In the week where Syria’s dictatorship collapsed, a shock murder revealed widespread anger towards the U.S. healthcare system, and Badenoch compared herself to The Mother of Dragons, here is your Weekend Wire…

Bye-bye Bashir

And just like that it was over. The Assad dynasty, which had stood for more than half a century, collapsed with astonishing speed as anti-government forces swept through the country to capture Damascus, bringing 13 years of tyrannical violence and autocratic rule to an end. At least for now. 

The jubilant scenes in the streets told a story of a nightmare coming to a close. Yet among the celebration there was, and remains, concern over what will follow for Syria, especially when considering the fate of countries like Libya and Iraq when their autocratic leaders were deposed.

But what is clear is that Assad’s downfall is a devastating blow to Iran, but also to Putin.  Russia - which is currently hosting Assad - backed the despotic regime from its inception, and it’s fall represents a massive blow to the Kremlin’s prestige. On top of this, Russia’s two military bases in Syria - which offer access to Africa, the Mediterranean and the Middle East - now hang in the balance.

Deny, defend, depose

Across the pond, the arrest of the alleged killer of United Healthcare’s CEO also made international headlines. Following a fervent man hunt, Ivy League graduate, Luigi Mangione was arrested in Pennsylvania carrying both the murder weapon and, in what appears to be a rather careless misstep, a 262-word manifesto outlining his alleged motive.

The reaction has been somewhat unexpected, with a substantial number of people across social media professing their admiration for the  26-year old Italian-American’s actions but also his good looks. Clara Gaspar, Daily Mail columnist, even admitted to being ‘conflicted over the hot assassin’.

The case has revealed a simmering anger within American society over their healthcare system and in particular, its high prices and the huge debts they inflict on unwell Americans. United Healthcare, in particular, had come under fire recently for rejecting a huge number of claims on what many argue are rather spurious grounds.

Can we build it? Yes we can!

Leaving behind the world of assassins and regime collapse, back home the Labour Government had a thrilling week talking about all things planning reform! 

The week began with an announcement from the Justice Secretary that extra capacity for 14,000 inmates would be built by 2031 to alleviate the pressure felt by a system which came close to collapse last summer and forced the Government to sanction the early release of thousands of prisoners. 

Then on Thursday, the Government announced sweeping changes to planning regulations in a shake up which will enable (and in some cases force) councils to build on designated green belt land. The plans will involve mandatory targets for councils to build 370,000 homes a year in England and additional funding and support to fast track planning processes. Starmer’s home building mission is one of his six key priorities for this Parliament and will form a large part of his Government’s plan to deliver change for those currently unable to get onto the housing ladder, stuck in the increasingly expensive cycle of renting.

Reset? You should have mentioned!

First there was Starmer, then there was Lammy and now Rachel Reeves has had her turn at discussing the fabled UK-EU reset. Speaking to the Eurogroup finance ministers in Brussels, as the first chancellor to do so since Brexit, Reeves promised a ‘business-like’ relationship with the union and an end to the ‘division and chaos’ of the previous Government. 

This normalisation of dialogue between the UK Government and EU is a welcome development after years of hostility, and puts the Government in a strong position going into 2025, which will see the first UK-EU Summit and Starmer joining the European Council to discuss security; both valuable opportunities to begin the nitty-gritty of negotiations. See more about what the next year may look like for the UK-EU reset here.

Push and poll

A report by the European Council on Foreign Relations has found that a majority of Brexit voters would accept free movement for access to the single market. The think-tank concluded that “There is a remarkable consensus on both sides of the Channel that the time is ripe for a reassessment of EU-UK relations”.  

Back on track

Another week and another whisper from Whitehall that the UK is considering joining Eurofima; the organisation responsible for financing rolling stock leasing for many European nations. The group has previously implored the UK to join and the opportunity for the Government to lease trains for a few bucks less  may prove too good to miss this time around.

Hola, bonjour and hallo 

British school children may soon have the opportunity to travel more freely around the continent on school trips after the Prime Minister began exploring opportunities to smooth post-Brexit travel requirements between the UK and other individual European countries. If realised,  the move would boost the UK’s tourist industry and to increase opportunities for cultural enrichment for British children

(Yes, more) Brexit barriers

Yesterday, the EU’s General Product Safety Regulation (GPSR) came into force, impacting businesses across Britain - but particularly those of a smaller size - by introducing new post-Brexit trade barriers with our closest overseas market and delivering another blow to businesses exporting to Northern Ireland. Check out our FAQ for more details on what this new legislation means.

Kemi Badenoch, first of her name, blower of dog whistles

Likening herself to Daenerys Targaryen, Kemi Badenoch sat down with her old pal Michael Gove at the Spectator for a pre-Christmas tete-a-tete, in what unsurprisingly ended up being a tour de force in saying all the wrong things in all the wrong places. Here are my top five favourite quotes from the interview:

1. ‘Lunch is for wimps. I have food brought in and I work and eat at the same time…Sometimes I will get a steak.’
2. ‘I’m not a sandwich person, I don’t think sandwiches are a real food.’
3. ‘Many of the issues that people call “woke” – it’s really socialism and communism wearing the cute outfits of the civil rights movement.’
4. ‘I’m also a Game of Thrones fan. The White Walkers are out there!’
5. ‘There’s actually quite a lot of dark undertones to Love Actually.’

On this day in 1918, women - provided they were over 30 and they or their husbands were an occupier of property - were able to vote in a general election for the first time. This set of elections also saw the first female MP, a lady by the name of Constance the Countess Markievicz, elected to the House of Commons.

Joshua Edwicker
Best for Britain