legislation which mandates him to seek a three-month Brexit delay if there's no deal with the EU by mid-October, in what it calls a "dramatic intervention".
Meanwhile, the Independent website claims to have seen a leaked draft document from the European Parliament, which shows the hostile environment policy employed by the Home Office is "making things worse" for EU citizens ahead of Brexit.
Private schools tax 'raid'
Jeremy Corbyn is planning a £1.6bn tax raid on private schools if Labour comes to power, according to the Daily Telegraph. It says it has seen a leaked document, which shows Labour is considering scrapping discounted business rates for independent schools, and imposing VAT on fees. The paper says the memo forms part of Labour's "preparing for government" strategy, with Mr Corbyn's inner circle "increasingly confident" they may be in Downing Street by Christmas. Labour declined to comment on the story.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49684153
After today's comic showed Andy Capp joining an anti-Brexit march, we went straight to the man himself to clear up what he really thinks about the biggest issue in British politics
The most effective line would be to say parliament has already passed an act to prevent a no-deal Brexit. But that would mean cheering the most galling of Boris Johnson’s multiple defeats
When the Yellowhammer document assessing the effect of leaving the EU without a deal was leaked to The Sunday Times last month, Michael Gove, the minister in charge of no-deal planning, dismissed it as an “old document”.
It turned out to have been 16 days old, drawn up eight days after he and Boris Johnson took office.
Gove also said that the paper – with its warnings of medicine shortages and civil unrest – set out “the absolutely worst case”. Now the government has published a version of the document headed “Reasonable Worst Case Planning Assumptions”, so he appeared to be guilty merely of exaggeration.
But wait. Rosamund Urwin, the Sunday Times journalist who got the scoop, said the version she saw was headed: “Planning Assumptions” then “Base scenario”. In other words, not the worst possible outcomes but just the expected ones.
Gove disagreed with her on Twitter, saying she was “persisting in an error” and referring to his evidence to the Brexit select committee. Unfortunately for him, Urwin replied with extracts from the committee minutes in which Gove admitted that the phrase “base scenario” appeared in the document.
The most effective line he could take, however, would be to say that parliament has already passed an act to prevent a no-deal Brexit. He could say we do not need to worry about a no-deal exit because it is not going to happen.
The Yellowhammer document has already been published by The Sunday Times and is about a scenario that is now unlikely to happen, while the important fact about prorogation is that, if it was to stop an anti-no-deal law being passed, it didn’t work.
Gove could set out the facts. One fact is that the government has been defeated. But you can see why he doesn’t want to say that.
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-yellowhammer-no-deal-michael-gove-boris-johnson-base-case-a9102041.html
Coverage of David Cameron's memoirs dominates Saturday's newspapers.
"I'm sorry. I failed" is the headline on the front of the Times, which is serialising his book.
In an interview with the paper, the former prime minister says the victory for the Leave campaign - in the referendum he approved - has left him "hugely depressed", and he knows some people will never forgive him.
Mr Cameron says he has had "robust exchanges" with people in the street over the painful consequences of the Brexit vote.
In an editorial in the Daily Telegraph, the paper's associate editor, Camilla Tominey, describes the book as a mixture of "eye-watering candour" and "exasperating understatement".
She believes Mr Cameron's acknowledgement that he "didn't foresee" that a lot of Tories wanted to get out of the EU is a "startling admission".
Ms Tominey adds that the fact he now thinks a second referendum may be necessary suggests he "still cannot accept the original result".
The front page of the Daily Mirror takes a less political angle from the book. It highlights Mr Cameron's confession to smoking cannabis with his wife Samantha, and getting "off his head" while at Eton.
The Financial Times reports that Boris Johnson has plans to fast-track any Brexit deal through Parliament in just 10 days.
It says Number 10 will push for late night and weekend sittings if a deal can be secured at the EU summit in mid-October.
The paper points out that the value of the pound rose amid "growing optimism" that the prime minister had shifted away from a no-deal Brexit to a compromise based largely on predecessor Theresa May's deal.
There is a totally different lead in the Sun, which carries an interview with the woman former England cricketer Geoffrey Boycott was convicted of assaulting.
It has a picture of 67-year-old Margaret Moore on its front page and describes her as "furious" about his newly-awarded knighthood. She tells the paper he does not deserve it and it is "disgusting".
The Guardian has spoken to the French judge who found the former cricketer guilty. Dominique Haumant tells the paper she stands by her decision to convict him and his conduct during the trial was "deplorable". Boycott has always denied the allegations.
Finally, several papers report on the reunion of two former Beatles, to record a "lost" song written by John Lennon the year before his death in 1980.
The Daily Express says Sir Ringo Starr enlisted the help of Sir Paul MCartney for the song called Grow Old with Me.
It explains how Sir Ringo was introduced to the song by a record producer who worked on Lennon's Double Fantasy album.
He says it made him emotional to sing because it brought back memories of his bandmate. The song will be released next month.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49696550
DAVID CAMERON has revealed a furious text message he sent to a Tory cabinet member who refused to be moved as part of the 2014 reshuffle.
“I rang him and said, ‘I don’t accept your email. You have agreed to do this job. I’ve told you everything we’re planning. I accept your withdrawal of the email, and I expect to speak to you later on today about how we are going to finalise the reshuffle.’
“I followed this with a text: ‘You must realise that I divide the world into team players and w**kers. You’ve always been a team player. Please don’t become a w**ker.’ ”
https://www.express.co.uk/news/politics/1177850/Brexit-news-David-Cameron-Michael-Gove-reshuffle-text-reveal-Tory-civil-war
The Sunday Times leads on further attacks by David Cameron on his former colleagues, in extracts from his memoir.
The paper says the stiffest criticisms are reserved for Michael Gove, who according to Mr Cameron became "an ambassador for truth-twisting age of populism" during the EU referendum campaign.
And Prime Minister Boris Johnson is said in private conversations to have raised the possibility of holding another referendum after fresh negotiations with the EU.
The Times believes this could damage Mr Johnson - who now says he's strongly opposed to a second vote.
The revelation from the former rugby player Gareth Thomas that he is HIV positive is the main story for the Sunday Mirror.
Thomas tells the paper that after being diagnosed he sobbed in the arms of his doctor fearing he would die.
He says, like many people, he had associated HIV with death and frailty - and is speaking out to break the stigma.
The former British and Irish Lion explains to the Mirror that he is now fitter than when he played rugby - with the virus all but undetectable thanks to daily medication.
The paper's editorial praises Thomas, calling him a "shining star" for those struggling with the same stigma.
The government is planning to introduce longer jail sentences for the most violent offenders, according to the Sunday Telegraph.
The paper says that under the plans, child murderers would never be released from prison, and prisoners would have to serve two-thirds of their terms to be eligible for release, up from half at the moment.
A government source tells the Telegraph that most people think political parties and the courts have lost the plot on sentencing, adding, "We agree with the public."
In what the Mail on Sunday calls a "surreal comparison" Mr Johnson - in an interview with the paper - vows the UK will break free from the EU "like the Incredible Hulk".
Driving home the point, the prime minister explains "the madder Hulk gets, the stronger Hulk gets".
The newspaper says his "extraordinary rallying cry" comes ahead of a "crunch meeting" with the European Commission President Jean Claude-Juncker in Brussels tomorrow.
Mr Johnson tells the paper the most important message he will bring is that Brexit will be delivered by 31 October despite the "kerfuffle" in Parliament.
The Sunday Express has carried out a poll which it says shows that Britain has lost faith in its MPs.
Of the 2,000 people surveyed by ComRes, 80% believe Parliament is in desperate need of reform, the paper says, while 60% think MPs haven't respected the result of the EU referendum.
The Express's leader column says most people would agree with the sentiment expressed by Oliver Cromwell in 1953, when he told parliamentarians "In the name of god, go!".
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49704674
Allies are building a base of moderate Labour MPs to back Sir Keir as a unity PM
Comes as Corbyn warms to idea of a temporary PM to request Brexit extension
But the Labour leader has dismissed the idea of another MP being caretaker PM
Labour frontbencher Sir Keir Starmer was accused last night of mounting a secret operation to supplant Jeremy Corbyn and install himself as the head of an anti- No Deal Brexit unity government.
It comes amid claims that the Labour leader is warming to the idea of a temporary Prime Minister being appointed to ask Brussels for a Brexit extension – as long as it is not a Labour figure.
But sources claim the Shadow Brexit Secretary is running a covert bid to outflank Mr Corbyn by building up a base of moderate Labour MPs to back him as the only credible unity PM.
Allies of Sir Keir – who backs a second referendum on any Brexit deal – are said to be telling Labour MPs he is the one who can win over enough Tory rebels and Liberal Democrats to form a unity government if Boris Johnson is forced out.
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-7464447/Labours-Keir-Starmer-mounts-secret-plot-lead-unity-government.html
Nine Independent Hartlepool councillors have defected to The Brexit Party making it the ruling group on the council
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/nigel-farages-brexit-party-just-20054356
Kenneth Clarke and Jeremy Corbyn are favoured options to lead a cross-party administration
In BMG’s survey, some 34 per cent of those questioned said they would back a government of national unity (GNU) to block a no-deal Brexit, against 31 per cent who would oppose it and 20 per cent who neither opposed nor supported it.
When those who backed a GNU were asked to choose between a list of potential prime ministers to lead it, Mr Clarke and Mr Corbyn were each favoured by 15 per cent, followed by Liberal Democrat leader Jo Swinson on 11 per cent, Labour backbencher Hilary Benn (5 per cent), Mother of the House Harriet Harman, Green MP Caroline Lucas and Labour’s Yvette Cooper (4 per cent each) and former Conservative attorney general Dominic Grieve (3 per cent).
The poll found just 17 per cent of those questioned think Mr Johnson will get a Brexit deal by his Halloween deadline, against 58 per cent who think he will not.
But a majority said he should take some other course, 5 per cent backing the adoption of Theresa May’s thrice-rejected withdrawal agreement, 10 per cent the extension of talks, 16 per cent a second referendum and 19 per cent the revocation of the UK’s Article 50 withdrawal notice.
The poll put Mr Johnson’s Tories on 31 per cent, ahead of Labour on 27 per cent, Lib Dems on 19 and the Brexit Party on 13 – virtually unchanged since a similar survey last month.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/brexit-no-deal-government-national-unity-ken-clarke-jeremy-corbyn-a9105306.html
The logic still holds (and Dominic Cummings once agreed) that there is no way out of this without seeking the people’s approval
Johnson loses an election
The PM bottles it
MPs force a people’s vote
PM gets a deal
Johnson quits or is sacked
https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/brexit-referendum-boris-johnson-vote-election-people-a9100441.html
Britain could stay in a transition deal with the EU until the end of 2022, Brexit secretary Steve Barclay has said.
Mr Barlclay's comments are a significant weakening in the language of top Tories around the issue - as speculation mounts that they will try and finalise a deal with the EU before the October 31 deadline.
The Brexit Secretary suggested that the transition could be extended until December 2022 to allow more time to crack tense negotiations in Northern Ireland about reconvening the Stormont in Belfast.
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/brexit/uk-transition-deal-with-the-eu-could-last-until-2022-brexit-secretary-steve-barclay-admits/ar-AAHkNaZ?ocid=spartandhp
Prime Minister Boris Johnson's comments comparing himself to the Incredible Hulk in his determination to get Britain out of the EU by the end of next month fires the imagination of the cartoonists and headline writers.
The Sun describes Monday's talks between the prime minister and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, as a showdown featuring "the Hulk versus Le Sulk".
But the Guardian cartoon sees it the other way round, showing Mr Johnson rejecting the outstretched hands of EU officials and dubbing him "the Incredible Sulk"
The Daily Telegraph says the meeting should provide the first clear signs of whether a Brexit deal is possible by 31 October.
It suggests that since Mr Johnson is adamant that he wants a deal, it is incumbent upon him to indicate how he thinks he can get one.
But - the paper adds - it will equally become apparent on Monday whether there is complete intransigence at the top of the EU that makes further discussion pointless.
The Daily Mail says an investigation by the paper has revealed that hundreds of thousands of crimes are being written off by police within only 24 hours of being reported.
According to the paper, these include more than half of thefts and burglaries. It says the Metropolitan Police drops 36% of new cases inside a day, while the figure for Greater Manchester Police is 27%.
The practice has become increasingly widespread as overstretched forces struggle to prioritise their resources, the paper explains. However, its leader column says it betrays a managerial approach to crime that has a human cost.
University students are taking out payday loans to fund holidays, gym memberships and healthy eating, according to figures published in the Telegraph.
It says research by the price comparison website, Moneysupermarket, has shown a big increase in the number of students taking out the costly short-term loans to help fund their lifestyles.
The study found that some students were spending their entire maintenance loan - up to £3,000 per term - in just five weeks.
Finally, the sports writers seem satisfied with the result of the Ashes series. OK - the Mail says - England did not regain the Ashes, but they won the World Cup and drew the Test series.
In the Mirror's words, it made 2019 an "unforgettable summer". The Sun describes the Ashes draw as an acceptable outcome.
The Telegraph says England restored pride and parity. Australia return home with the urn - the the i says - but England won the final battle
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/blogs-the-papers-49710867
Tories and Labour almost neck and neck - as conference season begins
Results: Con 28%, Lab 27%, Lib Dem 20%, Brexit Party 13%, Green 5%.
SAMPLE SIZE: 2,009 interviews.
WHAT IT SHOWED: This slight outlier of a poll shows Labour and the Conservatives neck and neck as the parties head into the conference season
Opinium, September 11-13
Tories hold lead over Labour despite Parliament suspension
Results: Con 37%, Lab 25%, Lib Dem 16%, Brexit Party 13%, Green 2%.
SAMPLE SIZE: 2,002 interviews.
WHAT IT SHOWED: Labour trail the Conservatives by 12 in the week Boris Johnson suspended Parliament. But despite performances like this Labour believe that opinion will move dramatically when an election is called - and voters’ minds are focussed.
Kantar, September 5-9
Tories and Labour slump - but Johnson holds a commanding lead
Results: Con 38%, Lab 24%, Lib Dem 20%, Brexit Party 7%, Green 3%.
SAMPLE SIZE: 1,144 interviews, online.
WHAT IT SHOWED: The Kantar polls does not prompt voters for the Green Party or the Brexit Party, meaning their results may be slightly lower in this poll than in other methodologies. Both Labour and the Tories lost four points from the previous Kantar poll in August, the Lib Dems were up 5% and the Brexit Party 2%
A no-deal exit would trigger complex negotiations, argues former top DexEU civil servant
Claiming a no-deal Brexit represents a clean break with the European Union is “nonsensical”, according to Philip Rycroft, the former permanent secretary at the Department for Exiting the EU.
Boris Johnson has promised to extricate the UK from the EU on 31 October “come what may” – and has hinted that he could try to get around legislation mandating him to request a Brexit delay.
The Brexit party leader, Nigel Farage, whose party trounced the Tories in May’s European elections, has been urging the PM to deliver a “clean break Brexit” by leaving without a deal.
But Rycroft, who was the most senior civil servant at DexEU until March this year, told the Guardian a no-deal Brexit would mark the beginning of a complex series of negotiations.
“It is not a clean break: what it does is it takes us legally out of the EU. But what it can’t do is undo all of the very close economic ties that we have with the EU, on which so much of our trade as a country depends. And nor would we want to undo all of the close security ties that we have with the EU,” he said.
“And because of the importance of those ties both for the EU and the UK, it will remain hugely important to have those expressed through a formal relationship. In other words, we’re going to have to negotiate – and that negotiation on the future relationship starts with citizens, money and the border on the island of Ireland.
“So the notion that no deal somehow means that we can turn our backs on the EU and break all our ties is just nonsensical.”
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/sep/14/hopes-of-clean-break-with-eu-are-nonsense-says-ex-brexit-official
UK seeks trade deal with New Zealand as it prepares for post-Brexit
Two-way trade between New Zealand and Britain is at about NZ$6 billion (£3.1 billion), data from New Zealand showed.
Official data shows New Zealand was Britain's 43rd largest trading partner in 2017.
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/uk-seeks-trade-deal-zealand-071640904.html