Rishi Sunak warns against ‘simplistic Cold War rhetoric’ on China at Lord Mayor’s Banquet
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Rishi Sunak declared that the UK’s "golden era" of ties with China was over as he described Beijing’s move “towards even greater authoritarianism” as a "systemic challenge to our values and interests”.
Referring to Beijing’s handling of widespread protests across China against the country’s strict “zero Covid” strategy, Mr Sunak said that “instead of listening to their people’s protests, the Chinese government has chosen to crack down further, including by assaulting a BBC journalist”.
The prime minister, however, stopped short of calling China a threat in his first major foreign policy speech, drawing backlash from Labour and Conservative MPs for “flip-flopping” on the rhetoric against the country.
Mr Sunak warned against “simplistic Cold War rhetoric” on China, and insisted he would continue to employ “diplomacy and engagement” in his dealings with the Communist-run state.
In the annual foreign policy address to the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London, he promised an “evolutionary leap” in the UK’s approach to repressive regimes around the world, which he said would be characterised by “robust pragmatism”.
Tony Blair praises Matt Hancock for ‘courageous’ decision to appear on ‘I’m a Celebrity’
Sir Tony Blair has praised former Tory health secretary Matt Hancock for his “courage” in taking the controversial decision to spend three weeks in the Australian jungle filming ITV’s I’m A Celebrity while a remaining a sitting MP.
Voting by the British public saw Mr Hancock take third place in the reality TV show – but he now returns to Westminster to face angry colleagues and constituents, having been publicly rebuked by prime minister Rishi Sunak and stripped of the Tory whip for taking part.
The pandemic-era minister resigned after being caught breaking his own health guidance during a romantic affair with an aide, and caused consternation among the hundreds of thousands left bereaved by Covid-19 with his decision to enter the jungle as a “celebrity” contestant the following year.
My colleague Andy Gregory reports:
Ex-Labour PM hits out at ‘meanness’ directed at those in public life
Failure to adapt to climate change poses ‘significant and growing risks’ to UK
A failure to adapt to the impact of climate change will threaten the UK’s economy, health and countryside, the head of the Environment Agency is warning.
The government agency’s chief executive, Sir James Bevan, will use a speech to the Institute for Government to warn that the longer action is delayed on adaptation, the bigger the bill that will be handed to our children.
"This is not what the next generation need on top of the rising cost of living," he will warn.
Vehicles negotiate a flooded section of the A1 road on 2 November 2022 in London, England
(Getty Images)
Measures to adapt to the changing climate range from flood defences to protect against the increased risk of flooding, to planting trees to keep cities cooler in the face of heatwaves, and developing more heat-resistant crops.
But Sir James will warn that while a focus on tackling climate change has helped drive progress in cutting greenhouse gas emissions, adapting to its impact has been the "Cinderella" of climate action, and efforts have been too slow.
He will highlight concerns that the UK has so far failed to adapt much of its critical infrastructure to the climate emergency, threatening the country’s security and prosperity.
He will also say that while the UK government has a leading role to play in adaptation, the private sector will also need to invest in making the UK more resilient to rising temperatures.
Give workers right to request four-day week with no pay cut, unions and MPs say
The government should give workers the legal right to request a four-day working week from their employers with no loss of pay, MPs and unions have urged.
It comes as businesses across the country pilot or switch to a four-day week, amid emerging evidence it is good for productivity and staff wellbeing.
In a letter to business minister Kevin Hollinrake, the MPs and trade unionists said the five-day week was "no longer conducive to the needs of the 21st century", having been created over 100 years ago for an "unrecognisable" industrial and agricultural economy.
Our policy correspondent Jon Stone reports:
Right to request flexible working should be extended to the four-day week, business minister told
Home office looking at asylum ‘safe’ list to combat channel crisis – report
The government is reviewing plans to fast-track the removal of asylum seekers from designated “safe” countries in an effort to tackle the channel migrant crisis, it has been reported.
According to The Times, home secretary Suella Braverman is looking at resurrecting a list of countries deemed by the home office to be safe.
Asylum claims of citizens from those countries would largely be regarded as unfounded, unless they are able to provide contrasting evidence. There would be no right to appeal for rejected claimants.
Read the details in this report:
The Times says the plans would emulate a New Labour policy from the early 2000s.
Sunak’s cabinet office has largest gender pay gap of all government departments
The gap between the earnings of male and female staff in the department rose by more than two-thirds from April 2021 to March 2022 - increasing from 9.8 to 16.6 per cent, according to a new government report.
Bonuses women were paid in 2022 in the cabinet office were lower than those men pocketed by an average of around £783.
Read the details in this report from our women’s correspondent Maya Oppenheim:
‘These findings speak to a wider culture of women being held back and facing a gender glass ceiling in government,’ says Angela Rayner
Don’t forget Ukraine's ‘tragedy’ this Christmas, says first lady
People should not forget the war in Ukraine this Christmas, the country’s first lady has said ahead of a speech to MPs today.
Olena Zelenska is expected to address MPs and peers today as she visits London, days after Rishi Sunak made his first visit as prime minister to Kyiv to meet Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Ms Zelenska will urge the British public not to forget the “tragedy” of the Russian invasion amid the festive season.
She also praised the UK’s vocal support for the Ukrainian resistance efforts against Vladimir Putin’s forces, as the country braces for winter.
Ukraine’s first lady Olena Zelenska and Akshata Murthy, wife of prime minister Rishi Sunak after a meeting at Downing Street on 28 November 2022 in London
(Getty Images)
She told the programme: “We feel that [strong support] by the aid for our forcefully displaced people, by the political and financial assistance and by humanitarian aid we are receiving from the British.
“Ukrainians are very tired of this war, but we have no choice in the matter. We are fighting for our very lives. The British public do have a choice. They can get used to our tragedy, concentrate on their own important things in life.
“My message for the British is as follows: It’s not just a war for our freedom and our lives.
This is the war of opposing world views, the war for the values. It’s important that these are preserved. This is a fight for the truth and human values. We do hope that the approaching season of Christmas doesn’t make you forget about our tragedy and get used to our suffering.
Olena Zelenska
PM urged to attend global meeting to drive deal on treaty to restore nature
Rishi Sunak must lead the way on international negotiations to secure a global deal to reverse the loss of nature by 2030, conservationists have urged.
Conservation charity WWF wants countries to agree a "Paris"-style treaty - similar to the global deal struck in the French capital in 2015 to tackle climate change - to restore the natural world when they meet in Montreal next month.
The UN meeting, which has been much delayed by the pandemic, starts on 7 December in the Canadian city, and WWF is calling for countries including the UK to commit to the goal of conserving at least 30 per cent of the world’s land, wetlands and oceans by 2030.
Conservationists are calling for countries to secure an agreement to protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans for nature at talks in Montreal.
Government accused of ‘weakening’ Online Safety Bill as it removes ‘legal but harmful requirement'
The government has removed measures from its Online Safety Bill which would have forced social media sites to take down material designated “legal but harmful”, in what Labour called a “major weakening” of the legislation.
Some Conservative MPs had previously warned that the axed measures could threaten free speech and could lead to “political censorship”, and culture secretary Michelle Donelan argued on Monday that removing these aspects of the much-delayed bill would help to finally get it “into law”.
But the Samaritans warned the removal of the measures was “a hugely backwards step” and accused the government of “snatching defeat from the jaws of victory” before the bill returns to parliament next week.
My colleague Andy Gregory reports:
Ministers ‘snatching defeat from the jaws of victory’ in face of free speech concerns over long-delayed plans to police the internet
Online Safety Bill to tackle ‘absurd situation’ of age limit verification
Changes to the Online Safety Bill will tackle the “absurd situation” surrounding the enforcement of age limits on social media platforms, the culture secretary said.
The government has announced it is making amendments to the proposed internet safety laws in order to boost child online safety.
The updates will require tech firms to show how they enforce user age limits, as well as publish summaries of risk assessments in regard to potential harm to children on their sites and declare details of enforcement action taken against them by Ofcom – the new regulator for the tech sector.
Read more in this report:
The Online Safety Bill is due to return to Parliament next week after being repeatedly delayed.
Sunak warns against ‘Cold War’ with China despite growing ‘authoritarianism’
Rishi Sunak has accused China of sinking deeper into authoritarianism, warning that it presents an acute challenge to Britain’s values and interests.
In his first major foreign policy speech as prime minister, Mr Sunak promised to reshape UK foreign policy in response to “sharpening competition” from Beijing. But he warned against “simplistic Cold War rhetoric” on China, and insisted he would continue to employ “diplomacy and engagement” in his dealings with the communist-run state.
In the annual foreign policy address by the prime minister to the Lord Mayor’s Banquet in London, Mr Sunak promised an “evolutionary leap” in the UK’s approach to repressive regimes around the world, which he said would be characterised by “robust pragmatism”.
Our political editor Andrew Woodcock reports:
Prime minister accused of being ‘weak’ as he unveils policy of ‘robust pragmatism’
