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Good morning. Firstly an apology: though you had been divided about whether or not Australia’s nearest neighbour was Papua New Guinea, Timor, the Torres Strait or Indonesia, you all (rightly) had been united in declaring it definitely wasn’t New Zealand. I ought to have caught with what I knew for certain, which is that the UK is far much less distant than Australia. Hopefully, I’ll keep away from additional howlers in at present’s be aware, on inflation and its political penalties.
Immediately’s Inside Politics is edited by Mark Hendry. Comply with Stephen on Twitter @stephenkb and please ship gossip, ideas and suggestions to [email protected]
The 6.8% resolution
The excellent news: headline inflation has fallen to six.8 per cent. The dangerous information: the headline fall masks that the underlying pressures driving up inflation have but to ease within the UK.
I’m not going to opine on the economics, as a result of the truth is I might simply be paraphrasing Chris Giles and Lucy Fisher’s write-up. However I do have some ideas on the politics.
The primary is that, by way of how voters really feel about their very own state of affairs, whether or not or not Rishi Sunak hits “his” goal of getting the speed of inflation to halve by the tip of the yr is far ado about nothing. Most voters suppose that the goal means one thing else completely — not simply falling inflation however very sharp deflation in the price of items, providers, and so forth and so forth. That’s not going to occur and in consequence the federal government goes to proceed to face a number of voter anger over inflation.
However the second is that the goal issues an awesome deal, as a result of, I believe, if UK inflation hasn’t halved by the tip of the yr, it means the Conservative election marketing campaign will face a continuing drum beat from the broadcasters and many of the press about Sunak lacking his targets. If he hits it, even when the opposite targets go awry, the temper music across the Tory marketing campaign might be significantly better.
In a way, that’s ludicrous: the pledge was all the time a foolish one, as a result of the federal government does little or no to straight form it. Nonetheless, by way of the politics of what’s primarily going to be a really, very, very lengthy election marketing campaign, it issues an awesome deal.
Now do that
I largely listened to Tasmin Archer’s wonderful 1992 report Nice Expectations whereas filling in for Robert Shrimsley in at present’s paper. (Thankfully, another person is filling in for his humorous slot: I’m nonetheless getting offended letters concerning the final time.)
High tales at present
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Ready-time targets | Well being specialists welcomed the UK authorities’s plan to chop most cancers waiting-time targets however warned that the pledge needed to be matched with assets.
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Information leak arrest | Police in Northern Eire have arrested a person after the unintended knowledge leak final week that recognized the drive’s complete 10,000 officers and workers.
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Spook countermeasures | UK arrests are a part of wider western strikes to disrupt Russian spy networks.
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Slipping requirements | NHS capital funding cuts have left England’s hospitals crumbling.
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BAE aerospace deal | The UK’s largest defence firm has agreed to purchase the aerospace enterprise of US conglomerate Ball Corp in a $5.6bn deal.
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