Liz Truss hits back at Tory shadow chancellor for mini-budget disavowal
Liz Truss has hit out at the Conservatives’ shadow chancellor after he formally disowned her hastily reversed 2022 mini-budget, saying it had damaged the party’s reputation for economic competence.The former prime minister labelled Mel Stride a “creature of the system”, part of a failed fiscal orthodoxy which, she argued, would prevent the Conservatives taking power again if left unchallenged.Stride’s insistence at a speech in London that “never again” would the Conservatives offer up a largely unfunded package of tax cuts is the first time that the party hierarchy under its leader, Kemi Badenoch, has definitively cut itself off from Truss, who lasted just 49 days in power.One Tory shadow minister said the impetus for Stride’s speech was in part to allow the Conservatives to attack Reform UK’s lavish programme of tax cuts as being a potential re-run of the Truss debacle, as Keir Starmer did last week.In his speech, Stride labelled Reform’s economic policies “pure populism”.
He added: “They would plough ahead with huge additional welfare spending, as well as tax cuts, with no plan for how to pay for any of it,”Addressing Truss’s September 2022 fiscal plans, which involved about £45bn in unfunded tax cuts, he said: “For a few weeks, we put at risk the very stability which Conservatives had always said must be carefully protected,“Back then mistakes were recognised and stability restored within weeks, with the full backing of our party,But the damage to our credibility is not so easily undone,That will take time.
And it also requires contrition.So let me be clear: never again will the Conservative party undermine fiscal credibility by making promises we cannot afford.”Truss released a statement that called Stride “one of the Conservative MPs who kowtowed to the failed Treasury orthodoxy and was set on undermining my plan for growth from the moment I beat his chosen candidate for the party leadership [Rishi Sunak]”.She added: “Until Mel Stride admits the economic failings of the last Conservative government, the British public will not trust the party with the reins of power again.”In a later tweet, she again took aim personally at Stride, calling him “a creature of the system” who, when the pair were both Treasury ministers under Theresa May, “always went along with officials”.
In his speech, Stride also urged people to have patience with Badenoch’s leadership, saying: “She will get better through time at the media.She will get better through time at the dispatch box at PMQs.Sign up to First EditionOur morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what’s happening and why it mattersafter newsletter promotion“Just as Margaret Thatcher, when she became leader in ‘75, was often criticised for everything from her hair to the clothes she wore to the pitch of her voice to heaven knows what else, in the end she got it together and Kemi will do absolutely that.”The Conservatives currently poll in third place behind Reform UK and Labour, with a YouGov poll published on Wednesday showing the Tories on 18%, just one point ahead of the Liberal Democrats.Badenoch’s own favourability ratings have also fallen since she became party leader, reaching -27% according to a More in Common poll carried out last weekend.
EU agrees to increase flight delay times before passengers get compensation
EU countries have agreed to increase the amount of time aircraft passengers are delayed before they can qualify for compensation.Passengers on short-haul flights would have to be delayed by four hours or more before they could claim compensation, under the plans. For long-haul flights delays would have to be six or more hours. Current EU rules dictate that passengers can ask for compensation if their flight is delayed for more than three hours.The EU countries also agreed to increase the amount of compensation for those delayed on short-haul flights from €250 (£211) to €300, but plan to reduce compensation for long-haul flights from €600 to €500
Donald Trump calls for big cut to US interest rates after jobs report shows hiring slowdown – as it happened
Newsflash: Hiring slowed across the US economy last month, and fewer jobs were created than previously thought in March and April too.The US added 139,000 new jobs in May, according to the latest non-farm payroll report, with the US unemployment rate unchanged at 4.2%.Economists had expected the non-farm payroll to rise by 130,000 jobs, so this is slightly higher than forecast.The U
High court tells UK lawyers to stop misuse of AI after fake case-law citations
The high court has told senior lawyers to take urgent action to prevent the misuse of artificial intelligence after dozens of fake case-law citations were put before the courts that were either completely fictitious or contained made-up passages.Lawyers are increasingly using AI systems to help them build legal arguments, but two cases this year were blighted by made-up case-law citations which were either definitely or suspected to have been generated by AI.In a £89m damages case against the Qatar National Bank, the claimants made 45 case-law citations, 18 of which turned out to be fictitious, with quotes in many of the others also bogus. The claimant admitted using publicly available AI tools and his solicitor accepted he cited the sham authorities.When Haringey Law Centre challenged the London borough of Haringey over its alleged failure to provide its client with temporary accommodation, its lawyer cited phantom case law five times
Donald Trump says Elon Musk has ‘lost his mind’ and dismisses peace offering
Donald Trump has accused Elon Musk of “losing his mind” as the dramatic breakdown between America’s most powerful person and the world’s richest person escalated into a full-blown feud that could have seismic political and economic consequences.In a series of phone calls to US media on Friday morning, Trump snapped back at Musk, after the tech mogul and Republican financier launched an extraordinary social media attack on the president the day before, which ended with him accusing Trump of being named in the so-called “Epstein files” – documents related to the convicted child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.The row between the two men, who were near constant companions during the latter stages of Trump’s presidential campaign and his first months in the White House, showed no sign of abating, with Musk’s self-proclaimed status as “first buddy” rapidly disappearing in the rear-view mirror.Trump, who is not known to take criticism well, made his displeasure clear on Friday, doubling down on his newfound hostility to Musk, who spent nearly $300m to elect the 78-year-old. In an interview with ABC News, Trump was asked about reports of a potentially peacemaking phone call scheduled with Musk for later in the day, to which Trump responded, “You mean the man who has lost his mind?” and added that he was “not particularly” interested in talking to his former confidant right now
Bath v Bristol: Premiership rugby union semi-final – live
47 mins. The visitors send waves of runners into the Bath defence, but the longer the attack goes on the more disjointed it becomes and it fizzles out with a penalty to Bath for not releasing the ball.45 mins. Bristol have not let this dampen their mood and it’s Ravouvou again on the run, beating two up the right touchline before Ted Hill downs him with a lungbusting recovery tackle for a big man. The ball goes loose to Spencer, but he’s isolated and can do nothing but give away a penalty for holding on
England v West Indies: first men’s T20 cricket international – live
6th over: West Indies 44-2 (Lewis 10, Chase 7) Roston Chase BANG-ETH!s his first ball over midwicket for six. It’s a no-ball, too, because England had three behind square on the leg side, an error that Chase must have spotted to play a shot like that.In theory England can’t change their field for the free hit – but, as Nasser Hussain points out on Sky, if they do that it’ll be another no-ball and Potts will be trapped in Groundhog Over.The actual over still takes a fair while, with two wides making it a nine-ball affair.Matt Potts strikes with his second ball in T20 internationals
‘Lots of bumps in the road’: Keir Starmer faces testing month before one-year milestone
Tory proposal to leave ECHR would put peace in Northern Ireland at risk, Labour suggests – as it happened
Labour byelection win shows ‘SNP’s balloon has burst’, says Anas Sarwar
Badenoch says US-style blanket travel bans could be ‘viable’ in UK
Tice defends Reform MP’s question on burqa ban after Zia Yusuf resignation
Hamilton byelection win is vindication of Scottish Labour’s doorstep strategy