Sir Keir Starmer has seen off a small rebellion from Labour backbench MPs in the Commons in a crunch vote over scrapping the two-child benefit cap.
In total, there were 103 votes for the amendment, and 363 against, with the prime minister winning a majority of 170.
Seven Labour MPs broke ranks and voted to scrap the amendment, which included Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, Rebecca Long-Bailey, John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana.
But the issue is unlikely to go away with Mr Starmer set to face further questioning on the benefit cap at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday.
It follows a night when former home secretary James Cleverly announced his intention to run for leadership of the Conservative party in a video on social media.
A set of new dossiers published by the National Audit Office revealed on Tuesday the real state of government after 14 years of Tory rule.
According to a NAO report, the NHS is at an “unprecedented” breaking point with health workers “working at the limits” of the system.
Key Points
- Starmer sees off scrapping two-child benefit policy
- James Cleverly enters race to become next Tory leader
- NHS at ‘unprecedented’ breaking point, NAO dossiers reveal
- Labour to shut down Bibby Stockholm asylum barge
Diane Abbott reacts to Labour MPs suspension
21:40
Holly Evans
Labour MP Diane Abbott has reacted to the news that seven of her colleagues have been suspended for voting to scrap the two-child benefit policy, saying she is “horrified”.
The Hackney North and Stoke Newington MP said: “Personal reasons meant I could not be in Westminster this evening to vote against the 2 child benefit cap. But horrified colleagues suspended for 6 months for voting against, when removing the cap is supposed to be party policy.”
Personal reasons meant I could not be in Westminster this evening to vote against the 2 child benefit cap. But horrified colleagues suspended for 6 months for voting against, when removing the cap is supposed to be party policy pic.twitter.com/1wLW37H2WD
— Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) July 23, 2024
Government has ‘significant gaps’ in awareness of local road conditions – report
21:40
Salma Ouaguira
The Government is unaware of the state of English local roads or how well councils are using funds to tackle potholes, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has found.
Local authorities are not required to report the condition of unclassified roads, which make up 62% of their networks, the National Audit Office (NAO) said in a report.
This results in “significant gaps” in its understanding of the quality of road surfaces, the document stated.
The Department for Transport (DfT) told the NAO it decided to limit the data it collects to minimise administrative burdens.
The report stated that the lack of information received by the department means it “does not know” the impact of its funding for local roads maintenance, which totalled £1.1 billion in the 2022/23 financial year.
The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £16.3 billion.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It’s bad enough that historically the Government doesn’t really know just how bad our roads are.
“But it’s absolutely staggering that it doesn’t know whether the money it gives to councils has been used effectively.
“This has to change and we very much hope the new Government acts fast to fix it.”
Government has ‘limited evidence’ on how well funding helps disadvantaged pupils
21:20
Salma Ouaguira
The Department for Education has “limited evidence” on how well its disadvantage-related funding helps to boost the attainment of poorer children, Whitehall’s spending watchdog found.
The Government has “little understanding” of whether schools spend funding focused on disadvantaged children for the intended purposes, the National Audit Office (NAO) report said.
It examines whether the Department for Education (DfE) is achieving value for money through its funding to improve educational outcomes for disadvantaged children in England.
The attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers at the end of GCSEs is “wider than a decade ago” even though it is a “strategic priority” for the DfE, the report said.
The NAO estimated that the DfE spent £9.2 billion in 2023-24 to improve the attainment of disadvantaged children, but it does not know the full impact of almost half of the investment.
It concluded: “DfE has evidence to support some of its interventions and uses this to help schools and early years providers to make decisions.
“However, it does not yet understand the outcomes resulting from a significant proportion of its expenditure on disadvantaged children.
“It also does not have a fully integrated view of its interventions, or milestones to assess progress and when more may need to be done.
“This, and the lack of sustained progress reducing the disadvantage attainment gap since 2010-11, means that DfE cannot demonstrate it is achieving value for money.”
Labour suspends MPs who defied Government in two-child benefit cap vote
21:00
Holly Evans
The seven Labour MPs who defied the Government by backing an amendment to scrap the two-child benefit cap have lost the whip, the PA news agency understands.
Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, Rebecca Long-Bailey, John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana have been suspended from the parliamentary party for six months, after which their position will be reviewed.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faced his first Commons rebellion on Tuesday as the Government comfortably defeated calls to scrap the cap.
But the division list showed seven MPs rebelled to back the SNP-led amendment.
More than 40 Labour MPs recorded no vote, with some of those listed spotted in the chamber throughout the day, while others will have had permission to miss the vote.
Kendall lays out plan to reform DWP, shift from ‘strivers v scroungers’ rhetoric
20:40
Salma Ouaguira
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall criticised the former government’s “strivers versus scroungers” rhetoric as she laid out plans to transform the DWP.
In her first major speech in taking over at the helm of the Department of Work and Pensions, Ms Kendall said she would seek to implement a fundamental reform of the department.
“Under my political leadership, the DWP will shift from being a department for welfare to being a department for work,” she said at an event in Barnsley to coincide with the publication of the Pathways to Work Commission report authored by former cabinet minister and current health adviser Alan Milburn.
She said the current system is “both too siloed and too centralised” and that “the Conservatives put political point-scoring ahead of solving problems”.
She said: “Their divisive rhetoric about strivers versus scroungers or claiming people just felt ‘too bluesy’ to work may have grabbed headlines, but it did absolutely nothing to actually get Britain working again.
“As today’s report rightly concludes, people who are economically inactive are not one single group. There will be a few who act fraudulently, others who say they can’t work but who can.
“But the vast majority face a complex range of barriers which stop them from getting what both they and policymakers want – a pathway into paid employment.”
She said job seekers will still be obligated to engage with support, look for work, and take jobs when they are offered.
But she said more attention would also be paid to wider issues – such as health, skills, childcare and transport – that play a role in determining whether people can get work, stay in work and succeed in their work.
New home registrations fell by 23% annually in second quarter of 2024
20:20
Salma Ouaguira
The number of new homes being registered across the UK fell by 23% in the second quarter of this year, compared with the same period in 2023, according to an industry body.
Some 29,281 new homes were registered to be built in April to June 2024, down from 37,861 a year earlier, the National House Building Council (NHBC) said.
The NHBC has a 70%-80% share of the UK warranty market.
Its figures indicate the stock of new properties in the pipeline because homes are registered with the NHBC before being built.
The NHBC said 33,847 new homes were completed in the second quarter of this year, down by 6% on the same period in 2023, when 36,145 homes were completed.
Despite the annual falls, the NHBC said that, when compared with the previous quarter, new home registrations and completions are tracking positively, having increased by 34% and 29% respectively.
Labour MP reacts to having whip suspended
20:16
Holly Evans
Labour MP Zarah Sultana has reacted to having the whip suspended, after she voted in favour of scrapping the two-child benefit cap.
Ms Sultana said on social media: “I have been informed by the Chief Whip & the Labour Party leadership that the whip has been withdrawn from me for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, which would lift 330,000 children out of poverty.
“I will always stand up for the most vulnerable in our society.”
I have been informed by the Chief Whip & the Labour Party leadership that the whip has been withdrawn from me for voting to scrap the two-child benefit cap, which would lift 330,000 children out of poverty.
— Zarah Sultana MP (@zarahsultana) July 23, 2024
I will always stand up for the most vulnerable in our society.
James Cleverly announces intention to run for Tory leader
20:09
Holly Evans
James Cleverly has announced his intention to run to be leader of the Conservative party in a video posted on his social media.
Writing in the Telegraph, he said: “We need to rediscover confidence that our core values are shared by the British public and present an offer of unity, security, and prosperity.
“We must ditch the self indulgent infighting and be ready to deliver when the next chance comes. This will take dedication, discipline and focus.”
I’m running to be Conservative Party Leader. Here’s why pic.twitter.com/6eFPMocIyc
— James Cleverly (@JamesCleverly) July 23, 2024
Labour has suspended the 7 MPs who rebelled over the two-child benefit cap
20:07
Holly Evans
It is understood Labour has suspended the seven MPs who rebelled over the two-child benefit cap - including former shadow chancellor John McDonnell.
It is thought the decision will be reviewed after 6 months.
The move will be seen as a show of force by Keir Starmer, who appears determined to impose discipline on his party.
The seven MPs are Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, Rebecca Long-Bailey, John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana.
Lib Dems amendment over health and care defeated
20:03
Holly Evans
A Lib Dems’ amendment to the King’s Speech, which listed a series of concerns over its content, including a lack of “sufficient measures” to address the health and care crisis, was defeated by 382 votes to 85, majority 297.
Streeting seeks to reassure trans community as he backs implementing Cass Review
20:00
Salma Ouaguira
Trans people of all ages will benefit from the full implementation of the Cass Review into gender identity services, according to the Health Secretary.
Wes Streeting told MPs that the Government is “wholeheartedly committed” to implementing measures put forward by the independent review, adding he believes it will deliver “material improvements” for trans people.
Mr Streeting also said he wanted to “reassure LGBT+ communities across the country”, particularly the trans community, about the Government’s desire to work with them, just days after facing criticism for continuing with restrictions on puberty blockers.
His remarks came after he was challenged by his Conservative shadow Victoria Atkins, who in her final act as health secretary used legislation to impose a so-called “banning order” on puberty blockers, which suppress the natural production of sex hormones to delay puberty.
Campaign group TransActual, and a young person who cannot be named, are making a bid to challenge the decision.
The Cass Review, commissioned by NHS England and published in April, concluded that gender care is currently an area of “remarkably weak evidence” and young people have been caught up in a “stormy social discourse”.
Seven Labour MPs break ranks and vote for scrapping policy
19:53
Holly Evans
The seven Labour MPs who rebelled and voted in favour of scrapping the two-child benefit cap were: Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, Rebecca Long-Bailey, John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana.
They were joined by the SNP, Green Party, independents including Jeremy Corbyn and much of the Liberal Democrat party.
Keir Starmer suffers first backbench rebellion of his premiership over two-child benefit cap
19:47
Holly Evans
Keir Starmer has faced the first backbench rebellion of his premiership after seven Labour MPs broke ranks to vote to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
The new Labour government comfortably won the vote, however, by 363 votes to 103, a majority of 260.
In a bid to head off the revolt, ministers said on Monday that they would consider ditching the “cruel” policy.
Read the full article here:
SNP vow to continue campaign to scrap controversial policy
19:41
Holly Evans
Labour has “failed its first major test in Government,” the SNP said after MPs voted against scrapping the two-child benefit cap.
The party’s Westminster leader Stephen Flynn MP said: “Labour MPs had the opportunity to deliver meaningful change from years of Tory misrule by immediately lifting thousands of children out of poverty – they have made a political choice not to do so.
“This is now the Labour Government’s two-child cap – and it must take ownership of the damage it is causing, including the appalling levels of poverty in the UK.
“The SNP will campaign vigorously for the cap to be abolished at the earliest opportunity. It is the very worst of Westminster’s welfare cuts, and every day it remains more children suffer.
“The Labour Government has a moral duty to go much further and faster to tackle child poverty.
“Scrapping the cap is the bare minimum we should expect. In order to eradicate child poverty, the UK Government must take much bolder action, including matching the Scottish Child Payment UK-wide by raising universal credit by £26.70 per child, per week at the UK budget.”
Government must do ‘the sums’ before committing to axing two-child cap – Kendall
19:40
Salma Ouaguira
The Government has to do “the sums” before committing to axing the two-child benefit cap, the Work and Pensions Secretary said, as Sir Keir Starmer faces a possible rebellion over the policy in the Commons.
A King’s Speech debate could end with a vote on the matter on Tuesday evening if Commons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle selects one of several amendments that have been tabled.
The Prime Minister has said there is “no silver bullet” to end child poverty but acknowledged the “passion” of Labour MPs who are considering rebelling over the continuation of the Tory measure.
Liz Kendall said she is “absolutely passionate about driving down child poverty” and that it is a “real priority for this Government”.
But, pressed on whether that means abolishing the cap, she told Times Radio that Labour was elected “on the promise that we would only make spending commitments that we know we can keep”.
“I’m not into a wink and a nudge politics,” she said.
“I’m not going to look constituents in the face and tell them I’m going to do something without actually having done the sums, figuring out how I’m going to pay for it, figuring out how we transform opportunity for those children, not just in terms of their household income, which is essential, but about having sustained improvements to helping people get work and get on in work, more childcare, early years support, sorting out the dire state of people’s housing.
“It’s got to be part of a much bigger approach.”
Starmer sees off scrapping two-child benefit policy
19:33
Holly Evans
On Amendment D to scrap the two-child benefit policy, the ayes voted 103, the noes voted 363, so MPs reject the amendment.
The majority is 260, with a number of Labour MPs rebelling against their own government, but with a majority of more than 170 Sir Keir Starmer easily saw them off.
MPs voting on SNP amendment to scrap two-child benefit cap
19:27
Holly Evans
MPs have divided to vote on amendment D which regards scrapping the two-child benefit policy
The amendment, tabled by the SNP, regrets that the King’s Speech “fails to include immediate measures to abolish the two-child benefit limit to universal credit.”
Tories amendment on boosting defence spending fails to pass
19:20
Holly Evans
MPs have voted on Amendement L, with the ayes voted 117, the noes 384, with the majority at 267.
The amendment, which was tabled by the Conservatives, regrets that the King’s Speech “does not commit to boosting defence spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030 with a fully funded plan”.
Suella Braverman: I want Donald Trump to be president
19:20
Salma Ouaguira
Suella Braverman has said she would vote for Donald Trump if she was a US citizen, claiming “the world will be safer” if the Republican presidential hopeful wins the November election.
The former home secretary’s endorsement of the ex-president came as she is widely believed to be preparing a bid to lead the Conservative Party from the right.
“I want Trump to be president,” she said while guest-hosting a programme on LBC Radio on Tuesday.
“Don’t look at the characters and the personalities – if we look at the policy, I think the world will be safer under Donald Trump.
“If we look at his record as president, you know, no wars were started while Donald Trump was president.”
She continued: “I think there’s been a real track record of peace and stability globally that we saw from Trump when he was president and that we can expect going forward. And right now the world is a very volatile place.
“I do think that we need a strong president in the White House. I personally would give my vote to Donald Trump were I an American citizen.”
Tom Tugendhat asks if home secretary will resign if Channel migration rises
19:16
Holly Evans
Shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat has asked the Government frontbench whether the Home Secretary will resign if cross-Channel migration rises.
Speaking from the Conservative frontbench, Mr Tugendhat said: “If she (Home Secretary Yvette Cooper) is wrong, God forbid, and the numbers rise – I know, wonders will never happen – what will the Home Secretary do? Will she take responsibility and resign?
“Or will she reach for the old Blair-Brown playbook that is the golden thread running through this King’s Speech and instead farm out the blame, set up a new quango, pretend it’s not your problem and hope that it all goes away?”
Mr Tugendhat also sad: “The trouble with Labour’s plans is we know that however well meaning they are, they always lead to the same outcome.
“While Conservatives see industry as the source of our prosperity, Labour just views it as something to be taxed.”
Why have the Tories opted for such a long leadership election campaign?
19:14
Holly Evans
Short of money after a bruising election defeat, the Tories may seek to use the autumn conference as a platform for hustings says John Rentoul
Read the full article here:
Plan to oust hereditary peers from House of Lords branded a ‘vendetta’
19:06
Holly Evans
The Government has been accused of waging a “vendetta” in its plan to remove the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords.
Critics called the move “political vandalism” as members of the unelected chamber debated the measure contained in the recent King’s Speech.
Legislation has been proposed to end what the Government has called the “outdated and indefensible” presence of peers who are there by right of birth.
The presence of 92 hereditary members and the by-elections used to fill vacancies has been the subject of ongoing criticism given the exclusive, male-dominated list of eligible candidates and the limited number of people able to vote in the contests.
Lords reforms under Tony Blair reduced the number of hereditary peers to 90, plus the Earl Marshal and Lord Great Chamberlain.
That was intended only as a short-term compromise, but the situation has persisted for 25 years.
Downing Street rejects suggestion that racism at play in scrapping Rwanda scheme
19:00
Salma Ouaguira
Downing Street has denied that the Government’s decision to scrap the scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda was racist after James Cleverly suggested it showed a “disdainful attitude” to Rwanda.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman rejected a suggestion by the shadow home secretary that there was a racial element to the Labour Government deciding to nix the agreement, saying the scheme was scrapped because it was ineffective.
Mr Cleverly told Times Radio that the Labour Government cancelled the agreement with the Rwandan government “without even having the good grace to contact them directly to inform them”, which he said would not have happened had the deal been with a European country.
When asked if he was saying the decision was racist, Mr Cleverly said: “You and I both know that this would never have happened like this had it been with a European country. It’s because there is a below-the-salt disdainful attitude to African countries and the Rwandan government.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman rejected the suggestion that racism was at play in the decision to scrap the scheme.
He told reporters: “The decision to scrap the scheme was based on the scheme being a completely ineffective policy.”
Starmer is good at diplomatic speed dating – but hard work lies ahead
18:40
Salma Ouaguira
Striking a new tone on ‘resetting’ Britain’s relationship with the EU was the easy bit for the Labour leader. Phase two, the detailed policy, will be much more difficult, writes Andrew Grice:
Government climate change adaptation plan ‘deficient’, High Court told
18:20
Salma Ouaguira
The Government’s plan to adapt to the risks posed by climate change is “deficient” and fails to provide effective protection to the rights of vulnerable people, the High Court has been told.
Labour ministers are defending against legal action brought by activist Kevin Jordan, who lost his home due to coastal erosion, and disability campaigner Doug Paulley, whose health problems are exacerbated by severe heat.
On Tuesday, lawyers for the two men, who are bringing their case alongside environmental campaign group Friends of the Earth, argued the former Tory government’s July 2023 National Adaptation Programme (NAP) fails to properly respond to 61 climate change risks.
These include the health risks posed by high temperatures, the threat to communities and buildings from coastal flooding, erosion and extreme weather events, and the potential issues for forestry and farming due to changing climate conditions, the court was told.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) is opposing the legal challenge at a two-day hearing in London.
David Wolfe KC, representing campaigners, said in written arguments: “How the defendant responds to these climate risks has far-reaching consequences for society, including the safety of at-risk individuals from harm.
“Unfortunately, climate change is predicted to worsen for the foreseeable future.”
He said a failure to produce “a comprehensive response” to climate risks means British people, especially the vulnerable, were “subject to specific threats or adverse effects of climate change on their life, health, well-being and quality of life”.
There’s only one answer to tackling soaring rents
18:00
Salma Ouaguira
Rents outside the capital have surged to a new record, with the cost outstripping the rise in wages. Starmer cannot afford to waste time – the war on nimbyism must start now, writes James Moore:
Braverman tells Tories to reject ‘woke nonsense’ ahead of leadership race
17:40
Salma Ouaguira
Suella Braverman said the Tories must reject “divisive identity politics and woke nonsense” in order to win back Reform voters, as James Cleverly warned leadership rivals not to “divide up and factionalise” the party.
Jostling to lead the Conservatives in opposition is under way ahead of nominations opening on Wednesday in the three-month contest to replace Rishi Sunak.
Former home secretary Ms Braverman, who is widely expected to launch a bid to lead the party from the right, used a slot guest-hosting a radio programme to argue that “we had quite a centrist Conservative agenda” and that “identity politics got out of control” under Mr Sunak.
“We need to be a party that’s firm and credible on immigration,” she told LBC listeners.
“We need to give some hope to the British people on taxation, robust on security and defence, and a real champion for common-sense British values. None of this divisive identity politics and woke nonsense. It really frustrates me that that has happened on our watch.”
Government has ‘significant gaps’ in awareness of local road conditions – report
17:20
Salma Ouaguira
The Government is unaware of the state of English local roads or how well councils are using funds to tackle potholes, Whitehall’s spending watchdog has found.
Local authorities are not required to report the condition of unclassified roads, which make up 62% of their networks, the National Audit Office (NAO) said in a report.
This results in “significant gaps” in its understanding of the quality of road surfaces, the document stated.
The Department for Transport (DfT) told the NAO it decided to limit the data it collects to minimise administrative burdens.
The report stated that the lack of information received by the department means it “does not know” the impact of its funding for local roads maintenance, which totalled £1.1 billion in the 2022/23 financial year.
The cost of bringing pothole-plagued local roads in England and Wales up to scratch has been estimated at £16.3 billion.
RAC head of policy Simon Williams said: “It’s bad enough that historically the Government doesn’t really know just how bad our roads are.
“But it’s absolutely staggering that it doesn’t know whether the money it gives to councils has been used effectively.
“This has to change and we very much hope the new Government acts fast to fix it.”
Collective wait of 753 years for people phoning DWP in 2023/24, watchdog says
17:00
Salma Ouaguira
People phoning the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) collectively spent more than 753 years waiting for their calls to be answered in 2023/24, according to a spending watchdog.
This was made up of around 652 years waiting on DWP’s in-house lines and 102 years on its outsourced lines, the National Audit Office (NAO) said. The figures have been rounded.
DWP aims to answer 85% of calls to its in-house lines but overall 76% of calls were answered in 2023/24.
Some 17.3 million calls were answered and 5.3 million calls were abandoned after customers had joined a queue.
In 2023/24, the average time DWP took to answer calls to its in-house lines was 15 minutes and 23 seconds.
DWP expects 90% of calls to outsourced providers to be answered. In 2023-24, they answered 94% of calls – 19.4 million calls were answered with 1.2 million calls abandoned.
The DWP makes benefit and pension payments to over 20 million people to support them through life events such as being out of work, being retired or living with disabilities.
In 2023/24, it spent £268.5 billion on these payments plus £7.3 billion on running costs.
Disadvantaged children further behind in school than a decade ago despite £9bn spent, watchdog finds
16:45
Holly Evans
The attainment gap between disadvantaged children and their peers is wider than it was a decade ago, despite around £9 billion being spent on the problem over the last year, a damning report has found.
The Department for Education (DfE) does not have a strategy to tackle the problem or “monitoring to understand how much it spends”, according to the public spending watchdog the National Audit Office. ]
The attainment gap measures the educational outcomes of those eligible for free school meals and compares them with pupils who have never received free school meals.
Read the full article here:
The two rebellions Labour could face in Parliament today
16:40
Salma Ouaguira
Sir Keir Starmer faces two potential Labour rebellions today as MPscontinue to debate the bills unveiled in the King’s Speech last week.
There are 11 amendments to the speech tabled by different groups of MPs. Speaker Lindsay Hoyle will decide at the end of the session which will be voted on by MPs.
The two most likely to be worrying Sir Keir will be the one’s tabled by his own MPs.
Several Labour members have put forward an amendment on the two-child benefit cap, which has been backed by 21 more MPs, as well as an amendment to stop arms sales to Israel, which has been backed another 26.
Data watchdog reprimands school over facial recognition for canteen payments
16:20
Salma Ouaguira
A school has been reprimanded by the data protection regulator after using facial recognition technology (FRT) to take cashless canteen payments from pupils.
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) said Chelmer Valley High School, in Chelmsford, Essex, broke the law when it “failed” to complete a data protection impact assessment (DPIA) before starting to use the technology.
Richard Tice has bemoans ‘bureaucrats’ threatening North Sea fishing sector
16:13
Salma Ouaguira
Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice has bemoaned “bureaucrats” who he claims threaten the North Sea fishing sector.
In his maiden speech, the Boston and Skegness MP told the Commons: “Despite the slogan of Skegness ‘the jolly fisherman’, my constituents actually are not feeling very jolly at the moment because seven out of 10 of my constituents voted to leave the European Union.
“They trusted the previous government. They took them at their word but they feel a sense of political betrayal in a number of areas.
“The first people who are not very jolly are indeed the fishermen themselves who feel that various bureaucrats – Environment Agency, Natural England, IFCA (the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities) – are acting in a way as to try and suppress, destroy this great industry of ours for a very seafaring nation, food producing, generating great revenues.”
Mr Tice also said: “Thousands of homes have been flooded and with a failure to properly maintain sea level defences, tens of thousands of homes are at risk, again because of bureaucracy and inertia.
“Another reason that my constituents are actually really quite grumpy is because of the implications of the stupid net zero policies which will result in hundreds of massive ugly pylons blighting the environment and countryside in my constituency as well as solar farms planned on incredibly productive agricultural farmland – absolute idiocy.”
Mr Tice earlier said Skegness was home to “the best value, the most delicious and the greatest portion of ice cream, which I’m very partial to”.
Softening of attitudes to fraud putting pressure on welfare system, report warns
16:00
Salma Ouaguira
Society’s attitude to fraud is “softening” with the effects being felt in the billion-pound benefits system, the Department for Work and Pensions has said.
The £266.1 billion welfare budget “is a deliberate target for both organised crime groups and opportunistic individuals”, the department’s annual report warned.
In the year to March, fraud accounted for overpayments of £7.4 billion, the report said.
It estimated that fraud levels could grow at around 5% each year without action to reduce them.
A “rising trend” in fraudulent behaviour towards organisations generally and a “softening of attitudes” around fraud in wider society is “likely to be mirrored in the benefit system”, the DWP said, noting the greater scale of the challenges it faces in trying to prevent and detect fraud as a result.
Research noted included a British Social Attitudes Survey showing the proportion of people who felt it was either “not wrong” or only “a bit wrong” for someone claiming unemployed benefits not to report a cash income from a casual job had risen from 16% to 27%, between 2016 and 2022.
A separate study from the University of Portsmouth suggested the proportion of people who thought falsely claiming benefits was never justified had fallen from 85% in 2011 to 67% in 2023.
Rollout of payment schemes causing ‘widespread uncertainty’ for farmers – report
15:53
Salma Ouaguira
The rollout of new payment schemes for farmers is causing “widespread uncertainty and risks” for the sector, the National Audit Office has warned.
The Farming and Countryside Programme aims to transition the UK’s agriculture sector post-Brexit to ensure profitable farms, food security and environmental health by 2028.
Under the scheme, the Environment Department (Defra) is phasing out EU direct payments to farmers, which were based on land area, and replacing them with agri-environment schemes, based on delivering environmental outcomes alongside food production, such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI).
The changes have come at a time when extreme weather, market conditions and sudden rises in input costs are putting farms under immense pressure.
Defra has been taking an iterative approach, making changes and improvements to the new subsidy schemes over time.
But the National Audit Office (NOA) released a 56-page report on Tuesday warning that chopping and changing has made it difficult for farmers to plan their businesses to remain viable, produce food and achieve the programme’s environmental goals.
The spending watchdog said the take-up of the new schemes is rapidly increasing with 40,700 farmers signing up as of April 2024.
Listen: Suella Braverman told to hang her head over Rwanda in shame by angry LBC listener
15:43
Salma Ouaguira
Tory MP: Crime is ‘not an illness to be treated'
15:36
Salma Ouaguira
Conservative former minister Sir John Hayes has argued that crime is “not an illness to be treated, it’s a malevolent choice made by those who are careless of the harm they do”.
Referring to the early release from prison scheme, Sir John said he was “shocked” that the Government intends to “let more of those dangerous people on to our streets” after they’ve served 40% of their sentence.
The South Holland and The Deepings MP argued that “punishment is not a dirty word”, adding: “I hope the new Government will recognise that in order to crack down on crime we really need do have to restore public faith, as I said, that justice will be done.”
He said the Government can’t rely on “wishful thinking”, adding: “The guilty must be punished and the innocent must be protected”
During Sir John’s contribution in the Commons, Labour MP Sarah Champion (Rotherham) intervened and said: “So does that mean you believe people are born wicked? Because I believe if there’s good education at a very early age, and early intervention, crimes can be prevented.”
Farage calls for a referendum to leave ECHR
15:34
Salma Ouaguira
Nigel Farage claimed the European Court of Human Rights has “now completely outlived its usefulness” and called for a referendum to leave the body.
During his maiden speech in the Commons, the Reform leader said: “We will only stop this if we start deporting people that come illegally. Then they won’t pay the smugglers. But we will only do that by leaving the ECHR.
“But I have got a fun suggestion that I think would liven up politics, engage the public and see a massively increased turnout. Why don’t we have a referendum on whether we continue to be members of the ECHR?”
Farage claims ‘migrant a minute’ arrives to the UK
15:28
Salma Ouaguira
Nigel Farage has claimed a “migrant a minute” arrives to the UK and the “sheer level of population means we have to build a new house every two minutes”.
The Reform leader said that even if Labour accomplished its pledge to build 1.5 million new homes it would make “no dent at all” on the housing crisis.
He added: “The population crisis is the biggest impact affecting people’s lives, damaging their quality of life and virtually nobody in this place even wants to talk about it.”
Home Office figures show more than 1,000 people have arrived in the UK after crossing the Channel since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister.
The total number of crossings for 2024 to date is 12% higher than the number recorded this time last year (13,200) and up 1% on the same period in 2022 (14,554), according to Government data.
Nigel Farage: I have joined a ‘Remainers Parliament’
15:21
Salma Ouaguira
Nigel Farage has suggested many MPs favour the UK re-joining the European Union, as he claimed Brexiteers are outnumbered in the new Parliament.
The Reform UK leader noted Westminster is “very different” to the European Parliament, where he spent nearly 21 years as an MEP.
Making his maiden speech, the Clacton MP told the House of Commons: “It’s smaller, there is not a chauffeur-driven Mercedes available for each member, no large lump sums of money which you don’t have to spend on anything and show no receipts for and I wonder whether perhaps that’s why so many in the British political system seem to adore the European Union so much, because it is a rather wonderful place to work.
“What I perhaps didn’t expect was to come here and to find I’m more outnumbered with my Reform team, more outnumbered here than we were in the European Parliament.
“Because there are more supporters of Brexit in the European Parliament than I sense there are in this Parliament of 2024.
“This is very much a remainers Parliament, I suspect in many cases it’s really a re-joiners Parliament.”
Tory MP claims Labour will ‘regret' scrapping Rwanda scheme
15:15
Salma Ouaguira
MPs will “regret” scrapping the Rwanda
