Presented by Global Citizen
London Playbook
By SAM BLEWETT
Good Monday morning. This is Sam Blewett.
DRIVING THE DAY
KEIR STARMER GOES ELECTRIC: The prospect of peace on the continent will again dominate the political discourse this week, with fraught negotiations between Ukraine and the U.S. due to begin. But Keir Starmer and his ministers will also try to shift some focus onto their domestic agenda — taking on a drumbeat of challenging issues as the prime minister basks in a slight ratings uptick over his handling of the conflict. Deputy PM Angela Rayner and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband are being deployed to talk up slashing red tape to get electricity projects going, ahead of a big intervention by the prime minister on Thursday.
The climax: Labour backbenchers are getting increasingly tetchy about the large amount of uncomfortable decisions the party is having to make — with massive welfare cuts set to add to the pain of slashing the foreign aid budget. The PM will tackle those concerns head on when he faces MPs at the weekly Parliamentary Labour Party meeting this evening. Lobby hacks will have their ears pressed to the door just in case any of the more gutsy backbenchers pipe up with their criticism. We can but hope.
But first: Rayner and Miliband are on a visit in London to trumpet how their planning reforms will allow 150 major projects such as solar farms and wind turbines to go ahead — aiding their boss’ ambition of a building boom to drive economic growth. It’s a publicity drive ahead of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill being published on Tuesday. Exactly what media the Cabinet pair would be doing was foggy last night, but junior minister Alex Norris is taking on the morning broadcast round right now.
Labour goes electric: Proposals to give thousands of residents living within 500 meters of power infrastructure (like pylons and onshore wind farms) up to £250 off their bills have netted the Times’ splash. The policy is aimed at sweetening the pill of new projects by reducing average bills by almost 40 percent a year, and would be paid for by energy firms, according to Oliver Wright and Chris Smyth, who got the scoop.
**A message from Global Citizen: Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is one of the most cost-effective investments in global health. A full pledge from the UK Government is critical to ensure Gavi can immunise 500 million children over the next 5 years, saving 8-9 million lives, and protecting the world from infectious diseases. Read more here.**
Quango tango: Top of the government grid today is a plan to pare back the number of statutory bodies required to have their say over planning decisions from 25. Sport England, Theatres Trust and the Gardens Trust would all be on the list of exiles. One example of the “nonsensical” processes the MHCLG cited overnight was the delay of the development of 140 new homes next to a cricket club because the application was judged not to have properly considered the speed of flying balls. Howzat?
Hit for 6: The Theatres Trust firmly denied it’s a blocker and Sports England also issued a defense (per PA’s write-up). Sam Richards, the chief exec of pro-growth campaign group Britain Remade, pointed out the “irony” of deciding to remove consultees … by launching yet another consultation. Labour Growth Group Co-Chair Chris Curtis wants the government to use post-Brexit powers to set aside EU-derived habitats regulation. Liz Truss will surely use the quangos move to claim she was right all along.
GETTING CONTROVERSIAL: After Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden spent the weekend angering the civil service union with promises to reduce Whitehall staffing levels to some undisclosed number, there are more Tory-sounding policies to come. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is set to unveil plans to cut benefits by up to £6 billion around the middle of this week. Officials aren’t disputing the revelation by ITV’s Anushka Asthana over the weekend that the majority of this will come from making it harder to qualify for personal independence payments, while also freezing these disability payments so they don’t rise with inflation next year.
The anger mounts: The Telegraph’s Amy Gibbons and Tony Diver hear around 80 Labour MPs oppose proposals to rein in the welfare bill — with backbenchers planning to fire off a letter of complaint to the Treasury and the PM. Even if that figure turns out to be high, it’s still clear there’s a fair amount of anger out there.
Take this: Rachael Maskell, who’s gaining a reputation as one of the more outspoken Labour backbenchers, went on BBC Radio 4’s Westminster Hour to urge ministers to move to a “compassionate” welfare system rather than just making “draconian cuts.” “All I have picked up is deep deep concern and that’s clearly reflected from the stories we’re hearing from our constituents,” she said.
But but but: There’s another one of those Starmer-backing backbench factions out to support the government police. The “Get Britain Working Group” set up by David Pinto-Duschinsky was touting a letter signed by 36 newbies arguing there’s a “moral duty” to get the long-term sick back to work through welfare reform.
What jobs?! Hundreds of thousands of businesses are considering laying off workers in a jobs market freeze stemming from the employers’ national insurance hikes in Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ budget, according to business surveys reported by the Times’ Jack Barnett.
Those screams coming from the Treasury … will be the reaction to the OBR sending its fourth private estimate to Reeves today. It will take her draft plans into account and spell out what fiscal headroom she has left ahead of her March 26 spring statement. As it stands, it’s widely believed her near-£10 billion buffer has been wiped out, hence all the tricky announcements the government is planning.
The big message: No. 10’s being pretty cryptic about Starmer’s announcement on Thursday, describing it only as an “intervention” rather than a speech. But he’s expected to tie together the above themes into what’s hoped to be a coherent vision along the lines of the memo (revealed by Playbook) that Starmer sent to his Cabinet last month, spelling out how he wants the government to position itself as one of “the disruptors” to fend off Reform UK and the Tories.
Steel yourselves: It’s not just on Ukraine that the actions of the White House could blow up the domestic agenda: Donald Trump’s threatened 25 percent steel and aluminum tariffs are due to hit on Wednesday. There’s silence from the U.K. government on its extensive preparations for — and lobbying against — the trade taxes, with much nervousness in Whitehall. Overnight China began imposing tit-for-tat tariffs on U.S. farm products. But considering the mercurial MAGA man has already backed down several times on tariffs at the 11th hour, there will be hopes he doesn’t follow through on this one either.
MEANWHILE, IN WAR …
HOPING FOR A DEAL IN THE DESERT: Time is of the essence as Keir Starmer looks to finalize plans for a “coalition of the willing” to uphold a possible peace pact in Ukraine as soon as this week. Ministers and defense chiefs are being dispatched in a flurry of diplomatic activity. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is due in Saudi Arabia today to meet Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, ahead of talks between top American and Ukrainian officials on Tuesday. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is on the way to Jeddah too to lead the American delegation. To say this is all fragile would be a wild understatement, but Trump did drop a glimmer of hope for good news …
While you were sleeping: A reporter traveling with Trump on Air Force One shot the U.S. president a question on whether he’d consider lifting the intelligence block on Ukraine he imposed after the spectacular Oval Office fallout. “We just about have,” Trump replied. “We’re going to make a lot of progress, I believe, this week.” A State Department official told the BBC it looks like Ukraine is “ready to move forward.” The minerals deal between Kyiv and Washington hangs over all this, of course, while U.S. officials will be scoping out whether Ukraine is willing to make material concessions to Russia to bring about peace.
Underlining just how quickly the Trump-o-meter changes: Earlier in the day, Trump had warned that Ukraine “may not survive anyway” in a Fox News interview that makes the Telegraph’s splash. His allies Musk and Rubio took a break from fighting with each other to gang up on Polish Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski over the use of Musk’s Starlink satellite system in Ukraine. Rubio made another one of those Team Trump calls for gratitude and Musk told Sikorski “be quiet, small man” after the Pole suggested they could hunt for a more reliable provider. All very dignified …
Cooler heads: Starmer’s national security adviser Jonathan Powell was in Ukraine over the weekend giving Zelenskyy’s top aide Andriy Yermak advice on the “key issues on the path to achieving peace.” Yermak is due to lead negotiations for Ukraine in Jeddah. The Times hears Powell has been recommending that Kyiv makes clear it has been responding to Trump’s demands, to highlight that Russia is the real obstacle to peace. The paper also reports that Starmer had fresh calls with France’s President Emmanuel Macron and NATO chief Mark Rutte over the weekend. Readouts of those have yet to materialize, so look out for them today.
Chop chop: Downing Street officials were saying last night Starmer wants to get his blueprint for a peacekeeping force together “as soon as possible.” The Mail’s Harriet Line is among those to hear that Starmer wants it down before the week is out.
Flurry of activity: Army boss Tony Radakin will join European defense chiefs in Paris on Tuesday for talks on peace in Ukraine and boosting Europe’s defense industry, after the EU unveiled its rearming plans last week. Defence Secretary John Healey will also head to France that day, ahead of Wednesday’s defense ministers’ meeting in Paris.
Going nuclear: Healey is also scheduling bilateral meetings with his French and German counterparts, Sébastien Lecornu and Boris Pistorius. Berlin may well want to push Germany’s incoming Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s call for Paris and London to share their nuclear weapons.
Reading the Rubios: Foreign Secretary David Lammy will hope to get the inside track from Rubio in Canada on Wednesday, when a meeting of G7 foreign ministers is due to kick off in Charlevoix.
On the battlefield: While so much attention is on diplomacy, the three-year war still rages. Moscow heralded successes in an operation to encircle the Ukrainian troops who have held chunks of the Kursk region for more than seven months, with Russian forces moving through a gas pipeline to surprise Kyiv’s troops. A reminder that the bargaining chips are also being viciously traded on the ground.
NIGEL FARAGE’S SCISSORED ISLE
THIS IS A LOWE: Reform UK will continue tearing itself apart as Nigel Farage and Rupert Lowe engage in an internecine warfare — with claim and counterclaim being lobbed between camps for the party leader and whipless MP. Playbook hears Lowe is meeting his lawyers today as he threatens legal action against his former comrades. This extraordinary power struggle in the rising force of British politics isn’t going away just yet.
In case you entered a Farage-free bunker over the weekend: Reform stripped the Great Yarmouth MP of the whip and referred him to the police over alleged threats of violence against party Chair Zia Yusuf. The party (now down to four MPs) said it had appointed a KC to independently investigate allegations including workplace bullying. Lowe denied it all and insisted he’s the subject of a “vindictive witch hunt” because he dared to question Farage by publicly accusing his boss of acting like a “messiah.” He’s claimed that Reform’s top brass are angry with him because they disagree with his calls for up to 1 million deportations of illegal migrants.
It’s aschasm: Last night the KC appointed by Reform to investigate the allegations told the BBC’s Chris Mason she wanted to correct the record about Lowe’s claims that she expressed either dismay or shock about the process to him. The senior lawyer also denied saying there is “zero credible evidence” against Lowe. Neither Reform nor the BBC named the lawyer, but the broadcaster said it had verified her credentials.
Ruh-roh: The Mail’s Andrew Pierce reports that Lowe was hosting a dinner for potential donors with party Treasurer Nick Candy hours before colleagues reported him to police. Pierce, who bagged the incendiary interview with Lowe that brought this all out into the open last week, says the revelation undermines claims he was “out of control” and no longer a team player.
It’ll all be grand: Reform’s immigration and justice spokesperson Ann Widdecombe admitted to Radio 4 last night that the row is “temporarily damaging,” but denied it’d cause harm in the “long term.” It’s true that the vast majority of voters won’t have heard of Lowe (even if Musk is a bit of a fan), but it’s clear this row has some distance — and many headlines — to run.
This’ll calm it all down:Harry Cole hears Dominic Cummings has been talking tactics with Reform and is in direct communication with Farage. As the Sun’s pol ed points out, Farage might be wise to treat the “Boris-slaying, Partygate string-puller” a little cautiously.
TODAY IN WESTMINSTER
THE KING SPEAKS: King Charles will mark Commonwealth Day with a Westminster Abbey service attended by Keir Starmer this afternoon. The king used his annual message marking the day to call for unity during “these uncertain times.” Lest anyone forgets, the monarch is the head of state of Canada — a Commonwealth country that’s very much not the 51st U.S. state, despite Donald Trump’s wildest desires.
Washington will watch: Trump allies will be vigilant for any coded message Charles sends, following the warm reception he gave Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Sandringham shortly after the Ukrainian was ambushed by the president and JD Vance in the Oval Office. The king’s move struck a chord in the administration, with a U.S. government official telling Playbook “people definitely saw it.” All eyes on whether Charles dons a maple leaf tie.
Meanwhile in Canada: Former Bank of England Governor Mark Carney has won the race to succeed Justin Trudeau as leader of the ruling Liberal Party and prime minister. In his acceptance speech, Carney vowed to resist Trump’s tariff threats, saying: “America is not Canada. And Canada never, ever, will be part of America in any way, shape or form.” POLITICO has the story.
FROM A GREAT HEIGHT: Daniel Day, 29, from Westcliff-on-Sea, Essex, is due at Westminster magistrates court charged with intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance and trespassing on a protected site after allegedly scaling Big Ben with a Palestinian flag on Saturday. PA has a write-up here.
THE GOVE SHOW: Former Cabinet Minister Michael Gove will be questioned by the Covid-19 inquiry this afternoon as it tries to get to the bottom of procurement during the pandemic. Stream here.
ANOTHER TORY RETURN: Science and Tech Secretary Peter Kyle has a keynote speech at techUK’s summit at 4.15 p.m., having unveiled Conservative peer and former Science Minister David Willets as the first chair of the Regulatory Innovation Office.
GREETINGS, GREG: POLITICO’s Nick Earl has a profile of Octopus Energy boss Greg Jackson, who’s been in and out of Whitehall for months telling ministers he knows how to bring down soaring bills. Once a director at LabourList, he became the man Rishi Sunak phoned before making big policy announcements, then one of Rachel Reeves’ first photo ops at the Treasury … oh, and he split his trousers on his way to meet the king. Nick’s piece is here.
CHAGOS CASH CALL: Hillingdon Council has told the government it must “step up” and help with funding after 51 families from the Chagos Islands arrived in the area between the end of July and mid-February, which will have cost the council almost £820,000 by the end of this month, the Standard’s Rachael Burford reports.
SUMMER CRIME WAVE: Justice Minister James Timpson has told the Guardian prisons are on alert for a sudden influx of offenders in case of a repeat of last summer’s riots. The paper’s splash by Rajeev Syal reports that hundreds of makeshift cells are being stood up by the end of the year.
SW1 EVENTS: To mark International Women’s Day, Leader of the House of Commons Lucy Powell is discussing modernizing parliament with IFG boss Hannah White at 3 p.m. (register here) … Conservative peer and pollster Robert Hayward holds a pre-local elections briefing with Policy Exchange at 1 p.m. (details for online and in person attendance here) … Kemi Badenoch’s chief of staff Lee Rowley is in conversation with the Popular Conservatives to share his thoughts on the current state of the party at 7 p.m. (stream here).
REPORTS OUT TODAY: Thirty-six percent of women over 50 in England have experienced discrimination on the grounds of their age, sex or race, according to Age UK … 32 percent of private school teachers and 29 percent of support staff say the cost-of-living crisis has forced them into additional paid work, according to a poll by the NEU.
HOUSE OF COMMONS: Sits from 2.30 p.m. with education questions … the second reading of the Crime and Policing Bill … and a motion on the Joint Committee on Statutory Instruments. Labour MP Helena Dollimore has the adjournment debate on the closure of Owens in Hastings and town deal funding.
WESTMINSTER HALL: Debate from 4.30 p.m. on an e-petition relating to suspending all immigration (led by Labour MP Dave Robertson).
On committee corridor: Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary Cat Little discusses the risk of a catastrophic cyberattack with the Public Accounts Committee (3.30 p.m.).
HOUSE OF LORDS: Sits from 2.30 p.m. with introductions of Labour peers Stephen McCabe and Thangam Debbonaire … oral questions on people who have not met the entry requirements for the apprenticeship system, sexual violence against Sudanese women and girls, and the U.K. Poverty 2025 report published by the Joseph Rowntree Foundation … and it’s committee stage Day Two of the House of Lords (Hereditary Peers) Bill.
BEYOND THE M25
TALKING SEWAGE: Environment Secretary Steve Reed is visiting Lake Windermere today as part of a “Things Can Only Get Cleaner” tour (yes, seriously) promoting water investment. He’ll promise to eliminate sewage dumping into what is a favorite retreat for many, the prime minister included. Reed will set out the government’s ambition of having “only rainwater” enter England’s largest lake.
MIDDLE EAST LATEST: Israel ordered Gaza’s electricity supply to be cut off on Sunday to pressure Hamas into releasing the remaining hostages, and said it has not ruled out also cutting off water supplies. A spokesperson for the U.K. Foreign Office told the Independent that “a halt on goods and supplies entering Gaza, including basic needs such as electricity, risks breaching Israel’s obligations under International Humanitarian Law.”
MARK SHEET: My POLITICO colleagues have graded the first 100 days of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s second term in power — and it’s been a whirlwind, to say the least. She scored highly on her promises on a defense white paper and clean industrial strategy, but faltered on pledges for agriculture and food. Read more here.
ROMANIAN ELECTION MAYHEM: Romania’s Central Electoral Bureau blocked Russia-aligned, far-right candidate Călin Georgescu from participating in a rerun of the country’s presidential election in May. It said he violated Romania’s election rules while coming out of nowhere to win the first round of the presidential vote in November. POLITICO has the latest.
**A message from Global Citizen: Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is one of the most cost-effective investments in global health. But it is at real risk in the face of deadly cuts to the UK aid budget. Over 25 years, Gavi has immunised over a billion children, stopped deadly diseases from spreading around the world, and saved almost 19 million lives. Gavi strengthens health care systems, drives economic growth, and helps protect the UK from future pandemics, boosting safety and security for us all. UK support is vital in continuing these successes. By making a full pledge, the UK Government can help Gavi immunise 500 million children over the next 5 years, save up to 9 million lives, and protect the world from health emergencies. The UK has a proud history of action on global immunisation. Labour must continue to deliver for Gavi, providing security at home and saving lives across the world. Read more here.**
MEDIA ROUND
Local Growth and Building Safety Minister Alex Norris broadcast round: Times Radio (7.05 a.m.) … Sky News (7.15 a.m.) … 5Live (7.30 a.m.) … LBC (7.50 a.m.) … GMB (8.30 a.m.) … GB News (9.05 a.m.).
Shadow Crime and Policing Minister Matt Vickers broadcast round: GB News (7 a.m.) … Times Radio (7.45 a.m.) … Sky News (8.15 a.m.) … LBC News (8.50 a.m.) … Talk (9.05 a.m.).
Also on BBC Breakfast: Environment Secretary Steve Reed (7.30 a.m.).
Also on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: Ofcom CEO Melanie Dawes (7.40 a.m.) … phone-in with Science Secretary Peter Kyle (1 p.m.).
Also on Times Radio Breakfast: Former head of the British Army Richard Dannatt (8.05 a.m.).
Also on LBC News: U.K. Council for Internet Safety Evidence Group Chair Julia Davidson (7.40 a.m.).
Politics Live (BBC Two 12.15 p.m.): Labour MP Lola McEvoy … Conservative MP Graham Stuart … Observer chief leader writer Sonia Sodha … former Conservative SpAd Anita Boateng.
TODAY’S FRONT PAGES
POLITICO UK: How Britain’s slickest energy lobbyist wooed Labour.
Daily Express: ‘Remember the sacrifice of our family of nations.’
Daily Mail: Woke RAF is running out of top gun pilots.
Daily Mirror: We must never forget.
Daily Star: Trump gets the hump.
Financial Times: Ukrainians to press Washington for resumption of aid in high-stakes talks.
i: Ministers want to freeze out ‘Nimby’ groups to end nonsense planning delay.
Metro: Upskirting plague is increasing.
The Daily Telegraph: Trump: Ukraine may not survive.
The Guardian: Prisons to get hundreds more cells in case summer riots happen again.
The Independent: Ukrainians blame US for ‘betrayal’ for battlefield horrors.
The Sun: Chats of the day.
The Times: £250 a year off bills for living near new pylons.
LONDON CALLING
WESTMINSTER WEATHER: To fit the Monday mood, it’s cloudy. High 15C, low 5C.
IN PCH … the Commonwealth Day ceremony will take place from 9.30 a.m. Open to all.
FOR AN AFTER-WORK JAUNT: Comedian Matt Forde is interviewing podcast bro and former Downing Street comms director Alastair Campbell at the Duchess Theatre at 7.30 p.m. (tickets here).
JOB ADS: Best for Britain is looking for a senior press officer … Conservative MP David Davis needs a parliamentary assistant … Labour MP Natalie Fleet is on the hunt for a communications officer … and the Centre for Social Justice is hiring a policy director.
WRITING PLAYBOOK PM: Emilio Casalicchio.
WRITING PLAYBOOK TUESDAY MORNING: Andrew McDonald.
BIRTHDAYS: Brent North MP Barry Gardiner … Belfast North MP John Finucane … Sheffield Hallam MP Olivia Blake … Department for Transport Permanent Secretary Bernadette Kelly.
PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editors Zoya Sheftalovich, Dan Bloom and Alex Spence, diary reporter Bethany Dawson and producer Catherine Bouris.
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