News Round-Up

• “Keir Starmer has shown why the Tories will struggle against him” – Starmer’s doggedness may be the key to explaining how far he has got in life without exhibiting any sign of natural brilliance, says Patrick O’Flynn in the Spectator.
• “Forget easy answers – Labour has no answers at all” – Keir Starmer’s speech at the Labour conference was notable principally for what he chose to omit, writes Janet Daley in the Telegraph.
• “Labour split over forcing pubs to close early” – Plans to change pub opening hours have caused a rift in the Labour Party a day after they were proposed at the party conference in Liverpool, reports LBC.
• “Nagging makes people look after themselves better, says minister at centre of nanny state pub row” – Labour MP Andrew Gwynne says that nagging gets people to look after their health, according to the Telegraph.
• “Left-wing prigs want to ban the pint. We can’t let them win” – British pubs are already struggling to survive – but the Government’s plan to cut pub opening hours could kill them off for good, says Michael Deacon in the Telegraph.
• “Why is Labour so puritanical?” – Social democrats can redistribute wealth without trying to rob people of their little pleasures in life, writes Stephen Daisley in the Spectator. Why can’t Labour?
• “The fun police are back, and they’re ready to make our lives even more joyless” – Starmer’s battle against pubs has now broadened into an all-out war against happiness, says Nigel Farage in the Telegraph.
• “What is Chris Whitty up to?” – Even if Chris Whitty’s draconian policies worked – which they won’t – they’d still fail to save money, as those dodging one disease will rack up healthcare costs before succumbing to another, writes Christopher Snowdon in the Spectator.
• “Voters reveal what they really think of Starmer’s freebies row” – A new poll shows two-thirds of voters believe it is unacceptable for politicians to accept Taylor Swift tickets as donations, according to the Shropshire Star.
• “Victoria Starmer borrows a new £1,105 dress for the Labour Party Conference” – It appears British designer Edeline Lee has secured Lady Starmer’s vote again, says Caroline Leaper in the Telegraph.
• “Angela Rayner hires foreign affairs adviser to boost her profile” – Angela Rayner is to expand her power base by hiring a foreign affairs adviser to boost her profile on the world stage, reports the Times.
• “Drakeford plots new tax raid on private schools” – Private schools in Wales could see their charity status revoked from April under plans set out by Welsh Labour, says the Telegraph. This is in addition to Labour‘s tax raid on private school fees.
• “Affordable private schools should be exempt from tax raid, says Labour MP” – Labour MP Rachael Maskell says that private schools that charge less than £6,500 a year should be exempt from the Government’s VAT raid, according to the Telegraph.
• “How Starmer’s VAT raid on school fees sparked a diplomatic row” – Parents at London’s Lycée Charles de Gaulle are rallying against Labour’s proposed VAT on independent schools, fearing it could drive families away and damage U.K.-France ties, writes Lucy Denyer in the Telegraph.
• “Miliband is poised to wreck Britain – Starmer has little time to rein him in” – While Sir Keir believes his administration will be judged by growing the economy and repairing the NHS, its very foundations risk being undermined by a mad dash to decarbonisation within six years, says Philip Johnston in the Telegraph.
• “Surprise, surprise, Dale Vince wants vegan schools” – Green tycoon and Labour donor Dale Vince has come out in favour of banning meat in schools and feeding children grass instead, writes Tom Slater in the Spectator.
• “This completely bonkers tax is merely a glimpse into what Labour has in store” – Reinstating the boiler tax ignores the realities of the U.K. energy transition, says Matthew Lynn in the Telegraph.
• “The answer, my friends, sure ain’t blowin’ in the wind” – In TCW, Ivor Williams explains why Keir Starmer and Ed Miliband’s plans for Net Zero and cheap renewable energy are a pipe dream.
• “The crisis of the Greens and the future of the Left” – What is going on with the Greens? Are they really done for? And if they are, what kind of politics will replace them? wonders Eugyppius on Substack.
• “Thousands try to flee in Lebanon’s biggest exodus in nearly 20 years” – Israel’s bombing of terrorist targets across Lebanon has prompted a mass exodus with tens of thousands of citizens fleeing their homes, reports the Mail.
• “University of Albany cancels panel because author is a ‘Zionist’” – Refusing to participate on a panel with a Zionist is a bare-assed excuse for antisemitism. It also might be illegal, says Joe Nocera in the Free Press.
• “Half a million illegal migrants to be given residency by Spain” – Half a million illegal migrants will be given residency in Spain under legislation proposed by the Left-wing coalition Government, reports the Telegraph.
• “What Zelensky really wants from his ‘plan for victory’” – The Telegraph’s Joe Barnes discusses the Ukrainian President’s new “victory plan”, which he believes can force Russia to the negotiating table.
• “The hidden costs of furlough” – Economic inactivity seems to be a malaise that is connected to an excessively generous furlough scheme, says Ross Clark in the Spectator.
• “New York on ‘high alert’ after woman dies of EEE virus from mosquito” – New Yorkers have been placed on high alert after the state’s first death in a decade from an extremely rare mosquito-borne disease, reports CBS News.
• “Unprecedented dengue outbreak in Los Angeles signals infection tipping point” – Dengue cases have been identified in Los Angeles in the sprawling city’s first outbreak of the disease with no ties to international travel, says the Telegraph.
• “Dr. Jay Varma’s sex parties are a metaphor for public health” – Dr. Jay Varma’s drug-fuelled sex parties during Covid show public health hypocrisy in action, writes Prof. Vinay Prasad on his Substack.
• “Woke waste: uncovering the price of public absurdity” – On her Free Mind Substack, Laura Dodsworth interviews journalist Charlotte Gill about “the biggest scandal you’ve never heard of”.
• “Female nurses ‘forced out of changing rooms’ after complaining about trans colleague” – Five NHS whistleblowers are suing Darlington Memorial Hospital, claiming they were forced out of their changing rooms because of a transgender colleague, reports the Telegraph.
• “The talented Ms. Nuzzi” – On Substack, Jessica Reed Kraus provides exclusive insight into the sexting scandal between RFK Jr. and Olivia Nuzzi.
• “On predatory women” – On the Courageous Discourse Substack, John Leake reflects on Jessica Reed Kraus’s recent essay, ‘The talented Ms. Nuzzi’.
• “Pro-police coffee shop owner wins $4 million in free speech suit against university officials” – Boise State University administrators owe a coffee shop owner $4 million after they endorsed boycott over her public support of the police, reports the New York Post.
• “The quest for diversity could finish off University Challenge” – What if television, or the make-up of the workplace, actually does reflect nature, not nurture? wonders Patrick West in the Spectator.
• “Wuthering Heights adaptation stirs controversy after white actor is chosen to play Heathcliff” – A new Wuthering Heights adaptation has been dragged into controversy after a white actor was cast to play the “dark” Heathcliff, reports the BBC.
• “Telegram will now provide some user data to authorities” – The messaging app Telegram says it will hand over users’ IP addresses and phone numbers to authorities who have search warrants or other valid legal requests, says the BBC.
• “‘For God’s sake!’” – On X, Nick Dixon captures the reaction of the Labour frontbench to someone drinking two-thirds of a pint after 9pm.

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