Presented by Lloyds Banking Group
London Playbook
By STEFAN BOSCIA
with BETHANY DAWSON
Good Monday morning. This is Stefan Boscia.
DRIVING THE DAY
POLITICIANS WELCOME HERE: The U.K. will host interior ministers from around the world today as Keir Starmer tries to stem the record numbers of small boat arrivals. Ministers from more than 40 countries — including the U.S., China, Italy and Albania — are in town for the first Organized Immigration Crime Summit. It is the latest salvo in the prime minister’s attempts to use multilateralism to bear down on irregular migration and (in his words) “smash the gangs.” Though there is another global story on assembled politicians’ minds this week … more on that just below.
Top of the grid: The government’s big announcement today is a new £33 million fund to disrupt international smuggling networks and boost prosecutions. The new fund is a part of its efforts to adopt tactics used to break up international terrorist groups to stop small boat arrivals (which have surpassed 5,000 this year already). Government officials are blaming the spike on calmer sea conditions than usual this time of year.
Cash for convictions:The Times’ Matt Dathan reports that an international unit of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will be set up, and some of the funds will be given to foreign prosecutors to help bang up people smugglers. Dathan writes that international CPS liaison officers will coordinate with overseas prosecutors to supply them with information that can be used to help arrest and convict people smugglers.
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What to watch for: Starmer is due to give a speech at the start of the two-day summit at 9 a.m., while Yvette Cooper will follow at 9.15 a.m. The home secretary will also do a huddle with assembled hacks in the morning; front Commons questions from 2.30 p.m.; and then do a broadcast pool clip later in the afternoon.
Starmer speaks: Starmer will say that the “vile trade exploits the cracks between our institutions, pits nations against one another and profits from our inability at the political level to come together.” “I believe we should treat organized immigration crime in the same way,” he will add. “I simply do not believe organized immigration crime cannot be tackled.”
Playing to the (Tory) base: The PM also has an op-ed in the Mail today, which tells the Tory paper’s readers that “you’re right” to be angry about illegal migration. He writes that “we all pay the price for insecure borders — from the cost of accommodating migrants to the strain on our public services.”
Also attending today … are senior figures from social media firms including X, Meta and TikTok. The government wants to work with Big Tech to clamp down on people smugglers using their platforms to advertise their services.
Drinks and deportations: Cooper hosted a “soft launch” soiree at the National Gallery last night to welcome ministers, officials and tech bros to the U.K. for today’s summit. Playbook is told that among the group is Trump’s new director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Todd Lyons. Oh to be a fly on that wall.
THE ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM: The Home Office will be thrilled to get American buy-in for the summit, but a different U.K.-U.S. story will likely overshadow the event. We are now two days away from the implementation of Trump’s “liberation day” tariffs, and those high hopes of a U.K. carve-out are now fast fading. The Guardian’s Kiran Stacey reports that ministers are resigned to no deal being struck in time to avoid the April 2 tariffs.
A quick reminder … that Trump has clearly stated that 25 percent tariffs will be levied on all auto imports into the U.S. on April 2. Beyond that, he has talked about “reciprocal tariffs” so that the U.S. matches other countries’ levies on American goods — which leaves a lot of room for interpretation. But speculation is rife that this will just mean universal tariffs on all imports into the U.S., set at different rates for each country or trading bloc.
Change of plan? And it sounds like No. 10 is now more seriously considering retaliatory measures against the U.S. if negotiations (which will drag on past April 2) do not eventually yield a result. A No. 10 figure told the Telegraph’s Amy Gibbons and Louis Goss that “we are preparing for all eventualities” and that “we reserve the right to a retaliation process if that’s what we think would be in the national interest.” They added: “We’ll be approaching this with cool, calm heads, but sharp teeth.”
More big words: Cooper said during Sunday’s broadcast round that nothing was off the table, while a Downing Street figure told the i’s Jane Merrick that “a trade war is in nobody’s interest” for the paper’s splash.
Straight to the source: The PM made his case to Trump directly last night in a 20-minute call about Ukraine, tariffs and negotiations over a bilateral economic agreement. A Downing Street spokesperson said the pair “discussed the productive negotiations between their respective teams on a U.K.-U.S. economic prosperity deal, agreeing that these will continue at pace this week.”
ICYMI:POLITICO’s Rachel Bade and her D.C. colleagues had a story over the weekend, which has been widely followed up over here, about the (unsurprising) internal chaos surrounding Trump’s “liberation day.” “No one knows what the f**k is going on,” said one White House ally close to Trump’s inner circle. “What are they going to tariff? Who are they gonna tariff and at what rates? Like, the very basic questions haven’t been answered yet.”
Hope springs eternal: Which, if being very generous, might give Starmer some hope that a carve-out or some sort of deal is possible. But one European diplomat told Playbook that trying to predict Trump’s next moves is always “a fool’s errand” and that the U.K. should not get its hopes up. Maybe there’s some other royal family-related flummery Starmer can pull out at the last minute to try to win Trump over.
Feeling the Burn: One person playing a key role in coordinating talks over an economic agreement is Trump’s envoy to London, Mark Burnett. Senior government officials tell my colleague Sam Blewett and your Playbook author that Burnett (Trump’s old boss on “The Apprentice”) is a “vital bridge” to Trump and is used extensively by No. 10 to convey messages to the president. In a profile out today, we reveal Burnett — who grew up in Dagenham — and Starmer bonded over their similar working-class backgrounds.
Always look on the bright side of life: Whitehall spinners are trying to calm fears about looming U.S. tariffs, with a release this morning highlighting that British services exports (y’know, rather than the more-at-risk goods exports) have hit a record high of £508 billion. While it’s a stark reminder that the majority of British exports are services, there are still very real fears about the impact of tariffs on a broad range of British industries.
Who’s going to buy thosepink Jags now? … Especially the auto industry, where car makers like Jaguar Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, Bentley and Aston Martin face serious repercussions from 25 percent auto tariffs. (Nearly 17 percent of British auto exports go to the U.S.)
CONCEPTS OF A PEACE PLAN: Last night’s Starmer-Trump call came just hours after the American president made several eye-catching statements in an NBC interview, which included threats to slap “secondary tariffs” on Russian oil if Vladimir Putin sinks peace talks. This would result in the U.S. applying tariffs on all countries that buy Russian oil. Bloomberg has a handy piece on how the White House is planning similar measures against Venezuela as a coercion tactic.
Pot, kettle, black: The prez said he was “very angry, pissed off … when Putin started getting into Zelenskyy’s credibility.” He added: “If Russia and I are unable to make a deal on stopping the bloodshed in Ukraine, and if I think it was Russia’s fault, which it might not be, but if I think it was Russia’s fault, I am going to put secondary tariffs on oil, on all oil coming out of Russia.” The comments splash the Guardian and FT.
Reality check: Several hours later, Trump seemed to soften his language about the Russian president, telling reporters on Air Force One: “I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word. You’re talking about Putin. I don’t think he’s going to go back on his word. I’ve known him for a long time. We’ve always gotten along well.” Good luck with that one. POLITICO has more.
MAGA for life: Oh, and Trump also said he wanted to rip up the U.S. constitution and run for a third term. “There are methods which you could do it,” Trump told NBC. Who’s looking forward to three and a half more years of this chat?!
One to watch today: Foreign Secretary David Lammy will meet with other European leaders to discuss defense cooperation and future peacekeeping plans in Ukraine. The Weimar Plus foreign ministers’ meeting in Madrid will include counterparts from Spain, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Ukraine and the EU.
Another to watch: Donald Trump is planning to visit Saudi Arabia in mid-May on his first foreign trip since returning to the White House, Axios reports.
LAW AND DISORDER
SHABANA VS. THE SENTENCING COUNCIL: Shabana Mahmood will come under increased pressure as she grapples with controversial new sentencing guidelines due to come into place Tuesday. The justice secretary will announce emergency legislation this week to block new guidelines from the Sentencing Council that advise judges to consider racial, cultural and religious backgrounds when handing out sentences.
The question now … is whether Mahmood and Keir Starmer will move to strip the Sentencing Council of some of its powers — or even throw it into the recent quango bonfire.
Bobby J must be loving this: Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick dubs the imposition of new sentencing guidelines “two-tier Tuesday” and will be out on the morning round to repeat that line over and over again. There’s no denying the row has created an opening for the Tories and Reform UK to attack the government, and the Telegraph’s splash today may hand them another weapon.
Bailing them out:In the Telegraph, Charles Hymas and Danny Shaw report that ethnic minorities, women and transgender suspects will be given priority access to bail hearings under plans being drawn up by the MoJ. They report the guidance says people in these categories have “disproportionately higher risk” of being remanded into custody. Jenrick is already jumping on the story as an example of “two-tier justice.”
But but but: A government spokesman distanced Labour from the guidelines and said they were “first brought in under the last government.” The spokesman added: “We are reviewing current policy that impacts the courts, and will be updating practices accordingly.”
THIS REALLY IS BONKERS: Fresh off stories about coppers forcefully breaking up a meeting of literal hummus-eating Quakers and threatening a mushroom picker, there are now complaints that one police force is “curtailing democracy.” Senior Tory Oliver Dowden has called out Hertfordshire Police for suggesting elected MPs and councilors could be investigated if they campaign for a couple tangled in a dispute with police over WhatsApp messages. The Times’ Fiona Hamilton writes that one police officer warned local councilors that they and the local MP (Dowden) could be investigated if they advocate for Maxie Allen and Rosalind Levine.
For those not initiated: Allen and Levine were arrested by Hertfordshire Police after criticizing staff at a local school on a parents’ WhatsApp group and sending numerous emails of complaint. (They were arrested for eight hours and no charges were filed after a five-week investigation.) Dowden said he was “astonished” by the police threats to elected officials and wants a full investigation.
PLEASE, NO MORE STUNTS: The Tories will come under attack today as the Lib Dems unveil their ambition to usurp them as the “party of Middle England.” Ed Davey will launch the Lib Dems’ local election campaign by setting out his vision to overtake the Tories as the second-biggest party in local government. PA’s David Lynch wrote that one up.
Please no more stunts or props: Davey will give his speech at 10 a.m., after first doing a full morning broadcast round.
From both angles: A Lib Dem official said many of the councils up for grabs are in the types of Home Counties areas they won at the general election. “The Tories are going to be squeezed by Reform on one side and us on the other at these elections,” the official said.
Speaking of which … Nigel Farage will be out campaigning for the locals today as Reform tries to make a running start to its campaign. Farage will be out in Kent this time as he visits Detling.
TODAY IN WESTMINSTER
“ADOLESCENCE” ROUNDTABLE: Keir Starmer will today host a roundtable at No. 10 with some of the creators of Netflix drama “Adolescence,” a group of charities and young people. Starmer told the Commons recently he watched the show, which deals with misogyny and the radicalization of young boys online, with his two teenage children. A No. 10 aide told Playbook that “the roundtable shows his concerns and determination to play his part in addressing the multiple challenges the show raises.”
MIND THE POTHOLES! The government has cut England’s national highways budget for the coming year by around 5 percent, the Financial Times’ Jim Pickard reports, despite Keir Starmer boasting last week that he was investing to “deliver vital road schemes and maintain major roads across the country to get Britain moving.”
WON’T SOMEONE THINK OF THE LANDLORDS? Shadow Housing Minister Jane Scott recently hosted a roundtable meeting with some of the biggest estate agents and landlords to discuss ways to thwart Labour’s Renters’ Rights Bill — including launching a legal challenge under human rights law —the Guardian’s Kiran Stacey reports.
NOT THE BEST TIMING: More than half of job centers in Britain scaled back support to benefit claimants amid a shortfall of more than 2,000 work coaches, according to a new report from the National Audit Office. PA has the write-up.
OFFICE POLITICS: Treasury PPS Imogen Walker, wife of Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, is at the center of a “cronyism” row after being given an extra office in parliament despite already having a shared office on the estate, according to the Daily Record.
ROBO RATES: Sixty-nine percent of Brits believe that creatives who hold the copyright to their work should be paid for its use by AI companies, according to polling by Stack Data Strategy. The issue is bound to blow up again, after nearly every daily newspaper started a joint campaign against potential government plans to exempt AI firms from copyright laws.
ANALYZING THE ANALYZER: Cabinet Office Minister Pat McFadden has tasked Permanent Secretary Cat Little with looking into the performance of the ONS amid concerns about the reliability of its data, the FT’s Lucy Fisher reports. Last week, Treasury Select Committee Chair Meg Hillier wrote to U.K. National Statistician Ian Diamond about “troubling errors and delays” in some ONS data sets.
THOSE DARN KIDS: Twenty-seven percent of 16-to-29-year-olds across the U.K. would prefer to live in a dictatorship rather than a democracy, according to stats from the University of Glasgow’s John Smith Centre. Which is … just a little concerning.
REPORTS OUT TODAY: This week’s rise in the national living wage and employer national insurance will “massively increase” the cost of employing low-paid workers, according to the Resolution Foundation.
HOUSE OF COMMONS: Sits from 2.30 p.m. with Home Office questions … consideration of Lords message to the Non-Domestic Rating (Multipliers and Private Schools) Bill … remaining stages of the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education (Transfer of Functions etc) Bill [Lords] … and motions on the membership of the Administration Committee and Finance Committee. Labour MP Natasha Irons has the adjournment debate on funding for the Croydon Area remodeling scheme and increasing capacity on the Brighton Mainline.
WESTMINSTER HALL: Debates from 4.30 p.m. on an e-petition relating to rules for political donation (led by Labour MP Irene Campbell).
On committee corridor: Cabinet Office Permanent Secretary Cat Little discusses the condition of government buildings with the Public Accounts Committee at 3.30 p.m.
HOUSE OF LORDS: Sits from 2.30 p.m. with questions on the the privacy of Apple customers, the Auditing Reporting and Governance Authority and improving outcomes for U.K. fishermen … consideration of Commons reasons and/or amendments to the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill … report stage Day One of the Mental Health Bill … and orders and regulations for the Chancel Repair (Church Commissioners’ Liability) Measure Church Funds Investment Measure and Church Funds Investment Measure.
BEYOND THE M25
WHAT’S AN ARREST WARRANT BETWEEN FRIENDS: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is traveling to Hungary this week to meet PM Viktor Orbán despite an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court, his office reportedly said Sunday. According to Le Monde, Hungary says it doesn’t have to abide by ICC decisions. Read more on POLITICO.
EARTHQUAKE DISASTER: At least 1,700 people have died in Myanmar as a result of Friday’s massive 7.7 magnitude earthquake. Search and rescue efforts are continuing there and in neighboring Thailand. Eighteen people have died in Bangkok. Read more on the BBC.
COOL, COOL: Donald Trump hinted again over the weekend that he could use military force to take over Greenland, telling NBC News: “We’ll get Greenland. Yeah, 100 percent.” Trump said there is a “good possibility it could be done without military force,” but added that “I don’t take anything off the table.” Read the story on POLITICO.
**A message from Lloyds Banking Group: Tonight over, 164,000 children will go to bed in temporary accommodation. They will face real consequences over the course of their lives such as poorer health, lower wages and fewer opportunities. At Lloyds Banking Group, we are continuing to champion social housing and that’s why we have supported £19.5 billion in funding to the sector since 2018. We are going further – converting decommissioned data centers and former office sites into social housing, providing £200 million of funding for local projects, and working with the Government to unlock investment. Together with Crisis, we are calling for one million more homes at social rent over the next decade. Find out what's ahead.**
MEDIA ROUND
Border Security and Asylum Minister Angela Eagle broadcast round: Times Radio (7.05 a.m.) … Sky News (7.15 a.m.) … BBC Breakfast (7.30 a.m.) … LBC (7.50 a.m.) … Today (8 a.m.) … 5Live (8.15 a.m.) … GMB (8.30 a.m.).
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick broadcast round: GB News (7.30 a.m.) … Times Radio (7.45 a.m.) … Sky News (8.15 a.m.) … LBC News (8.42 a.m.) … Talk (9.05 a.m.).
Lib Dem Leader Ed Davey broadcast round: BBC Breakfast (7.15 a.m.) … Today (7.20 a.m.) … GB News (8.05 a.m.) … Times Radio (8.15 a.m.) … 5Live (8.45 a.m.).
Also on BBC Breakfast: Water UK CEO David Henderson (7.50 a.m.) … OFWAT’s Senior Director for Price Reviews Chris Walters (8.50 a.m.).
Also on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast: Former Conservative MP Edwina Currie (8.10 a.m.).
Also on Times Radio Breakfast: Director of Free Speech Union Toby Young (9.40 a.m.).
Also on Sky News Breakfast: Former Chief Immigration officer for U.K. Border Force in Calais Kevin Saunders (7.45 a.m.) … former U.S. national security adviser John Bolton (8.30 a.m.).
Politics Live (BBC Two 12.15 p.m.): Labour MP Jake Richards … Conservative MP Neil Shastri-Hurst … academic and writer Dalia Gebrial … and former Mayor of Middlesbrough Andy Preston.
TODAY’S FRONT PAGES
POLITICO UK: Mark Burnett: From Trump’s Apprentice boss to his ‘high-powered’ British fixer.
Daily Express: Families £1,100 worse off in April bills surge.
Daily Mail: Harry ‘tried to make charity boss defend Meghan.’
Daily Mirror: Harry Netflix demand ‘wrecked’ charity event
Daily Star: Med for it!
Financial Times: Trump threatens secondary tariffs on Russian oil if no Ukraine truce agreed.
i: Starmer warns Trump ‘don’t start a trade war’ as UK set to face tariffs.
Metro: Harry’s ‘charity cover-up.’
The Daily Telegraph: Ethnic minorities prioritised for bail.
The Guardian: Trump launches ‘very angry’ outburst at Putin over Ukraine.
The Times: Anti-terror tactics to stop people smugglers.
LONDON CALLING
WESTMINSTER WEATHER: The sun is blazing — happy Monday. High 17C, low 6C.
HOW THE OTHER HALF LIVE: The Labour Growth Group is urging the government to grow … SpAd’s wages, the FT’s Lucy Fisher reports. In a paper co-written with the Reform think tank, the group presses “there should be an immediate, significant uplift in the pay of special advisers, to enable ministers to attract experienced, expert and domain-specific advice.”
CONGRATULATIONS … to ASI senior fellow and former Tory SpAd James Price and Prosperity Institute’s Alexandra Price (née Rice), who were married at Eastnor Castle on Saturday.
And to … political strategist Jo Tanner, who got married over the weekend.
WRITING PLAYBOOK PM: Emilio Casalicchio.
WRITING PLAYBOOK TUESDAY MORNING: Stefan Boscia.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO: Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury Gareth Davies … former Liberal Party Leader David Steel … Lib Dem peer Don Foster … Tory peer David Trefgarne … ITV News Deputy Political Editor Anushka Asthana … Hanbury Strategy Director Donjeta Miftari … former Europe Minister Alan Duncan … former Lib Dem MP Bob Russell … former Tory MP Nicholas Winterton … Appeal Court judge Peter Coulson … former British Ambassador to Russia Roderic Lyne … and former U.S. Vice President Al Gore.
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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