Sir Keir Starmer is facing Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister’s Questions this afternoon after deputy prime minister Angela Rayner’s admission she did not pay the correct stamp duty on her £800,000 Hove flat.
In the first PMQs since summer recess, the prime minister said he is “proud” to sit alongside Ms Rayner, saying he welcomed her referral to the ethics advisor and praising her pledge to build 1.5 million new homes.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chancellor Rachel Reeves confirmed a late Budget date of November 26 amid concerns over soaring borrowing costs. In the announcement she admitted the economy “isn’t working well enough”.
Reeves has opted for the latest date possible for an autumn Budget this year as she attempts to buy time before making decisions on tax. It comes nearly a month later than last year’s Budget on 30 October.
In a video on X, the Chancellor said: “Britain’s economy isn’t broken. But I know it’s not working well enough for working people.”
It is understood Ms Reeves will not budge from her previous position that the government should not break its manifesto commitment and raise income tax, VAT or national insurance for employees.
However, Treasury sources have warned: “The kite flying [on taxes] has to stop, it is not coming from us.”
UK Politics LIVE
- PMQs: Why is Angela Rayner still in office, Kemi Badenoch asks?
- Analysis: Date set for the Budget but Reeves set to stand firm against pressure
- Starmer considering digital ID for everyone in UK
- Labour could 'look at' free speech laws, says minister
- Angela Rayner admits underpaying stamp duty on Hove flat
PM responds to questions over Graham Linehan's arrest
12:35
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Facing questions about the recent arrest of Graham Linehan, the Prime Minister said “we must ensure the police focus on the most serious issues”.
“We have a long history of free speech in this country - I am very proud of that and will always defend it,” he added.
Starmer accuses Polanski of making 'very strange comments' about women
12:33
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Sir Keir Starmer has accused new Green Party leader Zack Polanski of making “very strange comments” about women as he defended his party’s place as the party of progress.
“There is only one party delivering fairly and tackling the climate crisis, and that is Labour,” he added.
His comments come after reports Polanski claimed he could help women increase the size of their breasts using his mind while working as a hypnotherapist.
Nigel Farage called out for missing PMQs – ‘You can’t get more unpatriotic than that’
12:32
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Joe Middleton
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke
Sir Keir Starmer has called out Nigel Farage for missing Prime Minister’s Questions, accusing the Reform leader of being unpatriotic.
Responding to a question about the Online Safety Act, which Mr Farage has publicly opposed, the prime minister said: “The honourable member for Clacton is not here representing his constituents in the house he was elected to.“No, he has flown to America to badmouth and talk down our country.”He claimed the Reform leader has gone to the US to “lobby the Americans to impose sanctions on this country which will harm working people”.
“You cannot get more unpatriotic than that. It’s a disgrace”, Sir Keir added.
Starmer faces questions over childcare costs
12:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Facing questions on the cost of childcare, Sir Keir Starmer said he was “very proud” to announce measures that could save families £7,500 a year on nursery fees.
He said the measures will make sure “every single child” aged four gets to reception with a “fair chance” of going as far as possible.
Starmer: Gaza situation 'horrifying'
12:23
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
Sir Keir Starmer was asked what steps are being taken to protect British citizens on the Sumud Flotilla, which is en route to Gaza to attempt to deliver aid.
Starmer acknowledged the “horrifying situation” in Gaza and said the Israeli government was preventing all aid from entering the war-torn strip.
“Land routes are the only viable and sustainable means to get aid into Gaza,” he added.
Starmer: 'We will not withdraw from the European Convention of Human Rights'
12:19
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
“We will not withdraw from the European Convention of Human Rights,” Starmer says in response to a question from Ed Davey.
He told MPs if the UK were to withdraw it would be a “profound mistake”, causing other countries that adhere to the ECHR would pull out of agreements with the UK.
Analysis: Kemi Badenoch dropped the ball again in PMQs
12:17
,
Joe Middleton
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox
Just as she had Keir Starmer on the ropes over Angela Rayner’s tax affairs and his own hypocrisy in backing her, the Tory leader suddenly changes tack with her questions and moves on to the economy.
There will have been sighs of relief among Labour MPs that she has just used one question on Rayner.With Tory scandals the former prosecutor Keir Starmer never, as leader of the opposition, relented and would use all his questions on things like lockdown breaking in Downing Street under Boris Johnson.
Not for the first time Ms Badenoch does not seem to understand how the news agenda works and that there is one story today - the future of the deputy prime minister.
Davey urges Starmer to use Trump state visit to highlight suffering in Gaza
12:14
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke
Ed Davey has intervened on Gaza, urging Sir Keir Starmer to use Donald Trump’s state visit to the UK in September to urge the US president to pile pressure on Netanyahu to stop his siege on the region.
Highlighting the situation in Gaza, Sir Ed asked: “Will the prime minister look President Trump in the eye and urge him to use his influence on Netanyahu and Qatar to make it stop?
”Responding, the prime minister said “of course” he will talk to all world leaders about the international situation, but added: “If he hadn’t refused the invite to the state banquet two weeks from today he could be there himself”.He warned the Liberal Democrat leader that it was “not an act of leadership” to pass up the invitation.
‘Taxes going up for everyone bar Rayner,’ Badenoch claims
12:11
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Joe Middleton
The Independent’s political correspondent Archie Mitchell
Kemi Badenoch has launched another jibe at Angela Rayner - despite largely steering clear of the tax row at PMQs.The Tory leader said taxes are going up for everyone, “except for the deputy prime minister”.
She added that the Conservatives are “not the ones referring themselves to ethics advisers”.
Sir Keir Starmer hit back, claiming that perhaps the Tories’ refusal to engage with ethics advisors in the past is “part of the reason they got kicked out of office”.
Badenoch: Reeves has 'maxed out country's credit card'
12:08
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Kemi Badenoch accused the Chancellor “maxing out the country’s credit card” after reports of soaring borrowing costs.
She said experts are warning Britain is heading for an economic crash and asked Starmer why he is not listening to them.
The PM says Ms Badenoch doesn’t welcome “the highest growth in the G7” and 380,000 jobs he says Labour has created, accusing her of “talking down the country”.
'I won't take lectures from Tories who crashed the economy', says Starmer
12:07
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Joe Middleton
The Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke
Pressed on soaring borrowing costs by Kemi Badenoch, the prime minister hit back at the Tories record on the economy.
Just hours after it was announced that the Budget will take place at the end of November, after mounting speculation over further tax hikes, the prime minister told the Commons: "I am not going to take lectures on the economy from the party opposite who crashed the economy.
"Mortgages went through the roof, and they oversaw a record fall in living standards", he added.
Rayner and Reeves both front and centre at PMQs
12:05
,
Joe Middleton
The Independent’s political editor David Maddox
Both the government’s top women are putting a brave face at PMQs despite the ongoing questions about their futures - with not a tear in sight.
Angela Rayner has just made an admission about her tax affairs which leaves a big question about whether she continues as communities secretary and deputy prime minister.
She is smiling knowing that she has Downing Street’s support for now but how long.
Rachel Reeves has named her Budget date but still seems to be short of answers on how she will plug the £40bn black hole in public finances.
Why is Angela Rayner still in office, Kemi Badenoch asks?
12:05
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
The Independent’s political correspondent Archie Mitchell
Kemi Badenoch has called for Angela Rayner to quit, asking at PMQS: “Why is the deputy prime minister still in office?”The Tory leader said: “I welcome the fact that the deputy prime minister has referred herself to the ethics advisor.“
She has admitted she underpaid tax. So why is she still in office?”Sir Keir Starmer jumped to Ms Rayner’s defence, telling Ms Badenoch he was proud to sit alongside a deputy prime minister “from a working class background”.
As well as her background, the PM also praised her pledge to build 1.5 million new homes her workers’ rights package going through parliament.Ms Badenoch doubled down, replying that “if he had a backbone… he would sack her”.
PM says government will give councils power over placement gambling outlets
12:03
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Sir Keir Starmer has said he will give councils stronger powers over the location and numbers of gambling outlets to ensure “vibrant” high streets.
PMQs begins
12:01
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Sir Keir Starmer is on his feet and is introducing today’s PMQs.
Watch live: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs
11:53
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Sir Keir Starmer will face Kemi Badenoch at PMQs in around seven minutes.
You can watch all the action below.
Analysis: Hard to see how Angela Rayner survives as Deputy Prime Minister
11:49
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
David Maddox has said it is hard to see how Angela Rayner survives as Deputy Prime Minister following her admission she did not pay the correct stamp duty on her Hove flat.
With her admission that she did not pay her tax properly Angela Rayner appears to have put herself on the fast-track to the exit door of government.
Ironically, Ms Rayner had been having a raging row behind the scenes that Keir Starmer had not fulfilled a promise to give her a proper Office of the Deputy Prime Minister with staffing and just handed her an empty title instead.
Now it seems highly unlikely that she will hold on to that DPM title even let alone her Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government.
The old adage was that sex scandals did for Tories and money ones ended Labour careers.
There is no sympathy within Labour for tax dodgers whether that is businessmen or others but they’d not want someone leading their government who has tried to avoid paying what is due for public services.
The last scandal involved former transport secretary Louise Haigh over issues about claiming to have lost phones at work when they had not been stolen as she claimed. Haigh survived a day before being forced to quit and is now rebuilding her career.
For Rayner the stakes were higher because many thought there was a strong chance she would replace Starmer as PM. Not now though.
Sir Keir has little patience for those who break the rules and it will be hard to see him sticking by his DPM.
BREAKING: Angela Rayner admits underpaying stamp duty on Hove flat
11:39
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
Deputy prime minister Angela Rayner said she did not pay enough stamp duty on her second home and has referred herself to the independent adviser on ministerial standards over the matter.
The Ashton-under-Lyne MP came under fire in recent days following reports she underpaid stamp duty on the purchase of her £800,000 seaside flat.
Ms Rayner said she relied on legal advice which turned out to be inaccurate relating to the purchase and that she has referred herself to Sir Keir Starmer’s ethics advisor.
Archie Mitchell has the full story.
What to expect at PMQs today
11:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
We’re less than an hour away from Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) this afternoon, and the news agenda has been dominated by the announcement of the Budget in November.
As usual, we will hear from Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey, as well as a number of MPs.
Issues of immigration policy are also highly likely to feature after home secretary Yvette Cooper announced plans to suspend all new applications under the refugee family reunion route as part of a series of measures to clear the asylum backlog.
You’ll be able to follow all the latest live on this blog.
WATCH: Wes Streeting Slams Liz Truss for lecturning government on economy
11:15
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
Wes Streeting has slammed former-PM Liz Truss for her criticism of the Labour government’s economy during the morning media rounds on Wednesday.
The health secretary said Ms Truss, who launched the widely-condemned “mini-budget” during her premiership, should “keep her head down”.
ICYMI: Under-16s in England to be barred from buying high caffeine energy drinks
11:00
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
In policy news this morning, the government has announced that under-16s will be barred from buying high caffeine energy drinks in a bid to protect children’s health.
The government has launched a 12-week consultation on the issue and plans to implement the change as soon as it can.
Health secretary Wes Streeting said eight out of 10 parents wanted to see the ban.
He told BBC Breakfast on Wednesday that teachers are also concerned as they “see the impact of these drinks on children’s concentration, their learning, their behaviour”.
Meanwhile, doctors “have warned about the long term impact of these high caffeine energy drinks, many of them full of sugar – just one can of this stuff is the equivalent of necking four cans of Coke,” he said.
Think tank boss brands Budget 'one of the toughest in living memory'
10:45
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
A leading think tank boss has labelled the upcoming Budget “one of the toughest second Budgets in living memory”.
Resolution Foundation Chief Executive Ruth Curtice said tax rises were likely “necessary” but urged the Chancellor to “ensure they make the system fairer”.
“With higher gilt yields currently adding over £3 billion to debt interest costs, and over £6 billion of policy U-turns announced since March, the Chancellor is already on track to miss her fiscal rules,” she said.
“With a growth downgrade also likely, significant fiscal tightening will be needed.
“The Chancellor should use this Budget to set out her tax strategy as well as raise revenue. While tax rises are likely to be necessary, this should aim to ensure they make the system fairer and more efficient, supporting higher growth and lower inequality.”
Cost of long-term borrowing dips after Budget announcement
10:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
The cost of UK long-term government borrowing dipped slightly after the Chancellor confirmed the date of the upcoming autumn Budget.
Rachel Reeves announced on Wednesday morning the Budget will take place on November 26.
In response, the yield on Government bonds, called gilts, reduced to 5.694% compared with 5.698% at the market close on Tuesday.
It comes after gilt yields had struck a 27-year-high earlier on Wednesday amid concerns over further tax increases and spending cuts at the Budget.
Analysis: A late Budget can be seen as a sign of concern
10:15
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
Political editor David Maddox has taken a look at the timing of this year’s Budget.
Treasury sources this morning have been playing down the fact that the Budget is late this year on 26 November.
They claim it is “perfectly normal” if taken in the context of previous dates.
But it is true that the Budget is much later than the 30 October last year. However, at that point in 2024 Labour MPs were crying out for a Budget which was more than four months into a new government.
In fact, Ms Reeves seems to have reverted to the late dates which were common in George Osborne’s time at the Treasury. He once held a Budget in December in 2014 and had one almost the same day as Ms Reeves in 2015.
At the time though he was still dealing with the effects of the financial crisis and needed to give himself space to navigate the finances through a very tricky period.
Jeremy Hunt also had a late Budget in 2023 on 22 November but generally recent years it has been end of October early November.
Like Osborne and Hunt, Ms Reeves is dealing with extremely difficult economic headwinds with interest rates going up adding to the cost of borrowing and growth still stagnant. She needs time to work out how much tax she needs to raise and which taxes to impose.
Sources say she will not make a decision until she hears the predictions of the Office of Budget Responsibility. But a late Budget gives her the flexibility she needs to deal with a more than concerning economic picture.
Reeves admits economy is not working
10:02
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
Rachel Reeves said the economy is “not working well enough” as she set out the November 26 date for her autumn Budget.
In a video on X, the Chancellor said: “Britain’s economy isn’t broken. But I know it’s not working well enough for working people.
“Bills are high. Getting ahead feels tougher. You put more in, get less out. That has to change.“We’ve got huge potential – world-leading brands, dynamic industries, brilliant universities, and a skilled workforce. We’re a global hub for trade.
“Fixing the foundations has been my mission this past year. We raised the minimum wage for three million people; cut NHS waiting lists; started tearing up planning rules to build 1.5 million new homes; promised billions more for the country’s infrastructure; secured trade deals with the US, India, and the EU; and changed Treasury rules so investment reaches every part of the country.
“But I’m not satisfied. There’s more to do. Cost of living pressures are still real.
“And we must bring inflation and borrowing costs down by keeping a tight grip on day-to-day spending through our non-negotiable fiscal rules. It’s only by doing this can we afford to do the things we want to do.
“If renewal is our mission and growth is our challenge. Investment and reform are our tools. The tools to building an economy that works for you – and rewards you. More pounds in your pocket. An NHS there when you need it. Opportunity for all.
“Those are my priorities. The priorities of the British people. And it is what I am determined to deliver.”
Reeves sets latest in year Budget date for over a decade
10:00
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
This autumn’s Budget, set for November 26, will come nearly a month later than last year’s Budget was held. It is set to be the latest Budget in the year since George Osborne’s autumn statement in 2014.
The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) will be given the required 10 weeks’ notice to provide an independent forecast, after which the full scale of the fiscal “black hole” will be confirmed to Ms Reeves.
But the late timing means households and businesses will have less time to plan around any new taxes before the start of the new fiscal year in April.
Analysis: Date set for the Budget but Reeves set to stand firm against pressure
09:45
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Our political editor David Maddox has this analysis following the confirmation of the budget date.
Rachel Reeves has announced that her second Budget will be on 26 November with speculation whirling around whether she will have to plug a £40bn black hole.
However, Treasury sources have warned: “The kite flying [on taxes] has to stop, it is not coming from us.”There has been talk of a new tax on banks, a mansion tax, a gambling levy and national insurance payments for landlords.
But it is understood that Ms Reeves will not budge from her position that the government should not break its manifesto commitment and raise income tax, VAT or national insurance for employees.
She is also expected to not revise her borrowing rules despite pressure from within her own party to borrow more.
We can also expect a series of announcements on productivity including investment in major projects ahead of the Budget as Ms Reeves tries to stimulate growth.Her top priority sounds like it is still economic growth despite Sir Keir removing that mission from Downing Street.
She will also be trying to keep down inflation and keeping a grip on the public finances.
Amid speculation Ms Reeves is being sidelined by the PM, a source insisted that the chancellor will take the decisions on the Budget not DS "this is a close political project, Keir and Rachel work very closely together."
BREAKING NEWS
09:38
,
Joe Middleton
The autumn Budget will take place on November 26, chancellor Rachel Reeves has announced.
Polanski apologises after claim he could 'help women increase breast size' as a hypnotherapist
09:30
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Green Party leader Zack Polanski has apologised after a report resurfaced that while working as a hypnotherapist he claimed he could help women increase the size of their breasts, using his mind.
In 2013 it was reported that he made the claims while working as a hypnotherapist in Harley Street, London.
Asked if voters could trust him in light of the claims, Mr Polanksi told BBC Breakfast: “Well, it’s never for a politician to say ‘trust me’.
“But what I would say is, I apologise, well, I apologised for that 12 years ago, and one of my favourite politicians, Tony Benn, often said, ‘I don’t care where you came from, I care where you’re going’.
“Ultimately trust is a transactional relationship where you build trust based on the actions.”
He added: “The Labour Government, when they could have been talking about the inequality act, or the homeless people on the streets, or the fact that we’ve just spent £15 billion in nuclear weapons – we could have that discussion – but no, the Labour Party yesterday put out a press release about a silly article way before I was a politician from over a decade ago that I’ve already apologised for.
“That sounds to me like this is a Labour Government worrying, and they should do.”
Cleverly: Linehan arrest 'real over-reaction'
09:15
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
Shadow housing secretary Sir James Cleverly has called the arrest of Father Ted creator Graham Linehan over anti-trans posts online an “overreach” and a “real over-reaction”.
Sir James told Times Radio: “From what I have seen, and I don’t have all the details, this does look like a real over-reaction to what was self-evidently a joke, and people can decide whether it was a funny joke or not a funny joke.
“I think he has himself said that it wasn’t a great joke, but to be arrested over something like that I think is an over-reach, and we’ve got to stop policing people because some people have taken offence.
“It was clearly, clearly not a serious incitement and I think there is an atmosphere that could just do with calming down a bit.”
It was put to him that policing similar incidents “grew under the Tory government”, and Sir James was asked if he was not “Conservative enough” in protecting “freedoms like non-crime hate incidents”, to which he responded: “Let’s be realistic about the about the scale of what’s going on here – this shouldn’t have happened. From what I can see, it should not have happened.”
Why is borrowing so high?
09:07
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
The government’s borrowing is currently at a 27-year high, putting pressure on Chancellor Rachel Reeves to balance the books. But why is borrowing so high?
The yield on UK government bonds – also known as gilts – jumped to the highest level since 1998, at 5.698%, meaning it costs more for the government to borrow from financial markets.
Gilt yields move counter to the value of the bonds, meaning their prices fall when yields rise.
The pound also fell as the bond sell-off intensified, with sterling down 1 per cent to 1.34 US dollars and 0.6 per cent lower at 1.15 euros.
The higher gilt yields increase the cost of servicing the Government’s debt, putting the heat on the Chancellor to slash spending.
Reeves expected to set crunch budget date for November
08:47
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Chancellor Rachel Reeves is expected to announce plans to release the annual budget on November 26, according to a report from Bloomberg UK this morning.
Reeves is set to reveal the November date during an announcement on Wednesday, the report says, adding The Treasury and No 10 declined to comment.
Streeting: Public 'anxious' over arrests for online posts
08:45
,
Nicole Wootton-Cane
Members of the public are “anxious” about “some of the cases” where people have been prosecuted for online posts, Wes Streeting has said.
Discussing the arrest of Graham Linehan over a series of social media posts, the Health Secretary told the BBC’s Today programme: “It’s complicated for legislators and it’s hard for the police sometimes, because they have to apply the law as it is written, not the law as sometimes it was intended.
“And honestly, this is why sometimes when we have debates in Parliament, it can be quite tricky when campaigners are saying: ‘Vote for this clause or that clause,’ because often people legislate with good intentions, but they also have to be mindful of unintended consequences.
“And I think we are all, let’s be honest, quite anxious about some of the cases we’ve seen in the media or proceed through the courts of what people have said online, where you think: ‘Was that really what Parliament intended when they passed these laws?'”
ICYMI: Epping council refused permission to appeal asylum hotel decision
08:33
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
The Bell Hotel in Epping has been refused permission to appeal against a ruling allowing asylum seekers to continue to be housed at a hotel in the area.
It comes as a boost for the Home Office, who last week won a challenge in the Court of Appeal to allow them to keep using the hotel to house migrants.
The hotel has been the site of numerous protests over the summer after a resident asylum seeker was charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl last month. He denies the charges.
Epping Forest District Council (EFDC) initially was granted an interim injunction to stop 138 asylum seekers being housed there.
But a judge ruled to overturn Epping Council’s temporary injunction barring asylum seekers from living there, saying it could lead to “further lawlessness”.
EFDC said “no reasons were given” following its unsuccessful application for permission to appeal the most recent judgment, with the council now open to ask the Supreme Court itself for the green light.
Polanski: 'Migration is good for this country'
08:16
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Nicole Wootton-Cane
Newly elected Green Party leader Zack Polanski has been speaking on BBC Breakfast this morning.
When quizzed about immigration, Mr Polanski said the country “needs migrants” and insisted “migration is good for the country.
He said: “When we talk about migration we need to have an honest conversation in this country, that this country needs migrants – we have 150,000 vacancies in the National Health Service (NHS), we have an ageing population.
“Now, of course, we should be training British workers, and must train British workers, both for our care industries, for construction industries and all sorts of other jobs, but also the truth – and only the Green Party is willing to tell this truth right now – is actually migration is good for this country, migrants are paying more into our tax system than they’re taking out in benefits or social security.”
Asked if he is calling for “no limit on migration”, the newly-elected leader said: “Well, I think even that question about numbers is dehumanising, we are talking about human beings here.
“And actually the only reason why you would make a limit is because you would say there are not enough council homes, and our NHS is… crumbling, and I agree with those things, but the answer there is not to blame the migrants.
“The answer there is to stop austerity, the answer there is to build the council homes, (and) to invest in the National Health Service.”
He added: “The Green Party is saying the problem is not the small boats, the problem is the private jets and the private yachts.”
Will this be Keir Starmer’s Budget?
08:08
,
Tom Watling
After Sir Keir Starmer’s mini reshuffle on Monday, The Independent’s chief political commentator, John Rentoul, asks if this signals Labour’s new budget.
Badenoch unlikely to win next election, says Truss
08:02
,
Tom Watling
Kemi Badenoch’s Conservatives are “unlikely to win the election”, Liz Truss has said as she declined to rule out a bid to return to frontline politics.
Britain’s shortest serving prime minister told a podcast that her party’s refusal to “acknowledge” its failure to take on a “leftist establishment” meant it was destined for defeat at the next general election.
Speaking to The Master Investor Podcast with Wilfred Frost, Ms Truss said she would “never rule anything out” when it came to returning to politics, but refused to answer either way when asked whether this would be with the Tories or Reform UK.
Ms Truss has had a fractious relationship with her successor-but-one, previously accusing Mrs Badenoch of “repeating spurious narratives” after she said the former prime minister carried “quite a lot of” responsibility for the Conservatives’ record in office.
Asked whether she thought Reform’s Nigel Farage was “more likely to deliver” than Mrs Badenoch, Ms Truss said: “I think the way the Conservative Party is going, they’re unlikely to win the election.”
She added: “They’re not prepared to acknowledge what happened over the past 14 years and the failings to really take on what I would describe as the leftist establishment. So I don’t think she’s going to be prime minister at this stage.”
Labour could 'look at' free speech laws, says minister
07:57
,
Tom Watling
MPs should “look at” legislation if the law is “not getting the balance right on free speech”, the Health Secretary has said following the arrest of Father Ted writer Graham Linehan over a series of social media posts.
Wes Streeting told Times Radio: “As a Government minister, I am not able to comment on live police investigations or operational policing decisions.
“So let me just take one step back and talk about the principle. I think the Prime Minister and the Home Secretary have been very clear that with the law and order challenges we’ve got in our country, we want to see people being kept safe by policing streets, not just policing tweets.”
He added: “It’s very easy for people to criticise the police. The police enforce the laws of the land that we as legislators provide.
“So if we’re not getting the balance right, then that’s something that we all have to look at and consider.”
Mr Streeting also rejected the suggestion that free speech was now “banned”, but added: “I do think it’s worth us having a debate” on the issue.
Labour must 'stop aping' Nigel Farage, says Green Party leader
07:54
,
Tom Watling
Labour must “stop aping” Nigel Farage and his Reform UK party if it wants to stop them and “the rise of the right”, newly-elected Green Party leader Zack Polanski has said.
Mr Polanski told BBC Breakfast: “Far too many people in this country in previous elections have been told to vote for the least worst option, and people have had enough.”
He added: “The challenge to the Labour Government is if you really want to stop Nigel Farage, if you want to stop Reform and the rise of a right, then stop aping them, stop copying them.
“When Nigel Farage goes out and does a press conference and demonises migrants and people who are clinging to boats fleeing for their lives, Keir Starmer can’t even criticise that – in fact, he implicitly gives it the nod.
“The real threat in this country is multi-millionaires and billionaires who are not paying their fair share in tax – I’m not talking about people who are just trying to earn a living – I’m talking about people who are earning more money while they sleep than any of us could dream of earning, which is why it’s totally unfair that we tax earned income more than we tax unearned wealth.”
Starmer considering digital ID
07:53
,
Tom Watling
After an emergency meeting of his cabinet on Tuesday, Sir Keir Starmer has refused to rule out making everyone in the UK sign up for a digital ID card to help tackle illegal immigration.
Read out story in full below.
Good morning
07:48
,
Tom Watling
Good morning.
Today we will be following the story in Westminster as the Labour government continues to address the fallout from its latest asylum plans, announced at the start of the week.
The British Red Cross has warned that Yvette Cooper’s latest crackdown could lead to a rise - not a decline - in the number of small boat’s attempting to cross the English Channel.
Read our piece in full below.
