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All the front pages are devoted to the killing of 12 people in Cumbria while the main political story remains the fallout from the Gaza flotilla. The Independent reports that “Israel bowed to heavy diplomatic pressure to deport hundreds of pro-Palestinian activists” as charges were dropped. But the Guardian says Turkish activists complained that Israel was continuing to detain a handful of their colleagues, delaying the departure of three passenger jets from Ben Gurion airport, which were due to fly more than 300 passengers, including British citizens, to Istanbul. Israel said it would deport 682 activists from more than 35 countries. According to the Telegraph, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon described the Gaza blockade as “counter-productive, unsustainable and wrong” and demanded it be lifted.
Peter Mandelson gives a warning to the Labour party’s next generation in an article in The Times. He writes: “while I understand why the term new Labour may cease to be used by a new generation of potential Labour leaders who rightly wish to move on from the past, the concept that new Labour represents should not be cast aside so easily.” He says that the tradition, “believes the Left should concentrate on the ends — a strong economy, social justice and high-quality public services — but should always be willing to consider new means of achieving those ends.” The article also trails his forthcoming autobiography which, “centres around the defining political relationships of my life — those with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown. But it will also offer some of the lessons I take from our period in government and in building new Labour that I hope others will be able to learn from”.
The Independent reports that, “A surprise plan to grant anonymity to rape defendants will be significantly redrawn by the coalition Government after intense criticism of the proposals.” The Fawcett Society, which campaigns for women’s equality, said: “Even with this clarification we remain concerned that the coalition seems to be singling out a debate on anonymity for the crime of rape – why not other serious crimes? We have also yet to see any evidence that would this mean greater justice for either those accused of or victims of rape.” The Financial Times outlines the Prime Minister’s decision to offer MPs a vote on creating an elected House of Lords before the end of the year. The Guardian describes the decision as “an acceleration” of the reform process. It reports that Cameron once dismissed reform as a third term issue. Left Foot Forward outlined the flaws in the PM’s defence at PMQs of his marriage tax proposals.
The Times, Guardian, Independent, and Daily Mail report that Adam Ingram, a former armed forces minister, admitted that he misinformed MPs about the abuse of Iraqi detainees. An inquiry into the death of a Basra hotel worker, Baha Mousa, who died in the custody of British soldiers heard that Ingram had seen a memo, dated 18 September 2003, referring to “tactical questioning” of suspects by two intelligence corps staff sergeants. “It would appear that the hooding of the suspects took place on the advice of one of the staff sergeants,” it said. Asked about the memo, Ingram replied: “It certainly would not have been within my power to remember everything that I had been informed [of] in writing or verbally.” The inquiry has heard that British soldiers used “conditioning” methods on Iraqi prisoners banned in 1972. Ingram said today he had been unaware of the ban.
The Guardian reports that, “George Osborne will risk a schism with the Liberal Democrats when he strips the Financial Services Authority of the majority of its powers in a shakeup of City regulation to be announced later this month.” The paper quotes Whitehall sources saying that complete abolition was being considered by the Treasury despite support for the FSA’s continued existence from the Lib Dems. The article concludes saying that, “City experts are concerned about the disruption that the closure of the FSA would cause at a time when markets are fragile.”
7 Responses to “Politics Summary: Thursday, June 3rd”
DrKMJ
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