Steerpike

Growth, growth, growth is back on Rachel Reeves' agenda – having been conspicuously absent in her first Budget last October. Still, no matter, the Chancellor now insists she is storming ahead with pro-business plans. Speaking at Davos – where else? – Reeves heavily hinted this morning that she will next week back a third runway at Heathrow when she makes her big speech talking about all the wonderful things the government will do for growth. The news has got a big thumbs up from industry – but Labour MPs are less enthused. Some, like Ruth Cadbury, cite local opposition; others such as Clive Lewis worry about the environment. No less than eight of the current cabinet voted against the Heathrow third runway last time it came up for a vote in 2018 – including the Prime Minister.

Sadiq Khan may have collected a knighthood – but he is still missing a czar. It is now three months since Amy Lamé announced she was standing down as the Mayor's ‘Night Czar’ and a successor is yet to be found. Lamé role was to champion London's nightlife – so it is a shame then that, on her watch, more than a quarter of the capital's nightclubs closed. Still, that didn't stop Khan from signing off multiple inflation-busting pay-hikes, including a 40 per cent increase just after the 2021 mayoral election. Lamé's final salary – after eight years in the role – eventually topped out more than £132,000 a year.

Well, well, well. It seems that Sir Keir Starmer's Labour government is looking to row back on its non-dom rules after Britain suffered an exodus of millionaires after the introduction of the policy. Talk about a quick turnaround… Speaking at a fringe event in Davos with the editor of the Wall Street Journal, Rachel Reeves announced the Labour government is planning to table an amendment to the Finance Bill. The Chancellor said that: We have been listening to the concerns that have been raised by the non-dom community. The government amendment will increase the temporary repatriation facility, which enables non-doms to bring money instantly to the UK without paying significant taxes.

Today's PMQs won't go down in history as Sir Keir Starmer's finest half hour, with the PM losing marks over his performance on education. It seems the Labour politician has reverted to his old ways, with yet another Starmer U-turn making an appearance at today's session. Quelle surprise… Opposition leader Kemi Badenoch went in hard on the schools bill, blasting the Labour lot for wanting to row back on measures that propelled English schools to the top of Western league tables. 'This bill is an act of vandalism,' Badenoch declared. Pulling no punches, the Tory leader went on: It is wrecking a cross-party consensus that lasted for decades... This bill is the worst of socialism, Mr Speaker, and isn't it deprived children in England who will pay the price?

Back in November, MPs waved through Kim Leadbeater's assisted dying bill by 330 votes to 275. Some of those who backed it at second reading claimed they were not yet convinced about the merits of the measure, suggesting they would need more time to scrutinise the legislation. Supporters oozed assurances: there would be ample scope at the committee stage. So, with the 23-man committee now up and running, Mr S thought he would check in on how it is all going. Sadly, it seems the pro-euthanasia lobby is not exactly playing Marquess of Queensbury rules. With MPs due to start hearing evidence and debating amendments next week, Mr S has done a quick run down of the committee's failings thus far... Fixing the maths – At second reading MPs backed the bill by roughly 55 to 45.

Uh oh. The Beeb's back in the spotlight – and this time it's over some rather interesting reporting on the inauguration of Donald Trump. A new row over BBC bias has broken out after part of its coverage suggested the Republican's election victory was built on 'fear'. Er, right. The corporation's senior North America correspondent John Sudworth told viewers on Monday that 'it was fear that gave Mr Trump his mandate', adding: On the campaign trail, Donald Trump drove his message of fear all the way to the White House but it was based on a misconception. Rather than an invasion, America has long been dependent on the work of these migrants in agriculture and manufacturing, making them both essential and dispensable…For his opponents these feel like dizzying and dark times.

The new year is three weeks' old – but some Tories are determined to stick to their resolutions. An impressive number of ex-MPs are keen to make a quick comeback to parliament and have already signalled their intention to stand again in 2029. Leading the charge is Grant Shapps, the former Defence Secretary rejected by the good people of Welwyn Hatfield last July. Just twelve weeks after losing his seat, Shapps wasted no time in setting up 'Conservatives Together'. The new organisation aims to 'support Conservative MPs, prospective parliamentary candidates, and activists' – though some suspect it is mostly about supporting ex-Conservative MPs.

To Liverpool and the case of the Southport murders. Today, 18-year-old Axel Rudakubana pleaded guilty to murdering three young girls in a knife attack last year on the first day of his trial. Rudakubana appeared at Liverpool Crown Court this morning over the horrific events of last year, which saw nine-year-old Alice da Silva Aguiar, seven-year-old Elsie Dot Stancombe and six-year-old Bebe King lose their lives after being attacked at a dance class. At a previous hearing, not guilty pleas had been entered on Rudakubana's behalf – but today he pleaded guilty to three counts of murder, 10 of attempted murder and two terror-related charges.

‘Lunch?’ growled Gordon Gekko in Wall Street. ‘Lunch is for wimps.’ Yet for half of Westminster the noble art of lunching is as much a part of political life as PMQs. For generations, hacks, flacks and MPs of all sides have wined and dined in various London establishments. Whether it is the pubs of SW1 or the wineries of Victoria, Kensington restaurants or the dive bars of Soho, many a long lunch has been enjoyed by the great and the not-so-good of British politics. Is that all now under threat? For Mr S was disturbed last week to discover that Rachel Reeves not only prepares her own lunch but takes it to work at the Treasury in a Tupperware container. A Chancellor eating from a lunchbox? Wouldn’t have happened in Roy Jenkins’s time.  Reeves isn’t the only one.