Good morning. The news is led today by references from the resignation last night of the director of the BBC General, Tim Davie, and Head of News, Debora height. This is much bigger than a media personnel story; The BBC is in the middle of a warzone in the battle between titular populism and liberalism, not only in the UK but beyond, and Putsting Davie is a victory for the right. We cover all developments in a separate live blog.
This is also, in part, a victory for Donald Trump; Although he was not actively involved in the meneueuvering that led to Davie’s resignation, the demanding “heads should be concerned about the protection of the President of the President. Trump has already eliminated most of the US Media and last night He admitted The BBC was run by “evil” and “dishonest” people who tried to prevent him from being elected.
Our full coverage of this is on a separate live blog, but many politicians have spoken, and so there will be some discussion of it here.
Otherwise, the focus is likely on the budget, which is now less than three weeks away. The Commons is not sitting, because of a mini-recess, but Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is due to give an interview to Matt Chorley on Radio 5 Live this afternoon.
Reeves is likely to be asked about the backlash from labor in the speech he gave last week, which all but assuredly meant he would break Manifesa Provined and raise taxes. (A 2p tax rise, offsetting a 2p cut to national insurance, was “nailed in”, a source told the observer.) Last night Catherine Westthe Labor MP for Hornsey and Friern Barnet in north London, who was a Foreign Office minister until she was sacked in the September reshuffle, told Radio 4’s the Westminster Hour that, if Labor did break its manifesto punished, it could be punished by the voters just as the Liberal Democrats were over their tuition fees broken promise. He said:
If I were Raquel, I don’t think I could break the manifesto promise…
I’m just thinking about the liberal Democrats and university fees, because that’s, you know, the big thing for me that I remember and it’s really important to me. That’s how I won my seat, because I won from the liberal Democrats. That’s why I think the big ones, they’re back when you go.
In 2010 the Dems Dems won 57 seats, after a campaign in which the candidates signed a pledge not to increase tuition fees. In coalition with the Tories, the Party has rolled back tuition rises and some lib dem mps (not all) even voted for it. After the 2015 election they were left with eight MPS.
At times Aubrey Allegretti said ministers also made the same point in private. she REPORT:
Cabinet ministers have warned Rachel Reeves that increasing income tax in the budget could spell electoral disaster for the Labor Party…
A cabinet minister called for the Reeves to set up an “off-ramp” for tax cuts…
Another minister said: “My concern is that there is not enough consideration of the consequences of violating the commitment of the Manifesto. It could be to us what happened to the liberal Democrats after those who were left behind by the Democrats after the 2015 elections, considered voters who did not really care about us.”
Here is the agenda for the day.
11am: NIGEL Farase, the UK reform leader, held a press conference.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
2.35PM: Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor, was interviewed by Radio 5 Live.
And at some point today the Commons Culture Committee will publish a statement from Samir Shah, the chair of the BBC, responding to the leaks Michael Prescott.
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