Newslinks for Friday March 21st 2025 | Conservative Home

OBR 1) Government borrowing in February higher than predicted

“UK government borrowing was higher than expected in February, adding pressure to Chancellor Rachel Reeves ahead of her Spring Statement next week. Borrowing – the difference between spending and income from taxes – was £10.7bn last month, according to official figures. The government’s independent forecaster had predicted that borrowing would be £6.5bn for the month.” – BBC

• How the OBR is keeping score on Rachel Reeves’s spring statement – The Guardian
• Voters split on what Reeves must do – Daily Mail

OBR 2) Growth forecast “to be halved”

“The official economic growth forecast for 2025 will be halved next week in a blow to Sir Keir Starmer. The Telegraph understands that the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will downgrade the expected growth rate for the 2025 financial year, which runs from April to March 2026, from 2 per cent to about 1 per cent. Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, will use her Spring Statement next week to attempt to blame the steep drop on the worsening global economic outlook as Donald Trump imposes his strict tariffs.” – Daily Telegraph

• The madness of the £100,000 childcare tax trap – Financial Times
• Interest rates will go down gradually, says Bank – BBC
• Is Starmer leading the UK into recession? – Christian May, City AM

>Yesterday: Rue Grewal on Comment: Labour’s tax-and-spend trap is a lesson we should have learned by now

Local government 1) Badenoch warns of “difficult” elections

“Kemi Badenoch has warned Conservatives they face “extremely difficult” local elections, as she launched her party’s campaign for the polls. She spoke to activists in Buckinghamshire ahead of elections to 24 of England’s 317 councils and mayoral authorities on 1 May. In a speech, the Conservative leader promised “lower taxes and better services” if voters backed her party but admitted the elections would be “tough”. The polls are Badenoch’s first electoral test since she became Tory leader, following her party’s defeat in last year’s general election.” – BBC

• Badenoch says Reform have ‘no experience running anything’ – The Sun
• The Conservative leader has her first chance to persuade the voters on 1 May, but she seems to be getting nowhere – Leader, The Guardian
• Conservatives pledge “lower taxes and better services” – Daily Express
• The Tory leader is pitting herself against science to embrace culture war ideology – Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, Daily Telegraph
• Three more councillors resign from Labour in Dudley – BBC

>Today:

>Yesterday: Bartek Staniszewski on Comment: A party without a clear philosophy is not going to win votes – just look around Europe

Local government 2) Council Tax increasing ahead of inflation

“Struggling households are facing inflation-busting council tax rises next month – with the overwhelming majority imposing the maximum allowed. Average bills are set to soar 5 per cent in the coming year, with the typical Band D cost in England up £109 to £2,280. Of the 384 authorities covered by the government’s cap – set at 4.99 per cent apart from a few in dire circumstances – 293 are imposing as much as they were allowed.” – Daily Mail

Local government 3) Planning permissions for new homes fall to record low

“The number of housing projects granted planning permission in England in 2024 hit a record low, according to new government figures. Just over 30,000 projects – ranging from single homes to large housing developments – got the go ahead, the lowest full-year figure since records started in 1979 and a further fall from 2023. Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has pledged to deliver 1.5 million new homes before the next general election and a rise in planning applications would be one of the first positive signs.” – BBC

>Today: Laura Weldon on Local Government: Why do we tolerate ugly buildings?

Starmer “shifts away” from “boots on the ground” plan for Ukraine

“Sir Keir Starmer, Britain’s prime minister, is turning towards air and sea support to defend Ukraine, a shift from his previous focus on European “boots on the ground” to secure any peace deal with Russia. Speaking at a meeting of military planners from a 31-country “coalition of the willing” near London, Starmer said Russian President Vladimir Putin had to know “there will be severe consequences” if he broke a ceasefire. But while Starmer has in the past focused on putting boots on the ground, on Thursday he stressed the role of sea and air power in “defending the peace”. – Financial Times

• Putin launches massive drone attack on Ukraine’s energy sites – Daily Telegraph
• Healey warns Russia: Britain will not shy away from nuclear weapons – The Times
• Trump won’t kill Nato, the alliance is already dead – Richard Kemp, Daily Telegraph
• Europe is crying out for leadership. After years of drift, Germany is finally ready to answer – John Kampfner, The Guardian
• Closer EU integration does not protect Kyiv – Leader, Daily Telegraph
• With typical bone-headed arrogance, the EU’s seeking to exploit the Ukraine crisis to position itself as a military superpower – Nile Gardiner, Daily Mail
• Macron exploring UN alternative to Starmer’s Ukraine plan – Daily Telegraph
• US seeks to reopen terms of Ukraine minerals deal – Financial Times

MPs warn cladding removal target will be missed

“The government still does not know how many buildings in England have dangerous cladding, the costs of removing it, or the length of time it will take, according to a committee of MPs. In a report, the Public Accounts Committee, which scrutinises the use of taxpayers’ money, cast doubt on whether the government would hit its own target of resolving the building safety crisis by 2029.” – BBC

Reeves demands real-time spending updates

“Rachel Reeves has demanded government departments provide her with real-time public spending updates, as she ramps up a Treasury power grab ahead of next week’s Spring Statement. As part of the Chancellor’s plan to save billions of pounds, officials have been told they must provide instant and accessible data on how much they are spending and what it will achieve.” – Daily Telegraph

Police end investigation into Sturgeon

“Former First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has spoken of her relief after it was confirmed she will face no action in the Police Scotland investigation into SNP finances. The announcement came as her estranged husband, ex-SNP chief executive Peter Murrell, appeared at Edinburgh Sheriff Court charged with embezzlement.” – BBC

• John Swinney ‘to blame’ for latest ferry row – Daily Telegraph
• SNP veteran Fergus Ewing may run as independent – BBC

Leaked messages show Farage’s fury with Lowe

“Nigel Farage called the behaviour of suspended Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe “disgusting” and “contemptible” in private WhatsApp messages seen by the BBC. In the messages, which were sent after Lowe criticised the Reform leader in a Daily Mail interview, Farage accused him of “damaging the party just before elections”. Reform has always denied there was any connection between Lowe’s suspension and his criticism of the party.” – BBC

• Home Office worker sacked for sharing post by Richard Tice – Daily Telegraph
• Lee Anderson has split with his wife – The Sun
• To lead the Right, Reform must tackle welfare – James Bartholomew, Daily Telegraph
• Reform and Tories may have to do a deal to fend off ‘socialist’ Labour, Shadow Minister admits – The Sun

Miliband tops poll of Labour activists

“Ed Miliband has topped a poll of Labour activists – as party members urged Sir Keir Starmer to move further to the Left. The controversial Climate Change Secretary had the highest approval rating of any Cabinet minister in a survey of more than 2,000 party members…The Survation poll for the website LabourList found Mr Miliband has a net approval rating of 68.6 per cent among Labour members, putting him narrowly ahead of Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner on 62.3 per cent.” – Daily Mail

• Reeves has a negative score among party members, according to a poll by Survation for the website LabourList – The Times
• Task for Rachel Reeves is to re-educate Labour – Patrick Maguire, The Times

Ban on changing children’s gender on NHS medical records

“Doctors will be banned from giving transgender children a new NHS record after it emerged that biological sex had been erased from official data. Wes Streeting, the health secretary, said it was wrong that doctors were changing the NHS numbers of children if they changed gender. He has told the health service to stop giving out new NHS numbers to under-18s.” – The Times

• Oxford to alter Latin for non-binary students – The Times
• Surrey Police refused to say that wanted ‘female’ is actually male – Daily Telegraph
• The absence of data on biological sex is an affront to reality – Leader, The Times
• The Government must find out who decided to erase biological sex data and if they’re still employed – Leader, The Sun

Other political news

• AI copyright shake-up is ‘wrong approach’, say luxury brands – The Times
• Trump abolishes department of education – Daily Telegraph
• UK ‘must pay into EU rearmament fund’ to benefit from it – The Times
• Netanyahu fires Israel’s security chief over ‘distrust’ – BBC
• Heathrow planes disrupted due to fire – Daily Telegraph
• Unite the Union official investigated – BBC
• 20 million trees to be planted for first national forest in 30 years – The Times
• Hunt gives a harsh warning to those who want to ‘relitigate’ Brexit – The Sun
• UK should not cave in to Donald Trump’s ‘bullying’ over tech tax, says Ed Davey – Financial Times
• Starmer accused of misleading public over Grangemouth refinery – The Times
• Post-Brexit reliance on NHS staff from ‘red list’ countries is unethical, Streeting says – The Guardian
• David Lammy outs family member ‘unnecessarily’ claiming benefits – The Times
• Schools and hospitals get £180m solar investment – BBC
• AI to free up thousands of police hours and cut court backlogs – The Times
• Glacier meltdown risks food and water supply of 2 billion people, says UN – The Guardian
• UN chief pleads with EU leaders not to request rebates amid Trump cuts – Financial Times

O’Brien:  British patriotism among the young is being undermined

“Young people are fed a relentless diet of demoralising anti-British propaganda. Every major cultural institution seems to spend taxpayers’ money looking for new ways to claim that every aspect of our history and culture is racist and shameful. This week was the turn of Shakespeare: his birthplace is being “decolonised” by the trust that owns it, because of its concerns about the playwright being used to promote “white supremacy”. But there is a story like that every week. Endless universities, museums, galleries and schools have similar madness going on. Moves are afoot to “decolonise” everything from folk music to hiking, and from Maths to Mozart. But as with individuals, self-hatred is not healthy at the nation level. Why would you want to fight for something you have been told is appalling your whole life?” – Neil O’Brien, Daily Telegraph

• Sorry, JD Vance, you’re wrong about UK and immigrants – Emma Duncan, The Times
• If we don’t value boys and masculinity, it is no wonder that so many turn toxic – Sherelle Jacobs, Daily Telegraph
• Bin the national curriculum and the educational blob along with it – Tim Stanley, Daily Telegraph
• GCSEs harm our young people. Ministers should have the guts to abolish them – and start again – Simon Jenkins, The Guardian
• Denmark moves to ‘zero asylum’ – Daily Express

News in brief

• Inside Team Kemi’s plan for power – James Heale, The Spectator
• ‘Two-tier justice’ will make multiculturalism even harder – Henry Hill, CapX
• The Tories are growing impatient with Kemi – Rachel Cunliffe, New Statesman
• Why were taxpayers charged £340,000 for “Migrants Organise Ltd”? – Charlotte Gill, Substack
• How to get young people working again – Sebastian Milbank, The Critic