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1. No. 10: Britain would ‘oppose’ US attack on Iranian cultural sites.
Boris Johnson’s spokesman this morning said that Britain would ‘oppose’ a US attack on Iranian cultural sites but rejected that the airstrike that killed Iranian Major-General Qasem Soleimani was illegal as the US ‘have a right to take action... in self-defence as the US have been clear that Soleimani was plotting imminent attacks on American diplomats and military personnel.’
2. Labour executives plan to ‘embed Corbynism’
Labour general secretary Jennie Formby and Jeremy Corbyn’s chief of staff Karie Murphy plan to ‘embed Corbynism’ into the party, Politics Home reports. Their proposals include cutting the ‘analytics’ and elections teams based at Labour’s London headquarters (they think it’s ‘slanted’) and replacing experienced regional staff with ‘community organisers’. Some Labour staff are demanding that the party’s National Executive Committee postpone any changes until a new leader is elected.
3. Labour MPs fear leadership election ‘stitch-up’
Moderate Labour MPs are concerned that Jeremy Corbyn’s allies will ‘rig’ the party’s leadership contest in favour of a ‘continuity Corbyn candidate’, the Times reports. Labour’s National Executive Committee met at midday to discuss leadership election rules and chairman Ian Lavery has said the committee will have ‘thorough discussions’ to find the ‘right solution’. Rebecca Long-Bailey didn’t take her seat on the committee as she is a leadership candidate.
4. Phillips rows back on rejoining the EU
Writing for the Independent, Labour leadership candidate Jess Phillips has said that while Labour ‘should always be an outward-facing and pro-European’ the party ‘must accept the result [of the referendum and election], move our country forward and hold Boris Johnson to account’. Yesterday Phillips told Andrew Marr that she would ‘fight’ for membership of the EU because ‘our country is safer’ and it’s ‘more economically viable’.
5. Scottish Tories’ leadership race begins
MSP Jackson Carlaw is the first candidate to announce a bid to lead the Scottish Tories. He has been the acting leader since Ruth Davidson stood down in August and has pledged to ‘take the fight to Nicola Sturgeon and the SNP’. Other candidates have 11 days before nominations close.
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