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Presented by Intuit By EMILIO CASALICCHIO with NOAH KEATE Good afternoon. This is Emilio Casalicchio. WEDNESDAY CHEAT SHEET — Andy Burnham and John Healey have been bigging up the 10-Year-Plan amid faltering expectations. — The PM said it will come before Christmas while the chancellor used some Trump-esque superlative about what it will entail. — White House aides are off to Moscow to urge Vladimir Putin to let Europe into Ukraine talks. — The top Reform official quit after 16 months in the role as the movement continues its run of chaos. — A man at the center of a Chinese espionage furor said he was a “convenient fall guy” for British authorities. **A message from Intuit: Wider AI adoption could add up to £47 billion to small business revenues, according to the Social Market Foundation.
The research, supported by Intuit, highlights an opportunity in helping small and medium-sized businesses move beyond experimentation to realise AI’s full potential. Learn more. ** TOP OF THE NEWSLIST REVERSE EXPECTATION MANAGEMENT: Andy Burnham and John Healey are fighting to counter expectations that the looming 10-Year-Plan will be a can-kicking letdown. A Christmas present: The PM told PMQs the plan will appear before Christmas (reversing his pitch-rolling from last week that it could be postponed to 2027) while his chancellor bigged up its contents during a grilling from MPs this afternoon.
MAGA vibes: Healey told the Treasury Committee that the plan and subsequent spending review “will be driven by political decisions and choices in a way that has not been done in the past”– a dose of classic Donald Trump superlative. Interesting details for the nerds: He said Numbers 10 and 11 are working on the spending review together, indicating how intertwined the two teams are on their big future plans. He said both will entail cuts to departments and didn’t rule out making tax changes at the spending review to start reforming the public finances.
What the 10-Year-Plan might include: Healey played up the coming response to the Alan Milburn review into worklessness (set to be published next week) and the pledge to reform social care in part via a tweak to the pensions triple lock. What else it could include: Healey said the government is “behind a third runway at Heathrow” despite recent hesitance from Burnham, noting that airports can be growth drivers for their wider areas. Although ... a promise to build a long-wrangled-over strip of flat concrete at some point in the next decade still feels rather like the status quo.
What the 10-Year-Plan could include ii: A sense of the future direction on Europe, since it will come after the EU/U.K. summit next week. Burnham is on his way to Turkey for the COP summit right now, after which he’ll head to the European Political Community summit in Dublin tomorrow, where the future relationship will no doubt feature in chatter. But but but: Former PM and Remain campaign leader David Cameron has warned his successor against pushing to rejoin the bloc.
He told Bloomberg’s Mishal Husain a fresh debate would be “very long and painful,” and argued it would be better to focus on being the EU’s bestie. One thing the 10-Year-Plan won’t include (honest!): Too much input from consultants, according to Downing Street. A No.10 official told hacks this afternoon there are no consultants beyond the one person from Boston Consulting Group working on the plan.
Does that mean these attacks will end? “We are left with a ‘do nothing’ Budget, a spending review delayed and a 10-year plan outsourced,” Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch said at PMQs. Burnham shot back that his plan “will lay a new path for this country to go forward, breaking with the failed policies of the Conservative party.
She is going to have to come up with better than that if she is going to take on what we are putting forward.” Side plot on the consultants: A spokesperson insisted the Keir Starmer-era commitment to reduce spending on consultants overall still stands — despite the real world heading in the opposite direction . MEANWHILE, IN WAR NEXT STOP, MOSCOW: U.S. negotiator Jared Kushner and his sidekick Steve Witkoff will jet to Moscow tomorrow to ask Vladimir Putin if European representatives can join the next round of negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, my colleague Tim Ross writes from Abu Dhabi. Bear in mind: So far, Putin has always refused.
But Kushner said he will request a “blessing” from the autocrat, after the EU and U.S. agreed that talks should cover a wider security framework between Europe and Russia. One other small problem: Europe has no idea who it would even send to negotiate. Ukraine wants the Europeans to pick one person to represent them, but attending the talks on the sidelines in Abu Dhabi were representatives of two EU institutions, NATO, the U.K., France, Germany, and Italy.
Diplomatically, Kushner said that arrangement was “strong,” but he quipped that picking one representative “would be a bigger achievement than getting the Russians to include them in the negotiation.” And a third small problem: Kushner (who happens to be Donald Trump’s son-in-law) didn’t hide the fact that the talks were “pretty tough”, and peace remains a long way off. “The reality is there’s no trust right now between the sides,” he said, answering a question from Tim, who was one of a handful of journalists at the talks this week. Kushner and Witkoff are also expected to brief Ukrainian PM Volodymyr Zelenskyy later this week.
Small causes for hope: The good news is that Ukraine and Russia agreed what officials boasted would be the biggest exchange of prisoners of war since the conflict began. Kushner branded the agreement “a good first step.” However: Previous prisoner swaps have been swiftly followed by major Russian airstrikes across Ukraine. DRIVETIME DEBRIEF REFORM SEEMS TO NEED REFORM: The Reform chaos continues, with General Secretary Tom Waterhouse quitting after 16 months in post, the Mail’s Christian Calgie reported this afternoon .
Labour said the top official was the “latest fall-guy” after months of scandals over donations, vetting and criminal accusations. Reform said Nigel Farage has appointed an interim general secretary. The infighting follows the sustained Reform drop in the polls, which my colleague Sam Blewett wrote about here .
CASH SPLASHED: The Beeb bagged an interview with ex-parliamentary aide Chris Cash — the bloke accused of spying for China before the charges were dropped. Cash told Joe Pike he felt like a “convenient fall guy” for British police and security services, who wanted to place espionage threats “on the map” and put him through a “gruelling ordeal.” For your eyes only: He admitted being “unprofessional and naive” by sending “gossiping” texts to his China-based friend Chris Berry (charges also later dropped) about British politics. Full podcast with the interview on BBC Sounds .
OUR SURVEY SAYS: Andy Burnham indicated he backs Lib Dem calls to create black English and Asian English categories in the census — after Reform MP Suella Braverman suggested ethnic minorities cannot be English. Asked at PMQs about the proposal from the Lib Dems, Burnham told the Commons, “I stand here thinking that I would want to support that bill to directly take on the poisonous politics that we’ve seen from some in this house who are seeking to divide us.” Speaking of PMQs: Ex-Labour aide Theo Bertram noted that Burnham uses PMQs to make political arguments — something Keir Starmer didn’t do all that much. THE HEADLINE GOVERNMENTS CAN’T SEEM TO ESCAPE: Inquiry recommendations to tackle grooming gangs are still not being implemented fast enough despite the promises from the Keir Starmer government, top public servant Louise Casey told the Beeb .
Casey, who looked into the issue a decade ago and published an audit about it in 2025, said she didn’t believe “the momentum has been good enough” in government. A No.10 spokesperson insisted progress is being made and the issue remains prioritized. In related news: Officials said there are no plans to designate sex with 13, 14 and 15-year-olds as rape, as Casey suggested.
HEALTH OF THE NATION: The NHS can’t deliver government priorities within its existing budgets, according to an Institute for Government report released in the past few minutes . The think tank said the health service will miss its waiting list targets and noted the lack of improvement in A&E waits, while condemning head-cutting plans and the wider abolishment of NHS England. It said the latter had been handled “very poorly” and with insufficient political direction.
The latest NHS waiting list stats are out tomorrow. Which might explain: Yvette Cooper’s relief that the BMA called off planned consultant strike action, which she said would further avoid “disruption to care.” The health secretary said she discussed with the BMA reforms that “give consultants a stronger voice, greater flexibility and more freedom to innovate, while improving services for patients.” Formal negotiations are expected to kick off next week. Sky has more .
SPEAKING ILL OF THE DUMPED: Ed Miliband took a clear swipe at Keir Starmer at the COP summit in Turkey this afternoon, noting that the former PM stopped him from announcing a rainforest fund contribution at the gathering in 2025. “Some of us in the U.K. hoped to be able to announce our contribution to the TFFF a year ago, but we didn’t,” he said. “But we have a saying in Britain, which is better late than never.” Burnham approved a contribution to the fund in September .
We don’t comment on politics in other countries, but ... Miliband also heaped congratulations on re-elected Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, arguing his win was a “victory for climate action ... forests ... hope.” SCOOP — CENTRIST JAMBOREE: Lib Dem MPs and officials will plot their path to the next election during a weekend away this Saturday and Sunday at a luxury Bedfordshire resort complete with a golf course and spa, our Noah Keate hears. A party spokesperson said it’ll be the first campaign weekend with Political Director James Holt, who’s been in the U.S. to witness the Democrats’ success in the midterms.
Take it Ed on: One issue the party might want to contemplate alongside target seats is its leader’s recognition. YouGov polling released this week found just 37% of respondents could identify Ed Davey (in post for six years) from a photo, compared with 83% for PM Andy Burnham and 89% for Nigel Farage. Soggy reception: As such, there’s some skepticism about whether gathering this weekend is the best use of time.
“The content of the weekend will be a bit of pretence that the parliamentary party are being consulted on messaging and policy,” said one MP. The person predicted it will also include “lots of shouting at us that we’re not raising enough money or delivering enough leaflets.” Those spa sessions may become a necessity. LATEST ATTACK ON WHITEHALL: A former No.10 adviser complained about a “significant gap” in accountability and performance in the civil service — echoing comments Cab Sec Antonia Romeo made in her speech last night.
David Buttress, a cost of living aide in Downing Street (albeit for a mere 5 months), told the latest Politics Unleashed podcast he sat in “talking shop” meetings aimed at conversational box-ticking and “optics.” A note on the Romeo speech: Playbook PM hears that Andy Burnham decided to attend the LSE event so late in the planning process that former top Whitehall officials were left waiting outside in the rain while government security did an eleventh-hour sweep of the building. WHAT THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: The Home Office launched a new scheme to target around 500 of the most prolific shoplifters in Britain. **A message from Intuit: The Social Market Foundation’s recent report found that 79% of UK SMEs already use AI in some form but aren't using it to its full potential. Many still haven't built it into everyday workflows, especially across finance, marketing, sales, and HR.
The research, supported by Intuit, estimates that increasing AI adoption across SMEs could unlock up to £47 billion in additional revenue across Great Britain. Intuit is committed to helping businesses get there, and is proud to partner with HM Government to boost AI skills for 10 million UK workers—including partnering with the British Chambers of Commerce to provide free AI workshops for small and medium-sized businesses across the country through the Intuit More with AI Tour. The next stop is Barnsley on Friday.
Learn more. ** BEYOND THE M25 MISSING IN ACTION: Reform UK’s Senedd members are boycotting the Welsh parliament after MS Joe Martin was told he wouldn’t be allowed to speak until he apologized for saying in decades that white people “will be a minority in our own country.” Reform’s Wales Leader Helen Jenner said it was an “infringement on freedom of speech” and “undue pressure” applied by Plaid Cymru. The MSs will still vote at the end of the session. Wales Online has more .
UNEASY CLIMATE: London Mayor Sadiq Khan is at COP31 in Turkey warning heatwaves in the capital could cost more than £25 billion in lost productivity, which is more than his annual budget. Speaking at the world leaders’ summit, the Labour peer called for urgent action as “climate disaster is no longer the stuff of some distant dystopia” but is “killing people, harming communities and impacting our economies right now.” UNREST IN SPAIN: Millions of people joined the country’s first general strike in 14 years protesting house prices and the cost of living. Workers’ unions said there was 90% participation in the automotive industry and 82% in waste collection, though participation was uneven nationwide.
The country will hold a snap election on November 29. The Guardian has a writeup . FAMILIAR PATTERN: Russia has arrested two individuals suspected of spying for Poland in Kaliningrad, claiming they transmitted information about the personnel and facilities of Moscow’s Defense Ministry.
POLITICO has further info . IN HINDSIGHT: Joe Biden said he wouldn’t have run for re-election in 2024 if he’d known about his prostate cancer diagnosis. The former U.S. president, who was forced to drop out after a disastrous debate performance, said he wouldn’t have “gone forward because I don’t think an 80-year-old man with cancer should be running.” My Stateside colleagues have a writeup .
COURT CIRCULAR: The U.S. Department of Justice has charged three Iranian and Iraqi nationals with plotting an attack at the RAF Fairford air base in the U.K. Full writeup here . **A message from Intuit: The Social Market Foundation’s recent report found that 79% of UK SMEs already use AI in some form but aren't using it to its full potential.
Many still haven't built it into everyday workflows, especially across finance, marketing, sales, and HR. The research, supported by Intuit, estimates that increasing AI adoption across SMEs could unlock up to £47 billion in additional revenue across Great Britain. Intuit is committed to helping businesses get there, and is proud to partner with HM Government to boost AI skills for 10 million UK workers—including partnering with the British Chambers of Commerce to provide free AI workshops for small and medium-sized businesses across the country through the Intuit More with AI Tour.
The next stop is Barnsley on Friday. Learn more. ** TONIGHT’S MEDIA ROUND LEADING THE NEWS BULLETINS: Channel 5 News (5 p.m.), BBC News at Six and ITV Evening News (6.30 p.m.) focus on the fallout from allegations against David Walliams ... Channel 4 News (7 p.m.) is in Ukraine and has an interview with Foreign Secretary Ed Miliband .
Drive with John Pienaar (Times Radio, until 7 p.m.): Labour MP Johanna Baxter ... Labour peer and Creative Industries Independent Standards Authority Chair Helena Kennedy ... Broadcasting, Entertainment, Communications and Theatre Union National Secretary Jenny Tingle ... crossbench peer and Adult Social Care Commissioner Louise Casey .
Kevin O’Sullivan (Talk, until 7 p.m.): Reform UK Deputy Leader Richard Tice . News Hour (Sky News, 5 p.m.): Helena Kennedy (5.30 p.m.). The News Agents (Podcast, drops at 5 p.m.): Women and Equalities Minister Bridget Phillipson .
Tonight With Andrew Marr (LBC, 6 p.m.): Labour MPs Jess Phillips and Chris Ward . Dewbs and Co (GB News, 6 p.m.): Labour peer George Foulkes . The Cathy Newman Show (Sky News, 7 p.m.): Labour peer Thangam Debbonaire .
The Evening Edition with Kait Borsay (Times Radio, 7 p.m.): Labour MP Catherine West ... Belarusian opposition leader Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya . Cross Question with Iain Dale (LBC, 8 p.m.): Labour MP Samantha Niblett ...
Tory peer Simon Heffer ... Reform UK Kent County Council Leader Linden Kemkaran . Jacob Rees-Mogg’s State of the Nation (GB News, 8 p.m.): Richard Tice .
Patrick Christys Tonight (GB News, 9 p.m.): Reform UK London mayoral contender Laila Cunningham . REVIEWING THE PAPERS TONIGHT: Sky News (10 p.m.): Broadcaster Jenny Kleeman and Times Radio’s Adam Boulton ... Times Radio (10.30 p.m.): Journo Laura Trevelyan and the Sun’s Tom Scotson .
WHERE TO FIND BOOZE IN WESTMINSTER TONIGHT CHAMPIONS OF CHAMPERS: The Spectator has an event celebrating a decade of its Coffee House Shots podcast (claimed to be the longest-running Westminster podcast) from 6.30 p.m. Invites needed. MASHED WITH MENON: The U.K. in a Changing Europe think tank has a drinks reception at Bush House in King’s College, from 6.30 p.m.
The event marks the think tank’s closure at the end of this year, after 12 years of providing hacks with valuable information about the EU during those difficult Brexit years. Invitations needed. HAMMERED WITH HACKS: The Society of Editors’ Media Freedom Awards is happening at the Underglobe in London, with big SW1 names on the nominations list.
Invites needed. UNI SOCIAL: Conservative MP Saqib Bhatti is among speakers at an Institute for a higher education-related Economic Affairs book launch event, from 6.30 p.m. Tickets needed.
TOMORROW’S WORLD GROWTH IN EVERY POSTCODE? GDP stats covering July to September land at 7 a.m. OFF TO THE EMERALD ISLE: The prime minister speaks at the COP summit in Turkey around 7.45 a.m. before heading to Dublin for the European Political Community summit.
WHAT ELSE THE GOVERNMENT WANTS TO TALK ABOUT: Leasehold, knife crime and blue plaques. HEALTH OF THE NATION: The latest NHS performance data lands at 9.30 a.m. IN THE COMMONS: MPs dash in at 9.30 a.m. for culture questions, the future Commons business statement and committee statements on defense in the High North and obesity, before backbench debates on the battle of the Somme and the Nolan principles.
IN THE LORDS: Peers turn up at 11 a.m. for a debate on the budget. ON THE MOVE: The OECD releases its international migration outlook at 12.30 p.m. INSERT JOKE ABOUT WOLVES: Reform’s Richard Tice, Robert Jenrick and Zia Yusuf appear at a rally in Wolverhampton, from 2 p.m.
ANY OTHER BUSINESS WHAT I’VE BEEN READING: An example of the Renters Rights Act (plus AI) in action from the London Centric Substack : people challenging rent rises via tribunals and ending up with rent reductions. PACKED LUNCH OR PALACE LUNCH: Subject to change, here are the lunch menus on the estate tomorrow: Bellamy’s: Tofu, mushroom and pepper quiche with baby chard and balsamic glaze; rarebit haddock on spinach and apple salad; jerk chicken with rice and peas ... The Debate: Jerk chicken with rice and peas; Cajun king prawn tacos with cabbage and mango salad, guacamole and sour cream; kimcheese toastie with sesame zucchini banchan and gochujang honey ketchup ...
Terrace Cafeteria: Polenta turkey escalope on toasted ciabatta with lettuce, tomato and Caesar dressing; jerk chicken with rice and peas; lentil, eggplant and celeriac pie topped with thyme rösti ... River Restaurant: Soy and lentil cottage pie; beef Massaman curry with yellow rice, mango chutney, poppadoms and raita; sweet and sour scampi with rice noodles, stir-fry veg and spring rolls. ON THIS DAY IN POLITICS: On Nov. 11, 1918, the World War I Armistice came into effect, ending four years of fighting.
On the same day in 1999, the House of Lords Act received royal assent, removing all but 92 hereditary peers. And in 2004, Veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died aged 75. WRITING PLAYBOOK TOMORROW MORNING: Sam Francis .
THANKS TO: My editor Luke McGee , reporter Noah Keate and the POLITICO production team for making it look nice. SUBSCRIBE to the POLITICO newsletter family: Brussels Playbook | Brussels Playbook Capitals | London Playbook | London Playbook PM | Playbook Paris | Berlin Playbook | Madrid Playbook | Sunday Crunch | EU Influence | London Influence | D.C. Playbook | D.C.
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Source: politico.eu
