Suella Braverman is under pressure and Jeremy Hunt is working on an Autumn Statement set to leave households worse off this winter. It is little wonder Matt Hancock is going on I’m A Celebrity…
The big story: NHS ‘prioritised’ if it reforms, says No 10
The NHS will be “prioritised” by Rishi Sunak in return for reform amid wider expected cutbacks, No 10 has said. The Prime Minister is currently working with Jeremy Hunt, his Chancellor, on an Autumn Statement it is believed could see money saved through 50 per cent spending cuts and 50 per cent tax rises. Asked if the health budget will be protected, the Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The Prime Minister said it would be and the Chancellor has talked about it being prioritised while difficult decisions are taken.” The quest to balance the books comes as a former deputy governor of the Bank of England has urged Mr Sunak to launch a windfall tax raid on banks to rake in tens of billions of pounds to help shore up the public finances. Read how he said it could be done.
The US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England will announce their next interest rate decisions this week, with hikes expected as they try to get a grip on inflation. Today, the Bank sold £750 million worth of UK government bonds from its quantitative-easing portfolio for the first time, under its new programme of quantitative tightening aimed at cooling the overheating economy. However, Ben Wright analyses the reasons why the Bank of England may be forced to temper higher rates and take a more dovish approach. Either way, Jeremy Warner says what happens next is payback time for more than a decade of free money.
Why Braverman will stay
Meanwhile, an immigration minister warned against demonising people seeking to come to the UK after Suella Braverman said England faces an “invasion” of migrants on the south coast. Robert Jenrick said words have to be chosen very carefully, as he distanced himself from the Home Secretary’s choice of words. A senior member of the pro-Brexit European Research Group last night said “she won’t last the week,” as the backlash grows against conditions in the Manston migrant detention centre and revelations about her use of her personal email account. Yet despite the suggestions that her days are numbered, Christopher Hope sets out five reasons why Mr Sunak will not sack her. Charles Moore says Mrs Braverman is the victim of a Westminster witch-hunt, while Tom Harris asks what Labour’s solution is to the Channel migrant crisis.
Hancock loses whip
With some contentious issues in the Government’s in-tray, enter Matt Hancock to provide a handy distraction for the Prime Minister and Home Secretary. The former health secretary has lost the Tory whip following reports that he is to appear on the reality TV show I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! Simon Hart, the Conservative Chief Whip, said he believes “this is a matter serious enough to warrant suspension of the whip with immediate effect.” Tim Stanley considers the proposition of Mr Hancock eating a kangaroo’s balls – and thinks it is a vote-winner.
Around the world: Russia accuses UK of Nord ‘attack’
Russia is considering what “further steps” to take against Britain after alleging that the UK was responsible for an attack on the Nord Stream undersea gas pipelines. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia’s intelligence services “have data” indicating British military specialists “were directing and coordinating the attack”. London has rejected the accusations. Russia has deployed air-launched hypersonic missiles to a base in Belarus for the first time, the Ministry of Defence has claimed. The MoD shared a satellite image which it said showed two Russian warplanes, along with a well-protected container believed to be storing missiles. Watch a suspected Ukrainian saboteur planting explosives on helicopters at a Russian military base 500 miles from the border.
Business briefing: House prices fall as market slows
House prices have fallen for the first time in 15 months as the property market starts to feel the effects of a worsening economic outlook. Average house prices fell by 0.9pc in October, the first monthly decline since July 2021, according to a report by Nationwide. The average price is now £268,282, down from £272,259 last month. Yet bidding wars are still taking place in some areas despite the slowdown. Here are the 20 postcodes where demand for property shows no sign of abating.
A joint effort of several authors who do find that nobody can keep standing at the side and that “Everyone" must care about what is going on in today’s world.
We are a bunch of people who do not mind that somebody has a totally different idea but is willing to share the ideas with others and to be Active and willing to let others understand how "today’s decisions will influence the future”. Therefore we would love to see many others to "Act today".
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Some View on the World 