Kemi Badenoch has said Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership will be “defined” by the arrest of Lord Peter Mandelson.
The ex-peer was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Monday and later released on bail, following claims he had leaked sensitive government information to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking at PMQs on Wednesday, the Conservative Party leader said: “The defining moment of this man’s premiership will not be breakfast clubs.
“It will be the sight of the man he appointed as ambassador to Washington just last year getting arrested.”
Sir Keir has faced considerable criticism over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson to the position despite his links to Epstein, with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar calling for him to resign.
The PM is also being grilled ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election tomorrow, as the latest polls show a nail-bitingly close three-way fight between Labour, Reform UK and the Green party.
Green narrowly takes the lead with 30 per cent of voters, with Reform UK and Labour neck and neck with 28 per cent.
Read MoreWho is most likely to win the Gorton and Denton by-election?
MP suggests Epstein may have influenced Andrew’s appointment as trade envoy
Key Points
- Mandelson scandal will be ‘defining moment’ of Starmer’s tenure, Badenoch says
- Analysis: Starmer finally has a good PMQs just when he needed it
- PM pauses Chagos Islands deal after Trump criticism
- Speaker Lindsay Hoyle tells MPs he tipped off police about Mandelson flight risk
- Gorton and Denton by-election poll has Reform, Labour and Greens neck and neck
- Mandelson arrest sparked by ‘baseless’ claim he planned to flee to BVI, lawyers say
Watch: Badenoch says Mandelson scandal will be ‘defining moment’ of Starmer’s tenure as PM
16:20 , Maryam Zakir-HussainStarmer takes aim at Farage at PMQs
16:01 , Maryam Zakir-HussainSir Keir Starmer used Prime Minister's Questions to take aim at Reform UK and the Green Party on the eve of a critical by-election expected to be a major test of his leadership.
Sir Keir attacked Mr Farage over a Facebook post shared by Simon Evans, Reform's deputy leader of Lancashire Council, which featured a picture of Bolsover MP Natalie Fleet.
The post also included a comment, which the Guardian reports said: "You dozy cow, you should be shot."
Mr Evans later deleted the post and issued an apology on Facebook that he did "did not notice the accompanying text" and had made "a genuine mistake".
In the Commons, the Prime Minister said: "When death threats were made against (Mr Farage), I stood at this despatch box and condemned them outright.
"If he has any decency or backbone, he will stand up, apologise, condemn the comments and sack the individual in his party."
Mr Farage offered no apologies at PMQs, instead asking a question about Labour's Chagos Islands plans, and accusing Sir Keir of having no concern over the human rights of indigenous Chagossians.
The Prime Minister accused Mr Farage of having "neither the decency nor the backbone" to condemn the post.
Student loans changes unlikely to be in spring statement- Rachel Reeves
15:45 , Maryam Zakir-HussainChanges aimed at making the student loans system fairer are unlikely to come at the spring statement, Rachel Reeves has suggested.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday told the Commons he will look at ways to make the loans system fairer.
The Chancellor was asked by broadcasters during a visit later the same day whether these changes could be made at the spring statement on Tuesday March 3.
Ms Reeves replied: "The spring forecast is just a forecast. We've committed to just one fiscal event, one budget, a year.
"What we will have next week at the spring forecast is an update in the forecasts for inflation, for interest rates, for Government borrowing, but I was really clear that I wanted to end the instability of budget after budget, mini-budget, fiscal events, that we had under the previous government, where we had five prime ministers and seven chancellors, and instead return the stability that is needed to our economy, so that businesses have the confidence to invest and families have the confidence to spend."
Ms Reeves had earlier said the Government had "inherited a totally broken system when it came to student finance and student loans", and pointed to the reintroduction of maintenance grants for poorer students and efforts to tackle wider inflation as measures which would help students.
Close to 100 charities condemn ‘devastating’ impact of year of UK aid cuts
15:25 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA year after Sir Keir Starmer announced that Britain’s aid budget would be slashed by up to 40 per cent, the leaders of dozens of charities have warned the "devastating" consequences of the cuts are being felt in some of the world’s most fragile corners.
Last February, the prime minister confirmed that the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) would fall from 0.5 per cent of gross national income to 0.3 per cent by the end of 2027 – in a move justified as helping fund higher defence spending in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
But in a joint statement marking the anniversary, 93 leaders from the UK’s international NGO sector described families in war-torn regions losing access to shelter, food and clean water and lifesaving health and reproductive programmes across Africa and Asia facing closure.
Read more here:
Close to 100 charities condemn ‘devastating’ impact of a year of UK aid cuts
Breaking: Starmer pauses Chagos Islands deal after Trump criticism
14:59 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe passage of Sir Keir Starmer’s Chagos Islands deal through parliament has been “paused”, after Donald Trump urged the prime minister to scrap it.
Foreign Office Minister Hamish Falconer told MPs on Wednesday that while the US had initially expressed its support for the deal, the US president’s intervention earlier this month was “very significant.”
He told MPs: “We have a process going through parliament in relation to the treaty.
"We will bring that back to parliament at the appropriate time. We are pausing for discussions with our American counterparts."
Read more here:
Starmer pauses Chagos Islands deal after Trump criticism
Reform’s Danny Kruger claims party would ‘reset Britain’s sexual culture’ as he laments divorce rates
14:48 , Maryam Zakir-HussainReform MP Danny Kruger has announced that the party wants to “reset” Britain’s sexual culture as he attacked the levels of divorce in the UK.
Mr Kruger, who made a name opposing the assisted dying bill and is preparing the party for government, should it win the next general election, claimed that the UK is “suffering from having a totally unregulated sexual economy”.
The former Tory MP, who defected last year, claimed that changes to divorce laws brought in by the Conservatives, such as no-fault divorces, “basically means that your vows don’t matter”, and suggested he would support reversing the change.
Political editor David Maddox reports:
Reform MP claims Britain suffering from ‘unregulated sexual economy’
Number of workers on zero-hour contracts reaches record high ahead of Labour crackdown
14:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA record 1.23 million workers are now on zero-hours contracts, new analysis has revealed, coming ahead of Labour’s plan to bolster the rights of these employees.
The figure has risen by 91,000 over the past year, research by the Work Foundation at Lancaster University found, driven mostly by young workers aged 16 to 24.
Also known as casual contracts, a zero-hours contract is an arrangement in which the employer does not need to guarantee a worker a minimum number of hours. These workers do not have to accept shifts and can take on other employment. They are most commonly used in the hospitality sector.
Read more here:
Number of workers on zero-hour contracts reaches record high before Labour crackdown
No. 10 says a cut to interest rates for student loans may be considered
14:16 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA cut to interest rates and the repayment threshold on student loans may be considered as ministers seek to make the system "fairer," Downing Street indicated.
Asked whether the two elements could be looked at, the prime minister's official spokesman stressed ministers are keeping "under review the ways in which we can make life better for graduates".
The official said "work continues" on the matter but declined to give any more details or a timeframe, saying "we'll update when we have one".
When asked whether it could be brought up by the chancellor next week, the spokesman said: "I won't get ahead of the spring statement."
Watch: Badenoch claims Labour MPs say they are being called the ‘paedo defenders party’
14:00 , Maryam Zakir-HussainReaders on how the Gorton and Denton by-election is a test of the national mood – and what the results will signal
13:45 , Maryam Zakir-HussainIndependent readers responded strongly to the views of residents in Gorton and Denton, a forgotten corner of Manchester where a crucial by-election could signal the state of wider British politics.
With Labour defending a 13,000 majority won in 2024, many commenters noted that the seat is “Labour’s to lose” – and that defeat would represent a sharp fall from grace for a government only 18 months into office.
Much of the frustration was directed at Sir Keir Starmer. Readers repeatedly cited “broken promises” and questioned Labour’s delivery in government. The prime minister’s decision to block Andy Burnham from standing was widely criticised, with some arguing it could prove a serious misstep if Labour lose.
Here’s what you had to say:
Readers on what the Gorton and Denton by-election results will signal
Watch: Starmer voices 'deep concern' after ‘serious incident’ at Manchester mosque
13:30 , Maryam Zakir-HussainSpeaker Lindsay Hoyle tells MPs he tipped off police about Mandelson flight risk
13:27 , Joe MiddletonCommons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle tipped off the Metropolitan Police about Lord Peter Mandelson allegedly planning to flee Britain for the British Virgin Islands, prompting his arrest.
The former ambassador to Washington was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office and later released on bail after officers were warned he could leave the UK.
Lawyers for the former Labour cabinet minister on Tuesday hit back at the motivations behind his arrest and claimed it had come despite an earlier agreement to speak to police voluntarily.
The Independent’s Millie Cooke reports:
Hoyle tells MPs he tipped off police about Mandelson flight risk
Starmer urges voters not to back Greens in Gorton and Denton
13:24 , Joe MiddletonThe Independent’s political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Sir Keir Starmer has urged voters not to back the Greens in the upcoming Gorton and Denton by-election, insisting a vote for Zack Polanski would hand victory to Reform.
The prime minister’s political spokesperson said: “This by-election is a straight fight between Labour and Reform. It is a fight between the only party that can bring communities together and one that wants to tear them apart.”
He claimed that a “vote for the greens would Let Tommy Robinson’s candidate through the back door”, referencing the far right activist’s backing for Matt Goodwin.
There is more at stake with the Gorton and Denton by-election than Starmer’s future – and Labour’s actions prove it
13:15 , Maryam Zakir-HussainLabour has thrown unprecedented resources at the Gorton and Denton by-election in a contest which will decide whether Keir Starmer ultimately survives as leader and could reshape British politics, writes political editor David Maddox:
The decision by Sir Keir Starmer to make an appearance in a by-election early this week, just days before the voters of Gorton and Denton go to the polls, underlines just how desperate the situation is for Labour.
It is almost unprecedented for a serving prime minister to visit a by-election constituency before the votes have been counted. So unusual is it that nobody could actually remember when, or even if it last happened.
Read more here:
There is more at stake with the Gorton and Denton by-election than Starmer’s future
Analysis: Starmer finally has a good PMQs just when he needed it
13:02 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPolitical editor David Maddox writes:
Keir Starmer’s performances in PMQs over the last few months have generally ranged from uninspiring to woeful.
But just when he really needed one the prime minister dug deep and had his best of the weekly exchanges in parliament for a long time.
The main thing for him today was to get his lines over about the crucial by-election in Gorton and Denton tomorrow where Labour is facing a twin threat from the Greens and Reform UK.
He was aided by Kemi Badenoch’s worst PMQs performance in months as the Tory leader rather bizarrely chose to talk about student finance.
She, though, did not want to talk about a by-election where the Tories are likely to lose their deposit.
He then had not one but two free hits on Nigel Farage courtesy of some appalling behaviour by one of Reform’s councillors in Lancashire to deliver clips for the last by-election push.
The Reform UK leader was left uncharacteristically flat footed.
A question placed by the whips with a compliant Labour backbencher gave him another free hit on the Greens and their policy to legalise drugs.
It could not have gone better for Sir Keir, the issue is though was it enough to save his party in a three way fight in Gorton and Denton tomorrow.
Watch: Badenoch claims Labour MPs say they are being called the ‘paedo defenders party’
12:53 , Maryam Zakir-HussainStarmer hits out at Reform’s Gorton and Denton candidate ahead of tomorrow’s by-election
12:39 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPolitics reporter Athena Stavrou writes:
Sir Keir Starmer has made a final plea to the voters of Gorton and Denton, who will tomorrow head to the polls in a crunch by-election.
The prime minister called on Reform UK candidate Matt Goodwin’s record as he responded to a question from Nigel Farage during PMQs.
The right-wing activist sparked criticism last year when he was accused of suggesting people from minority ethnic backgrounds are not necessarily British, even if they were born in the UK.
The prime minister told the Commons: “Look at their candidate in Gorton and Denton, a man who says anyone who isn’t white cannot be English.
“No wonder he’s been endorsed by Tommy Robinson. It doesn’t represent our country and anybody who wants to stand against that hatred and division should vote Labour tomorrow in Gorton and Denton.”
Analysis: PM ticking off his Gorton and Denton lines with big vote tomorrow
12:36 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPolitical editor David Maddox writes:
Keir Starmer knows that these PMQs are his last big chance to intervene in the crucial Gorton and Denton by-election tomorrow.
He has used the question from Nigel Farage to highlight the toxic behaviour of one of Reform’s leading councillors in Lancashire for liking a death threat against a Labour MP.
The question from Farage about Chagos went unanswered but Sir Keir simply got out his lines on why voters in the Greater Manchester seat should vote Labour and not for “divisiive and toxic” Reform.
Immediately after we get a set up question with a Labour backbencher on the Green’s controversial drug policy.
This was aimed at giving Sir Keir a chance to have a go at the Greens as they threaten to push Labour into third in the by-election.
This is all about the clicks. Labour’s social media team will be hard at work getting those quotes from the PM out online.
'Stop fanning the flames of hatred against the Muslim community'- Imran Hussain MP
12:35 , Maryam Zakir-HussainImran Hussain MP called on the prime minister and MPs of the house to join the fight against Islamophobia, after a man armed with weapons entering Manchester Central Mosque on Tuesday evening.
He said: “Violent and Islamophobic attacks are becoming far too frequent in our country.
“This morning we could have woken up to a horrific terrorist attack killing innocent Muslim worshippers just for being Muslim.
“Every single politician and every single journalist has a responsibility to stop fanning the flames the hatred against the Muslim community.”
The PM said he “shares the deep concern of the community especially during the holy month of Ramadan”.
Watch: Badenoch Claims Labour MPs Say They Are Being Called The ‘Paedo Defenders Party’
12:27 , Maryam Zakir-HussainMandelson scandal will be ‘defining moment’ of Starmer’s tenure, Badenoch says
12:22 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPolitics reporter Athena Stavrou writes:
Kemi Badenoch has said Sir Keir Starmer’s premiership will be “defined” by the arrest of his former minister, Lord Peter Mandelson.
The ex-peer was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office on Monday and later released on bail, following claims he had leaked sensitive government information to the paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Speaking at PMQs on Wednesday, the Conservative Party leader said: “The defining moment of this man’s premiership will not be breakfast clubs.
“It will be the sight of the man he appointed as ambassador to Washington just last year getting arrested.”
PM vowed to 'look at ways' to make student loans systems 'fairer'
12:19 , Maryam Zakir-HussainSir Keir Starmer has vowed to "look at ways" to make the student loans system "fairer".
Opening the weekly Prime Minister's Questions exchange, Conservative Leader Kemi Badenoch told the Commons: "Before the Prime Minister and I became MPs, parties of every colour increased the cost of going to university.
"The system is now at breaking point for graduates. I believe that student loans have become a debt trap.
"It is time for all of us to do something about it. Will he cut interest rates on student loans?"
Prime Minister Sir Keir replied: "I have to say I was glad to learn that the leader of the Opposition has finally admitted that they scammed the country on this, and that applies to everything they did in Government.
"We inherited their broken student loans system. We've already introduced maintenance grants to improve the situation, which they scrapped, and we will look at ways to make it fairer, and we will do other things within the economy to help students."
Referring to Ofgem's announcement that the energy price cap will fall from April 1, Sir Keir said energy bills were "coming down by £117 for millions of families and young people struggling".
He said the change was "driven by the action that this Labour Government has taken" and continued: "We promised to cut the cost of living - we are cutting the cost of living."
PMQs analysis: Why Kemi Badenoch’s ‘paedo defenders’ attack on Labour is important
12:17 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPolitical editor David Maddox reports:
Fascinating that Lindsay Hoyle, the Commons Speaker, effectively backed Kemi Badenoch over her suggestion Labour is “the paedos’ defender party.”
Labour MPs were outraged by the Tory leader’s comment in PMQs but Sir Lindsay intervened to shut them up instead of asking her to withdraw.
Ms Badenoch knows that this will be the clip which is most plated from her otherwise unspectacular performance today.
The move by Ms Badenoch is playing into a social media trope about Labour around one of their MPs who was arrested for child sex allegations and of course the appointment of Peter Mandelson as ambassador to the US despite his associations with convicted paedophile Jeffrey Epstein.
The Tories and rightwing would also add the length of time that Labour has taken to set up an inquiry into the grooming gang scandal.
Badenoch claims Labour MPs say they are being called the ‘peado defenders party’
12:15 , Maryam Zakir-HussainPolitics reporter Athena Stavrou reports:
Kemi Badenoch has hit out at Sir Keir Starmer, claiming Labour backbenchers have said the party is being called the “pedo defender’s party”.
Responding to a jibe from the prime minister about Tory defectors, the leader of the opposition said “his party has gotten smaller too”.
Referring to the arrest of a Labour MP for child sex offences, she said: “Before he gets on his high horse he should ask why his backbenchers are saying they are being called ‘the pedo defender’s party’”.
Tory leader accuses PM of 'saddling graduates with debt'
12:13 , Maryam Zakir-HussainKemi Badenoch said the prime minister is “saddling” graduates with debt.
The Tory leader said: “He says he’s fixing the student loans system. How? He wasn’t even talking about this until I raised it.
“He says he’s fixing the problem. Why is it that I’m wiling to ditch old Conservative policies that don’t work, and he’s willing to keep them?
“It is not fair, it is not just. It is not fair he is saddling graduates with debt.”
Badenoch kicks off with grilling Starmer on student loans
12:10 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAthena Stavrou reports:
The leader of the opposition began today’s PMQs by grilling Sir Keir Starmer on increasing pressure to reform the student loan system.
Describing the system as a “death trap” for graduates, Kemi Badenoch asked the prime minister if he would cut interest rates on student loans.
Sir Keir said the Conservatives “scammed the country” with their changes to the loan system, and insisted: “We inherited their broken student loans system….We will look at ways to make it fairer and we will do other things within he economy to help students.”
Starmer talks on inflation and energy prices falling
12:09 , Maryam Zakir-HussainContinuing the discourse on cost of living and student loans, Sir Keir Starmer said: “Not only have energy prices come down this morning, but inflation has fallen as well. It has fallen to 3 per cent and the Bank of England say its going to keep on falling.
“They talk about the cost of living. This party is taking action.”
PM says Tories 'scammed' country with student loans
12:07 , Maryam Zakir-HussainTory leader Kemi Badenoch questioned the PM on whether he would cut interest rates student loans, to which he responded that the Conservatives “scammed” the country.
Sir Keir Starmer added: “We inherited their broken student loads system.
“We will look at ways to make it fairer.”
'Ceasefire in Gaza remains fragile'- PM
12:06 , Maryam Zakir-HussainQuestioned on the war in Gaza, Sir Keir Starmer said: “The ceasefire in Gaza remains fragile. Protecting Israeli and Palestinian citizens remains crucial.”
Starmer facing grilling in the Commons
12:03 , Maryam Zakir-HussainAthena Stavrou reports:
Sir Keir Starmer has stood up in the Commons to face his first PMQs since the arrest of his disgraced former Labour minister, Peter Mandelson.
Leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch is set to grill the prime minister on his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson to the position despite his links to Epstein.
The prime minister began the session by saying marking the fourth anniversary of the war in Ukraine and congratulating Team GB’s on this year’s Winter Olympics.
Watch PMQs live here
11:57 , Maryam Zakir-HussainBreaking: Speaker Lindsay Hoyle tipped off police after Mandelson claims he was arrested for being ‘flight risk’
11:51 , Maryam Zakir-HussainCommons Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle has confirmed he passed information “in good faith” to the Metropolitan Police following reports someone had informed the force that Lord Peter Mandelson could be a flight risk, leading to his arrest.
The Times reported that the speaker - who visited the British Virgin Islands last week - was told by a local source that the former US ambassador had been planning to flee to the British overseas territory.
Responding to the reports in the Commons, Sir Lindsay said: “To prevent any inaccurate speculation, I’d like to confirm that upon receipt of informaiton that I felt it was relevant, I passed this on to the Metropolitan Police in good faith as is my duty and repsonsibility.”
Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports on this breaking news story:
Hoyle tells MPs he ‘tipped off police about Mandelson flight risk’
Labour MPs pile pressure on Starmer to sort out ’dog’s dinner’ student loan system
11:45 , Maryam Zakir-HussainLabour MPs have hit out at Britain’s “regressive” student loan system as pressure mounts on Sir Keir Starmer to reform the system, which has left scores of graduates with sky-high debts.
The Plan B student loan system has been hotly debated in recent months, amid an outcry from young people accruing spiralling debt from financial agreements they deem to be “unfair”.
The chancellor has been characterised as a “loan shark” by campaigners, after she announced a freeze on the repayment threshold for three years, leading to some people having to pay a lot more back than they originally took out on the high-interest loans.
Read more here:
Labour MPs pile pressure on Starmer to sort out ’dog’s dinner’ student loan system
Starmer to face first PMQs since Mandelson arrest
11:35 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe prime minister is set to face a brutal Prime Minister’s Questions - the first since the arrest of his disgraced former Labour minister, Peter Mandelson.
Sir Keir Starmer has faced considerable criticism over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson to the position despite his links to Epstein, with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar calling for him to resign.
The PM will also be grilled ahead of the Gorton and Denton by-election tomorrow, as the latest polls show a nail-bitingly close three-way fight between Labour, Reform UK and the Green party.
How this forgotten corner of Manchester could redefine the age-old battle between the left and right
11:18 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA by-election in Gorton and Denton on Thursday could see a new left and right emerge in British politics, as Dan Haygarth finds out:
Gorton and Denton is a constituency of two halves.
On the east, the Gorton side, there are diverse suburbs of the city of Manchester, which are home to large student and Muslim populations.
Denton meanwhile, located in the borough of Tameside, is a largely working-class post-industrial town and has a much older population, who are almost 91 per cent white. Once a hive of textile production and coal mining, it has – like many towns in the North West – borne the brunt of deindustrialisation.
These two very different areas make up the country’s 15th most deprived seat, where the challenges of living in modern Britain are laid bare. The neighbouring areas share a sense of disappointment, verging on anger.
This forgotten corner of Manchester could redefine the battle between left and right
‘I would pack Starmer’s suitcase for him’: Disdain for Labour unites Gorton and Denton ahead of crucial by-election
10:45 , Maryam Zakir-HussainThe fate of Keir Starmer’s premiership could be decided in Gorton and Denton on Thursday, where Labour faces a struggle to cling on to a 13,000 majority.
Dan Haygarth speaks to despondent constituents who are considering switching their allegiance to the Greens or Reform.
Read it here:
Disdain for Labour unites Gorton and Denton ahead of crucial by-election
Cabinet minister denounces ‘liar’ Mandelson after his arrest by police
10:38 , Maryam Zakir-HussainA Cabinet minister has denounced Peter Mandelson for lying to the prime minister in the wake of his arrest on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
Bridget Phillipson defended Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as US ambassador, saying the PM sacked him “as soon as it became clear the full extent of what had been going on”.
She also signalled the government still plans to release documents about Lord Mandelson’s appointment in early March, a move announced in the House of Commons on Monday just before the peer was arrested at his London home.
Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Cabinet minister denounces ‘liar’ Mandelson after his arrest by police
Watch: Reform UK suspend Gorton and Denton by-election campaigner after racist and sexist posts
10:12 , Maryam Zakir-HussainGorton and Denton by-election poll has Reform, Labour and Greens neck and neck
09:48 , Maryam Zakir-HussainWith just one day left until voters in Gorton and Denton march down to the ballet boxes, the latest polls show a nail-bitingly close three-way fight between Labour, Reform and Green parties.
The latest poll shows Green narrowly takes the lead with 30 per cent of voters, with Reform UK and Labour neck and neck with 28 per cent.
Labour won the constituency’s seat in 2024 with a majority of more than half the vote, but now faces a double threat, as the prime minister called the by-election a “battle of values”.
Gordon Brown warns Nigel Farage will drag UK back into ‘Tory poverty years’
09:25 , Maryam Zakir-HussainGordon Brown has warned that Reform will drag Britain back to poverty seen under previous Tory governments, ahead of a major by-election on Thursday.
The former prime minister issued a stark warning over Nigel Farage’s party, claiming they would “force children back into poverty" as a result of their plan to reinstate the two child benefit cap.
The two-child benefit cap, imposed by Tory former chancellor George Osborne, prevents parents from claiming benefits for any third or subsequent child born after April 2017.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Gordon Brown warns Nigel Farage will drag UK back into ‘Tory poverty years’
Trump vows to keep tariffs
09:09 , Maryam Zakir-HussainUS President Donald Trump has said he will continue imposing tariffs on other countries despite the Supreme Court ruling that overturned the import tax policy.
Mr Trump's latest trade tariffs came into effect on UK imports at 10% on Tuesday, lower than the 15% rate he threatened over the weekend, after he signed an executive order following the Supreme Court's decision on Friday.
Speaking at his State of the Union address before a joint session of Congress at the US Capitol in Washington DC, Mr Trump said: "Almost all countries and corporations want to keep the deal that they already made.
"Knowing that the legal power that I, as president, have to make a new deal could be far worse for them, therefore, they'll continue to work alongside the same successful path that we had negotiated before the court's unfortunate involvement.
"Countries that were ripping us off for decades are now paying us hundreds of millions of dollars. Yet these countries are now happy and so are we. We made deals. The deals are all done. And they're happy."
‘What good have Labour done us?’: Inside the Gorton and Denton by-election where anything could happen
08:52 , Maryam Zakir-HussainGreater Manchester’s Gorton has been a Labour stronghold since 1935 but tomorrow’s by-election could change everything. Colin Drury speaks to locals about who they’re voting for – and why they wish the prime minister had allowed Andy Burnham to stand.
Read it here:
Inside the Gorton and Denton by-election where anything could happen
AI won't put UK's climate targets at risk, says energy secretary
08:30 , Tara CobhamPolitical correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
Ed Miliband has denied that AI will put the UK's climate targets at risk but said decisions on AI must be made with a wider eye on "tackling the climate crisis".
Asked whether this would be the case, the energy secretary told Sky News: "No, but the decisions we make on AI data centres and so on, we are making on the basis of an overall approach to energy security and tackling the climate crisis, and it's very important it's within that framework".
Energy secretary claims fall in price cap is because of budget
08:11 , Tara CobhamPolitical correspondent Millie Cooke reports:
The energy secretary has claimed that the drop in the energy price cap has come as a result of "the actions we took in the budget", but admitted that the government knows it has "got further to go".
The price most households pay for energy will fall by 7 per cent from 1 April, driven by the government’s promised £150 cut to the average bill, Ofgem said.
The regulator’s price cap will drop from the current £1,758 to £1,641 – a reduction of around £10 a month for the average household using both electricity and gas.
Ed Miliband added: “The price cap in 2025 across the year was lower in real terms than 2024. We want to drive it down even lower, so it’s up to £300 lower.”
Starmer to face questions in Commons for first time since Mandelson arrest
08:08 , Tara CobhamSir Keir Starmer is set to face questions from MPs in the Commons for the first time since the arrest of Lord Peter Mandelson.
The former Labour minister was arrested on Monday on suspicion of misconduct in public office and later released on bail, following accusations he passed sensitive information onto paedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
The prime minister has come under mounting scrutiny over his decision to appoint Lord Mandelson as the UK’s ambassador to Washington
Lord Speaker denies claim he received information relating to Mandelson's movements
08:00 , Tara CobhamLord Speaker Lord Forsyth of Drumlean did not receive information relating to Lord Mandelson’s movements, his spokesperson has said.
It comes as Lord Mandelson’s lawyer claimed his arrest was prompted by “baseless” claims he was planning to leave the country.
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Lord Speaker said: “Any suggestion at all that the Lord Speaker received information about Lord Mandelson’s movements or communicated any such information to the Metropolitan Police Service, is entirely false and without foundation.”
Mandelson arrest sparked by ‘baseless’ claim he planned to flee to BVI, lawyers say
07:58 , Tara CobhamLord Peter Mandelson’s arrest for misconduct in public office was prompted by “baseless” claims he was planning to leave the country, his lawyers have said.
The former cabinet minister was arrested on Monday and later released on bail.
His law firm Mishcon de Reya said in a statement issued on Tuesday evening: “Peter Mandelson was arrested yesterday despite an agreement with the police that he would attend an interview next month on a voluntary basis.
“The arrest was prompted by a baseless suggestion that he was planning to leave the country and take up permanent residence abroad.
“There is absolutely no truth whatsoever in any such suggestion. We have asked the MPS for the evidence relied upon to justify the arrest. Peter Mandelson’s overriding priority is to cooperate with the police investigation, as he has done throughout this process, and to clear his name.”
In comments cited by other media, Lord Mandelson is said to have told friends he had agreed with police to come in for a voluntary interview but that he was then arrested because police suspected he might flee.
On the News Agents podcast, Emily Maitlis read out details from a message she said had been sent from Lord Mandelson to a fellow journalist.
In it, he said that “police arrested me because they claimed the Lord Speaker received information that I was about to flee to the British Virgin Islands,” and described this as “complete fiction”.
Lord Speaker Lord Forsyth of Drumlean said the accusation was “entirely false”.
A spokesperson for the Lord Speaker said: “Any suggestion at all that the Lord Speaker received information about Lord Mandelson’s movements or communicated any such information to the Metropolitan Police Service, is entirely false and without foundation.”