Presented by Intuit
London Playbook
By ANDREW MCDONALD
with BETHANY DAWSON
WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING: Israel launched a wave of airstrikes on Gaza which killed at least 235 people, according to local hospitals. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he ordered the overnight attacks on Hamas targets because of the “repeated refusal to release our hostages” despite a fragile ceasefire that took effect in January. “Israel will, from now on, act against Hamas with increasing military strength,” Netanyahu’s office added. Israel consulted the Trump administration before it began the strikes. The Middle East looks set to violently upend the international news agenda once again; the Associated Press has live updates here.
Good Tuesday morning. This is Andrew McDonald.
DRIVING THE DAY
BRACE FOR CUTS: Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall will today unveil her party’s most controversial reforms since entering office — announcing billions of pounds worth of cuts to disability benefits alongside a handful of welfare sweeteners aimed at cooling the anger of some Labour MPs. Weeks of leaks, spin, briefings and disgruntled chunters from MPs have all led to this moment. No. 10 and government officials will watch anxiously for how it lands and whether the much-predicted asteroid-sized collision between Starmer and his backbenchers comes to pass. Guess what? It’s another big day in Westminster.
Though, of course … the whole thing might be relegated to the lower news leagues by the time your author sits down to write the next Playbook tonight — with the small matter of a phone call between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin penciled in to happen at some stage today. But nonetheless …
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The Kendall choreography: The welfare chief will rise to address the Commons at 12.30 p.m. or later, depending on the speaker granting any urgent questions. She’ll speak for around 15 minutes, and once she sits down the entire 80+ page green paper will be published on the DWP website. Kendall will then take questions from MPs, before departing the Commons for a round of media interviews, details of which were still being firmed up last night.
It’s a pretty big moment … for Kendall personally; arguably her biggest in the national spotlight since one Morgan McSweeney masterminded her campaign for the Labour leadership in 2015, when she won 4.5 percent of the membership vote. Now she’s the face of a plan that will affect millions and has rolled in on tramlines set by McSweeney’s ruthless politics (as well as Rachel Reeves’ rigid fiscal rules). We’ve come a long way in 10 years.
First up: The Cabinet has to actually sign off on the package … meaning any last-minute dissenters have a final chance to raise their objections to the PM’s face. Starmer will chair the meeting at 9.30 a.m., by which time his senior ministers will have had a chance to read the entire paper. The Cabinet was given the opportunity last night to come into Downing Street to read the green paper under strict secrecy rules, and a similar “reading room” has been set up early this morning.
As for what’s in the package … there was no pre-briefed trail from the DWP overnight — with No. 10 perhaps wary of angering Commons Speaker Lindsay Hoyle if even more details emerged before MPs hear them in the chamber. But thanks to weeks of ground-laying and leaks, we have a pretty good idea of the thrust of it.
What’s in it — the carrots: The introduction of a “right to try” work scheme was in the Sun on Sunday, Sunday Times and Sunday Telegraph. The idea is that those on incapacity benefits can try to get back to work without the risk of losing their entitlements. The Sunday Times also reported that some of the welfare savings will be redirected into supporting claimants to get off benefits, while a commitment to raising the basic rate of universal credit is expected.
What’s in it — the carrots II: Playbook also hears Kendall will signal a lessening of the number of reassessments those with the most severe conditions have to go through to keep their personal independence payments (PIP) or incapacity benefits. The Times’ Chris Smyth hears the same.
What’s in it — the sticks: Two big sets of immediate cuts. Most controversially (and as thoroughly reported in the last couple of weeks) the government will make it harder to get PIP in the first place, which is expected to save about £5 billion. Today’s Times reiterates that this will see claimants need to demonstrate they “have greater difficulty with everyday activities such as washing, eating and dressing,” while the FT reports that it will be denied to many people with mental health conditions.
Remember: PIP is not tied to employment status and is intended to help cover the extra costs of being disabled, whether or not the claimant works. Kendall pledged Monday that the “most severely disabled” would not be affected by the reforms. Let’s see how this works out in practice.
What’s in it — the sticks II: The work capability assessment that determines who is eligible for incapacity benefits in Universal Credit is set to be scrapped.
What’s in it — the sticks III: Expect to hear lots more about the chewily-worded “limited capability for work-related activity” element of Universal Credit (LCWRA) — which pays a £416.19-a-month top-up to people who are long-term sick or disabled. (This has been widely described as “incapacity benefits.”) Several people in Labour tell my colleague Dan Bloom that they believe it will be frozen in cash terms next year. This is a potential softening compared to last week, when many MPs thought it would be cut in cash terms.
But but but: Obviously, a cash freeze is still a real-terms cut. And the Times’ Chris Smyth reports again today that the highest rates of incapacity benefits will be reduced. This stuff is complex with several different rates; we’ll soon know the full detail.
What’s not in it: The initially mooted PIP freeze. Though some MPs were last night raising the question of whether the government was ever that serious about planning to freeze PIP and, if so, when the plan was dropped — given the OBR’s deadline for major measures to be presented from the government was last Wednesday. “I think the more likely story, rather than a U-turn after the OBR’s deadline, is that a government of Labour ministers was always going to do something broadly acceptable to Labour MPs,” one backbencher theorized to Playbook. Another tells the FT it was a “bleeding stump tactic.”
On the other hand: Officials insist the idea was on the table before it was ditched, and one tells the FT that “things weren’t properly thought through.” Dan hears too that the Treasury is looking for ways to find more money after the decision was taken off the table.
How they’ll justify it: Expect every government minister or loyal MP near a mic today — starting with Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Pat McFadden on the morning round — to talk as much as possible about the need to trim the welfare bill, which has ballooned since the pandemic. Sky’s Beth Rigby has a good piece on the key principles shaping No. 10’s thinking on this, pointing to the one key stat you will have heard by now: one in 10 working-age Brits claim sickness benefits. One government figure tells her today’s reforms “don’t go far enough.”
Onto the rammy: PIP freeze or not, MPs are still fairly pissed off — and they’ll get the chance to seriously show it in a couple of months. Government officials are expecting many of these reforms to take the form of a bill, likely in May. That means a string of votes where MPs have to decide whether to risk the wrath of Labour whips by putting their money where their mouth is. “We’re still very much in the foothills of judging where parliamentary opinion is on it,” a Labour official said.
In the meantime: Expect more of this kinda thing from critics like Unite’s Sharon Graham, who writes in the Mirror that the government is making the “wrong choices” and should instead plug its fiscal holes with a wealth tax. More significantly, the more typically loyal Unison boss Christina McAnea also has critical quotes in the paper. McSweeney and No. 10 won’t be too bothered by the chance for a public fight with either lefties like Graham or their squeamish MPs on the soft left.
Starm charm: But as they attempt to judge just how far discontent extends, No. 10 was still hosting MPs for chats about the reforms as late as 4 p.m. Monday — while Kendall personally rang anxious MPs over the weekend, Playbook hears. But one unimpressed MP tells Playbook’s Bethany Dawson their No. 10 meeting was “death by PowerPoint” — with little detail on the policy or answering of questions.
Watch out for … how many Labour MPs are willing to go over the top in the chamber and ask difficult questions of Kendall today. And keep an eye out for which MPs will be brave enough — on an issue that really exercises lots of their colleagues — to use the softball brown-nosing questions handed to them by Labour whips. Best of luck.
Roll call! Following last week’s reports about members of the Cabinet not too happy with the reforms … do also make sure you play a game of Spotted to see which ministers turn up to the front benches to gravely nod along as Kendall announces the most controversial changes. Angela Rayner … Ed Miliband … Yvette Cooper … and Lucy Powell are among those who’ve been reported as raising discontent over the cuts at Cabinet last week.
MISSION IMPOSSIBLE
NET ZERO CHANCE: Tory Leader Kemi Badenoch has a window of about two hours to seize the attention of the Westminster bubble this morning before welfare reforms take over … and she’ll try to use it by declaring in a 10.30 a.m. speech that “net zero by 2050 is impossible.” Her speech makes the splashes of the Mail and Telegraph and the front of the Times.
Their mission is impossible: In her speech — at a PR firm in St. Pancras to an audience of Tories and hacks — Badenoch will say that she’s been spending some of her four months in charge looking at the government’s net zero plan and worked out that the target ain’t doable. She’ll say that her predecessors set the target without having a plan that doesn’t “bankrupt” Britain or cause a “serious drop in our living standards.”
It’s a helluva shift … for a former minister who bigged up the target on several occasions in government. Chris Skidmore, the architect of the original target under Theresa May, playfully pointed this out on X last night.
And as such … green-fingered Tories aren’t happy. The Conservative Environment Network issued a scathing statement, while one left-leaning Tory told Playbook this is “short-sighted political posturing to win diehard Reform voters.” Another Tory official said it’s a “politically stupid and economically illiterate” move that will “only lead to electoral disaster.”
On the other hand: Tories anxious about Nigel Farage have been wondering about the party’s commitment to the net zero target for some time — and Rishi Sunak went public with his belief the target should be scrapped two weeks back. Strategists also reckon the target becomes much less popular with the public once they have to reckon with some of the possible consequences for their energy bills or wallets.
But wait: Is it actually much of a shift? Badenoch will also say she is “not making a moral judgment on net zero,” and a Tory official clarified last night that Badenoch isn’t committing to repealing the target in law and still wants to get to net zero at some point, but without an “arbitrary deadline.”
Instead: The announcement is a headline-grabber designed to get some eyes on Badenoch’s speech, which is otherwise about the start of the party’s policy development process — details of which were in Monday morning’s Playbook. And in that spirit … Badenoch will effectively be saying the current government policy isn’t doable without having to say how she’d do it instead. Who said opposition is difficult?
The defense is … that this far out from a general election, there’s no need for the opposition leader to have fully sketched out plans for how they’d do things differently. “This is the start of the policy commission process. It’d be weird if we started off with policies already written,” the official quoted above said.
Hands up, hacks! Happily for any journalists hoping to grill the Tory leader on all of that, Badenoch will be taking questions after her speech. She’ll also field hands-up questions from the floor of Tory activists, Playbook hears. Advice to hacks: best to blend in with them if you want a question.
PROBABLY TRUMPING ALL OF THAT
IT ALL RESTS ON A PHONE CALL: All of the above may well be forgotten by the end of the day with Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin set to speak by phone at some point, both the U.S. president and Kremlin have confirmed.
No biggie: With Trump’s ceasefire plan for Ukraine hanging in the balance, the pair will discuss “dividing up certain assets,” Trump said. “We will be talking about land. We will be talking about power plants. We want to see if we can bring that war to an end. Maybe we can, maybe we can’t, but I think we have a very good chance,” he said. The White House said Monday that Kyiv had been looped in on the “land” and “assets” aspect … without providing the details.
All we know … is that the call is likely to take place in the morning (U.S. time), according to a Trump Truth Social post. Brace, brace.
Elsewhere in Washington: Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds is in the U.S. capital to make yet more pleas for tariff carve-outs for Britain’s steel industry. He’ll meet U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick and Trade Representative Jamieson Greer for a few hours from around 2.30 p.m. U.K. time, and is expected to film a media clip afterward.
Be MEGA, MAGAs: Reynolds will also kick-start talks on a wider economic deal — branded the MEGA deal by the always imaginative British Ambassador Peter Mandelson. POLITICO’s Tom Bristow got hold of the pitch document prepared by the U.K. side last week.
BACK IN LONDON: The EU’s foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas is in town for a lunch meeting with Foreign Secretary David Lammy and Defence Secretary John Healey. They’ll be discussing Starmer’s coalition of the willing — obvs — as well as how they can pile economic pressure on Russia. There’s no joint presser or much media activity expected, but there should at least be a readout afterward — plus the usual “warm words” at the top of the meeting.
That meeting will include … talks on how Europe ensures it has the right “legal and financial cover” to potentially seize billions in Russian assets, Bloomberg’s Ellen Milligan reports. Plenty of European countries, including Germany, remain concerned about that particular nuclear option.
Knowing me knowing EU: Instead of any presser, Lammy and Kallas have written a joint op-ed for POLITICO. Hey, that’s us! The pair argue that this difficult moment — which they describe as a “world on fire” — calls for stronger U.K.-EU cooperation, particularly on security and defense. “The U.K. may no longer be a member of the EU, but when it comes to keeping our continent safe, Europe cannot afford to be less than the sum of our parts,” they write. “The U.K. and EU have come together in a moment of crisis.”
Last night in London: Canada’s new PM Mark Carney played down the prospect of a confrontation with the U.S. at a press conference after meeting Starmer and the king, who Carney described as a “steadfast defender” of his country. The FT’s George Parker has a write-up.
MORE FOREIGN AFFAIRS NEWS: Europe Minister Stephen Doughty is in Geneva for talks on finding a lasting settlement for the island of Cyprus, with representatives from both the Turkish northern side and the Republic of Cyprus. A dinner was held last night, but the main talks of substance are today.
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TODAY IN WESTMINSTER
WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: Canceling government credit cards. The Cabinet Office has announced plans to freeze around 20,000 “procurement cards” handed out to Whitehall mandarins for the purchase of lower-value goods. Instead, officials will have to reapply and make the case for retaining them. The Guardian’s Kiran Stacey has a write-up. Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden is doing the morning round.
What the government doesn’t want to talk about: Britain has run out of space in its jails again and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood is triggering emergency measures to use police cells for prisoners, the Times’ Matt Dathan reveals. “Operation Safeguard” will be enacted via a written ministerial statement today.
LOOKING AHEAD TO NEXT WEEK: Ahead of the spring statement, my POLITICO colleague Annabelle Dickson assesses the chances of Labour’s rivals stealing small business support amid a backlash over Rachel Reeves’ budget. One signatory to Labour’s much heralded open letter from 120 business leaders urging voters to give Labour a chance to lead the country in the run-up to the last election gives their brutal verdict: “Would I sign that letter again? No.” Read the full piece here.
TODAY IN DEATH: The Assisted Dying Bill Committee continues to sit from 9.25 a.m., and isn’t expected to wrap up until 10 p.m.
On the bright side (for some): It’s a long day, but pro-bill campaigners will be buoyed by new polling from NatCen’s major British Social Attitudes Survey, which finds 79 percent of Brits still support assisted dying.
ROBO-SPIN: Euan Blair, Multiverse co-founder and son of former Prime Minister Tony Blair, banged the AI drum in a sit-down interview with Newsnight, saying “AI is unlikely to take your job, but someone with AI skills just might.” He warned that if a person “can’t change the way you work as a consequence of introducing AI, you will start to become obsolete.” It’s all vaguely reminiscent of his dad’s “disrupt or be disrupted” report — guess it came up at dinner.
EXPORTING BRITISH CULTURE: English punk duo the “Lambrini Girls” have received cash from the government’s Music Export Growth Scheme, which the Sun notes is a bit awkward, given they said the government is “fascist,” described the U.K. as an “extremely racist shole” and put the prime minister on their “s list.”
AT THE COVID-19 INQUIRY: The day starts at 10 a.m. with evidence from NHS Confederation Deputy CEO Daniel Mortimer, followed by the Royal College of Nursing’s Professional Lead for Infection Prevention and Control Rosemary Gallagher, former PPE czar Paul Deighton and former Cabinet Office Minister Theodore Agnew. Stream here.
BEEP BEEP: The Patriotic Millionaires campaign group will be driving a big blue bus to Westminster to push the government to implement a wealth tax, saying such a move could create £460 million per week.
SW1 EVENTS: The Pagefield Awards, hosted by Labour Together CEO Jonathan Ashworth, kick off at 6.30 p.m. (invite only).
REPORTS OUT TODAY: School absences and suspensions are 67 percent higher than they were pre-pandemic, says the IPPR … “Years of planning” went into the Hamas Oct. 7 attacks, which were executed by around 7,000 individuals, and 73 percent of victims were civilians, says a report commissioned by the U.K.-Israel APPG … the government should make “a generous and well-targeted pledge” at the Nutrition for Growth summit of at least £50 million to the Child Nutrition Fund, says the International Development Committee.
HOUSE OF COMMONS: Sits from 11.30 a.m. with energy security and net zero questions … a ten-minute rule bill on freight crime (led by Labour MP Rachel Taylor) … and remaining stages of the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill. DUP MP Jim Shannon has the adjournment debate on the potential merits of making St. Patrick’s Day a U.K. bank holiday.
WESTMINSTER HALL: Debate from 9.30 a.m. on free school meals (Lib Dem MP Liz Jarvis) … and military collaboration with Israel (independent MP Shockat Adam).
On committee corridor: Homelessness and Democracy Minister Rushanara Ali is grilled on the resilience of the electoral system by PACAC at 10 a.m. … Children Minister Janet Daby discusses the state of children’s social care and safeguarding reforms with the Education Committee (10 a.m.) … Veterans Minister Alistair Carns is quizzed on the treatment of women in the armed forces by the Defence Committee (10.30 a.m.) … Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards Daniel Greenberg chats about outside employment and interest of MPs with the Committee on Standards (11 a.m.) … Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration David Bolt discusses asylum accommodation with the Home Affairs Committee (2.30 p.m.).
HOUSE OF LORDS: Sits from 2.30 p.m. with questions on the role of Great British Railways resolving industrial action, the extension of new nuclear power generation to Scotland and implications of new U.S. tariffs on EU goods … and it’s the report stage of the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill.
BEYOND THE M25
LOOK AT THIS PLANT: Scottish Labour Leader Anas Sarwar visits a manufacturing facility in Fife this morning. He’s there to discuss the impact of Scottish manufacturing on U.K. national security, but that will likely get sidelined by hacks in favor of more difficult questions on welfare cuts.
SACRE BLEU : The Trump administration did not entertain a French politician’s request to return the Statue of Liberty to France, with White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt saying: “My advice to that unnamed low-level French politician would be to remind them that it’s only because of the United States of America that the French are not speaking German right now.”
TEXAS FIRST: Authorities arrested Texas midwife Maria Margarita Rojas for allegedly providing illegal abortions, in what is believed to be the first criminal arrest under the state’s near-total abortion ban, the Guardian reports.
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MEDIA ROUND
Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden broadcast round: Times Radio (7.05 a.m.) … Sky (7.15 a.m.) … BBC Breakfast (7.30 a.m.) … LBC (7.50 a.m.) … Today (8.10 a.m.) … GMB (8.30 a.m.).
Shadow Scottish Secretary Andrew Bowie broadcast round: GB News (7.05 a.m.) … Sky News (7.30 a.m.) … Today (8.30 a.m.) … LBC News (8.50 a.m.) … Talk (9.05 a.m.).
Also on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: Former head of MI6 Russia desk Christopher Steele (7.10 a.m.).
Also on Times Radio Breakfast: Labour MP Andy McDonald (8.05 a.m.) … former Conservative Leader William Hague and former Scottish Labour Leader Kezia Dugdale (9.05 a.m.).
Also on Sky News Breakfast: High Commissioner for Canada in the U.K. Ralph Goodale (8.15 a.m.) … former Labour Party director of comms and strategy Tom Baldwin (9.30 a.m.).
Also on LBC News: Disability Rights UK Head of Policy Fazilet Hadi (7.40 a.m.) … Ukrainian MP Oleksiy Goncharenko (7.50 a.m.) … Lib Dem MP Munira Wilson (8.25 a.m.).
Politics Live (BBC Two 12.15 p.m.): Labour MP David Pinto-Duschinsky … Conservative peer Craig Mackinlay … Green Co-Leader Carla Denyer … UnHerd’s Political Editor Tom McTague.
TODAY’S FRONT PAGES
POLITICO UK: Farage and Tories spy an opening as small businesses turn on Labour.
Daily Express: £40bn tax raid ‘disaster’ is killing growth.
Daily Mail: Kemi: Net zero by 2050 impossible.
Daily Mirror: Don’t punish the needy.
Daily Star: Very very very very grumpy!
Financial Times: Odey to be banned from City roles and fined £1.8mn.
i: Disability benefit cuts: Reeves still scrambling to win over cabinet.
Metro: £17bn needed just to fix the roads.
The Daily Telegraph: Badenoch: Net zero by 2050 is impossible.
The Guardian: D-day for benefit cuts as Starmer faces growing tide of opposition.
The Independent: Sick could lose £1,200 a year in benefit cuts.
The Sun: 1D Louis dates Strictly Zara.
The Times: Checks on sick benefit claimants to increase.
LONDON CALLING
WESTMINSTER WEATHER: The sun has its hat on — at last. High 11C, low 3C.
SCOOP — LOBBY NEWS: The Times’ Patrick Maguire has been promoted to chief political commentator. In addition to his usual weekly Friday column — read by everyone who matters in Labour circles — he’ll do wider reporting for the paper on politics.
SPOTTED … at Labour’s Irish Society St Patrick’s day celebration in parliament, alongside 11 liters of Jameson’s: Irish Ambassador Martin Fraser … Northern Ireland Secretary Hilary Benn … Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden … former Downing Street chief of staff Sue Gray … the Times’ Patrick Maguire, author of “Get In” — the book that told the story of Sue Gray leaving No. 10 … Environment Secretary Steve Reed … Local Transport Minister Simon Lightwood … Future of Roads Minister Lilian Greenwood … Courts Minister Sarah Sackman … Labour peer Kevin Brennan and Aviation Minister Mike Kane playing “The Wild Rover” on the guitar and flute … Labour MPs Emily Thornberry, Adam Jogee, Siobhain McDonagh, Bill Esterson, David Baines, Joani Reid, Kevin Bonavia, Lola McEvoy, Liam Conlon, Louise Haigh, Mary Kelly Foy, Michael Wheeler, Rachel Hopkins, Richard Quigley and Samantha Niblett … SDLP MPs Claire Hanna, Colum Eastwood and Dan Aldridge … Labour peers David Evans, Peter Hain, Peter Hendy and Roy Kennedy … Downing Street Director of Communication Matthew Doyle … No. 10’s Director of Local Government and Devolution Pete Robbins … SpAds Ryan Denston and Rhys Clyne … Wes Streeting’s chief of staff Matt Goddin.
Also spotted … at the Guildhall for the private drinks and dinner following the CPS’ Margaret Thatcher Conference sponsored by the City of London and the Telegraph: Shadow Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster Alex Burghart … Shadow Transport Secretary Gareth Bacon … Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick … Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith … Shadow Leader of the House of Commons Jesse Norman … Shadow Foreign Minister Wendy Morton … Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury Richard Fuller … Conservative MPs Aphra Brandreth, Bob Blackman, Charlie Dewhirst, Christopher Chope, David Davis, Graham Stuart, Greg Stafford, Harriet Cross, James Cleverly, Joe Robertson, Mark Francois, Martin Vickers, Peter Bedford, Richard Holden and Tom Tugendhat …
… and breathe … Conservative peers Graham Brady, Jonathan Hill, Matthew Elliott, Norman Blackwell, Ruth Porter, Stephen Gilbert and David Willetts … non-affiliated peer Andrew Tyrie … LOTO’s Dylan Sharpe, James Roberts and Victoria Hewson … former Conservative MPs Damian Green, John Redwood and Miriam Cates … CPS’ Emma Revell, Robert Colvile, and Gerard Lyons with his son, FCDO official Gerard Lyons … PopCon Director Mark Littlewood … Reform head of comms Ed Sumner … TPA’s Elliot Keck … Liz Truss’ press secretary Jonathan Isaby … BBC Political Editor Chris Mason … ConHome’s Giles Dilnot and Henry Hill … the i’s Political Editor Hugo Gye … the Guardian’s Pippa Crerar … Politics Live host Jo Coburn … and the Express Associate Editor Sam Lister.
Also spotted … at the launch of Business in the Community’s “Pride of Place — together lifting up the U.K.” in the Speakers’ House: Justice Minister Alex Davies-Jones … Deputy Speaker Nus Ghani … Shadow Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary Kevin Hollinrake … Labour MPs Ruth Jones, Carolyn Harris, Chris Webb, Alison Griffiths and Jessica Morden … Conservative MP Edward Leigh … crossbench peers Jo Valentine, Richard Best and Susan Black … Labour peers Steve Bassam, Deborah Wilcox and Sharon Taylor … Conservative peer Ralph Lucas … Business in the Community’s Mary Macleod and Laura Dunn.
IN MEMORIAM: John “Paddy” Hemingway, the last surviving Battle of Britain pilot, died aged 105.
NEW GIG: Former Daily Mail reporter Bill Bowkett is joining the Standard news team.
WRITING PLAYBOOK PM: Emilio Casalicchio.
WRITING PLAYBOOK WEDNESDAY MORNING: Andrew McDonald.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Transformation Minister Andrew Western … Scottish Greens Co-Leader Patrick Harvie … former Tory SpAd Angus Walker… former Edinburgh South West MP Joanna Cherry … former Bury St Edmunds MP Jo Churchill … PA’s Acting Deputy Political Editor Caitlin Doherty.
PLAYBOOK COULDN’T HAPPEN WITHOUT: My editors Zoya Sheftalovich, Dan Bloom and Alex Spence, diary reporter Bethany Dawson and producer Dean Southwell.
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