Sir Keir Starmer has refused to criticise Joe Biden after the US president introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” in his latest major gaffe.
Speaking at a press conference in Washington ahead of his flight back to the UK, the British prime minister urged focus on the success of the 75th Nato summit, for which he said President Biden deserves “credit”.
The prime minister has insisted President Biden is not senile and has been on “good form” at the alliance’s conference, as concerns grow about the US President’s mental fitness.
It comes after Sir Keir raised hopes that there will be an extra bank holiday if England wins Euro 2024.
The prime minister said the country should “certainly mark the occasion” in the event of a victory in Sunday’s final between Gareth Southgate’s team and Spain.
However, he did refuse to commit to an extra day off, saying he did not want to “jinx anything” by pre-empting the result.
Key Points
- Starmer refuses to criticise Biden after US president introduces Zelensky as ‘Putin’
- Starmer raises hopes of bank holiday if England win Euros
- Biden not senile and ‘on good form’, Starmer says
- Pressure mounts on Starmer to scrap two-child benefit cap
- Reform on brink of major resignation as bitter civil row erupts
- Ex-veterans minister faces jail as request to withhold names denied
President Biden deserves ‘credit’ for Nato summit, Sir Keir says
00:02
Tara Cobham
President Joe Biden deserves “credit” for the Nato summit, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
Responding to questions about Mr Biden’s mental capacity, the Prime Minister told journalists: “I would urge everyone to look at the substance of what’s been achieved over these two days.
“We have a bigger Nato, more countries, we have a stronger Nato, we have a real sense of resolve. The third of the sessions, the council sessions, was the session with President Zelensky there in relation to Ukraine.
“It was a session that he described as a success because of the package coming out of it, and President Biden led through all of that. That is an incredible achievement of this council.”
“When we think of the global threats, that is the best possible outcome we could have had today and so I think he deserves credit for that, as does the team that worked with him.
“We close this council with renewed confidence and resolve to meet the challenge of Russian aggression. That is the outcome we all hoped we would get to and President Biden led us through that.”
Starmer indicated he’d be willing to recognise state of Palestine even if US or Israel did not
00:02
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer indicated he would be willing to recognise the state of Palestine even if the United States or Israel did not do so.
He told journalists at the Nato summit that a ceasefire “needs to be a foot in the door for a process towards a two-state solution, a viable Palestinian state alongside a safe and secure Israel”.
He said: “We don’t have either of those at the moment. That is the process that we all should work on, we’ve been discussing it with colleagues here in bilaterals and recognising Palestine is part of that process.
“And part of that process is important, rather than the end of the process, because this is a right the Palestinian people have, it’s not in the gift of anyone.
“And so far as our policy is concerned, I’ll determine our policy, not follow anyone else.”
PM says he wants to ‘reset’ international relations post-Brexit
00:01
Tara Cobham
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer said he wanted to “reset” international relations as “there was a sense after Brexit that the UK had become too inward looking”.
During a press conference at the Nato summit in Washington, Sir Keir said: “We’ve engaged with pretty well all the leaders that are here – that has been a huge benefit of being here within a week of forming a government.
“So we’ve had very productive meetings, very many bilaterals with leaders of the Nato countries, including European leaders and, yes, that is about a reset.
“It’s about a reset of our relations, not actually about an institutional reset. It’s not about going back into the EU, but it is certainly a reset.
“Because I think for very many people there was a sense after Brexit that the UK had become too inward-looking, was not as interested as it once was in its place on the global stage, on the international stage.”
Sir Keir added: “The UK is back, it’s confident, we want to play our part on the world stage.”
‘Stain on our society’: 1.6 million children affected by two-child benefit cap
00:00
Salma Ouaguira
Around 1.6 million children are missing out on thousands of pounds a year due to the two-child benefit cap, according to official statistics.
This includes 1.3 million children living in a Universal Credit household and 270,000 children living in a Child Tax Credit household, according to the Department for Work and Pensions.
The number of households affected has increased since the policy was first introduced seven years ago.
Some 592,000 children were impacted by the policy in 2019, and the figure has increased by 100,000 in the past year.
In response to the latest figures, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall described child poverty as a “stain on our society”.Our reporter Jabed Ahmed has the full story:
Nato is ‘stronger than ever’ and Britain will play ‘full role’ in alliance, Starmer says
23:58
Tara Cobham
Nato is “stronger than ever” and Britain will play “a full role” in the alliance, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The Prime Minister said: “Because the generational threat from Russia demands a generational response, so we will increase Nato’s focus on future threats around the world with Britain playing a full role.
“We will continue to put our armed forces at Nato’s disposal, maintain our presence in Estonia and Poland, lead the land arm of the Allied Response Force this year, and maintain and modernise our nuclear deterrent.
“Today, this alliance is stronger than ever.”
Russian victory in Ukraine is ‘unthinkable’, Sir Keir says
23:57
Tara Cobham
Russian victory in Ukraine is “unthinkable”, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The Prime Minister told a press conference in Washington: “Together with our allies today we have reaffirmed our unshakeable support for Ukraine’s ultimate victory, our determination to deliver justice for the awful crimes that Russia has committed.
“You will have all seen the scenes this week in Kyiv, Russia using some of the deadliest weapons in its arsenal on innocent children, striking a hospital.”
Saying he had seen “the devastation and inhumanity of Russian aggression” on a visit to Ukraine, he added: “The alternative to Ukraine’s victory is unthinkable, not only an affront to our values, a green light to aggressors everywhere.”
Starmer says he brought ‘message of enduring and unwavering commitment' to Nato
23:57
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer said he had brought “a message of enduring and unwavering commitment” to Nato, at the conclusion of his first international summit as Prime Minister.
He said: “Every policy we have in pursuit of our missions, everything we’re doing to improve people’s lives, all that we hold dear, depends on our security.
“That is our first priority. It is always our first priority. I made that crystal clear to the British people in our campaign and so I also came to this summit with a clear message.
“A message of enduring and unwavering commitment to the Nato alliance, to Ukraine, to the collective security of our country, our continent and our allies around the world.”
Macron insists Biden had ‘slip of the tongue’ when calling Zelenskiy ‘President Putin’
23:50
Tara Cobham
French President Emmanuel Macron has said defended Joe Biden for what President Macron called the US President’s “slip of the tongue” when Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy as “President Putin”.
President Macron on Thursday also reassured allies at the NATO summit in Washington that France would have continuity in its international commitments related to the alliance and Ukraine.
Starmer calls nature of prisons overcrowding crisis ‘unforgivable'
23:42
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer has called the nature of the prisons overcrowding crisis “unforgivable”.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the 75th Nato summit, he said: “We knew there was going to be a problem, but the scale of the problem is worse than we thought, and the nature of the problem is simply unforgivable ... To have allowed your criminal justice system to get to a state where you simply haven’t got the prison places for prisoners – this is a predictable problem, it’s shocking.”
Labour frontbencher says ‘unfair’ to accuse PM of hypocrisy over defence spending
23:40
Salma Ouaguira
The security minister said it is “unfair” to accuse Sir Keir Starmer of hypocrisy as he presses other Nato countries to honour the 2% of GDP defence spending pledge while the UK reviews its own funding.
Dan Jarvis said “these things should be done properly”, as he was pressed on the Prime Minister’s insistence that an assessment of the armed forces must be carried out before a decision is made on raising the budget.
When it was put to him that there was a “whiff of hypocrisy” in Sir Keir urging other allies in the bloc to honour spending commitments, he told LBC: “I think that would be unfair, Nick, if you don’t mind me saying.
“The Prime Minister has made a cast-iron guarantee that we will get to the point where we are spending 2.5% on GDP on our defence capabilities, but we think that these things should be done properly.”
Asked whether defence spending could potentially be cut instead, Mr Jarvis said: “I personally think it’s inconceivable that the British Army would go down, but that is precisely why you need a proper process at work to look at the capabilities that you have.”
Starmer refuses to criticise Biden after US president introduces Zelensky as ‘Putin’
23:37
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer has refused to criticise Joe Biden after the US president introduced Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy as “President Putin”.
Speaking to reporters at the end of Nato’s 75th summit, the prime minister urged “everyone to look at the substance of what’s been achieved over the past few days”, insisting that President Biden “deserves credit for that”.
Sir Keir said: “President Biden deserves credit for planning this, leading this and getting us to that stage.”
He added: “This was a successful council, he led it, he deserves credit for that.”
Starmer wraps up Nato summit by telling allies spending 2.5% of GDP on defence is ‘essential’
23:29
Political editor David Maddox
Sir Keir Starmer has wrapped up his first major international summit by telling allies it is “essential” they all spend 2.5 per cent of GDP on defence.
It comes though after the new prime minister gave his own “iron clad commitment” to increase UK spending to 2.5 per cent - but refused to commit to doing it in the next five years or give a timetable to achieve the target.
Speaking in his press conference at the end of a successful Nato conference in Washington DC where he met with a number of allies including US president Joe Biden, Sir Keir also reflected on the need to “lock in” support for Ukraine.
Speaking of his new government, he said that defence will be “always our first priority. I made that crystal clear to the British people in our campaign and so I also come to this summit with a clear message. A message of enduring and unwavering commitment to the NATO alliance.”
On Ukraine, he said: “Together with our allies today we have reaffirmed our unshakeable support for Ukraine’s ultimate victory.
“Our determination - to deliver justice for the awful crimes that Russia has committed.”
He has reaffirmed the promise to get the £3 billion of UK aid to Ukraine in the first 100 days of his government.
On military spending he reiterated his commitment to raising it to 2.5 per cent and suggested other allies follow suit.
He said: “Today, this alliance is stronger than ever, 23 members are now spending 2% of their GDP on defence.
“But in light of the grave threats to our security, we must go further. So we will conduct a Strategic Defence Review to strengthen our armed forces and protect our national security.
“And we will set out a clear path to spending 2.5 per cent of our GDP on defence, I say with candour to all our allies we must understand that this is now essential.”
Germans Chancellor defends Biden after gaffe insisting slips of tongue happen
23:27
Tara Cobham
The German Chancellor has said Joe Biden has shown that he is capable of taking the right decisions and that slips of tongues happen, after the US President mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy as “President Putin” before correcting himself.
Olaf Scholz also said President Biden has a good track record, adding that a slip of the tongue does not change any of the content of the US President’s speech.
Starmer holds press conference in Washington after Nato summit ahead of flight back to UK
23:22
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer is holding a press conference in Washington after attending the 75th Nato summit ahead of his flight back to the UK.
The prime minister has begun speaking to reporters.
Joe Biden meeting Starmer at the White House was difficult to watch
23:22
Salma Ouaguira
The US now finds itself subject to an election being fought between Old Man Yells at Cloud About Immigrants and Old Man Who Would Yell at a Cloud if his Throat Wasn’t So Sore, writes Holly Baxter:
Meet the Rees-Moggs on reality TV? Don’t mind if I do…
23:00
Salma Ouaguira
Ryan Coogan writes: Personally, I can’t wait to get the inside scoop on the former Conservative minister, a man so old-fashioned he probably had to double-check with the producers that the TV cameras weren’t going to steal his soul…
Biden mistakenly refers to Ukraine’s Zelenskyy as ‘President Putin’ before correcting himself
22:53
Tara Cobham
US President Joe Biden mistakenly referred to Ukrainian President Volodymr Zelenskiy as "President Putin" before correcting himself at the NATO summit in Washington on Thursday.
"Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin," Biden said, referring to Zelenskiy before correcting himself.
"Going to beat President Putin, President Zelenskiy. I am so focused on beating Putin," Biden said while correcting himself.
The gaffe comes as concerns grow about the US President’s mental fitness.
Starmer faces union backlash as PM puts mortgages before public sector pay
22:37
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer is facing an early end to his post-election honeymoon period as union leaders raise threats over public sector pay.
Comments made by the prime minister at the Nato summit in Washington DC appear to confirm that he is prioritising economic stability and bringing mortgages down over meeting demands for wage rises.
With junior doctors threatening more strikes over their demands for a 35 per cent pay rise and other pay review bodies on different sectors due to report shortly, Sir Keir was pushed on whether he is prepared to agree to above-inflation rises.
Political editor David Maddox reports:
Biden tells Starmer ‘Gimme your hand pal’ in unseen White House video
22:00
Tara Cobham
Watch: Sir Keir Starmer meets South Korean President at Nato Summit
21:30
Tara Cobham
Starmer raises hopes of bank holiday if England win Euros
21:04
Tara Cobham
The country should “certainly mark the occasion” if England win Euro 2024, Sir Keir Starmer has said, raising hopes of an extra bank holiday in the event of a victory.
The Prime Minister refused to commit to an extra day off, saying he did not want to “jinx anything” by pre-empting the result of Sunday’s final between Gareth Southgate’s team and Spain.
But he did suggest there would be some form of celebration if England wins its first major men’s football tournament since 1966.
Sir Keir, who had previously said it “looks like” football is coming home, said he would not quit as Prime Minister if the team failed at the final hurdle and deliver on his prediction.
The Liberal Democrats have led calls for an extra bank holiday after England claimed a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Sir Keir, an Arsenal supporter who regularly plays five-a-side football, previously supported calls for a bank holiday when England’s women’s football team made it to the World Cup final last year.
Asked whether he would back a bank holiday if Southgate’s team is victorious, the Prime Minister told broadcasters in Washington DC: “We should certainly mark the occasion, I don’t want to jinx it. I went to the last Euros final, I don’t want to go through that again.
“I don’t want to jinx anything but we must mark it in some way. But the most important thing is getting it over the line on Sunday.”
Starmer held meetings with Erdogan and Yoon during Nato conference
21:00
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer held meetings with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol during the Nato conference in Washington.
A Downing Street spokesman said the Prime Minister discussed the importance of close cooperation on security issues with Mr Yoon, who also wished England good luck in the final of the Euros on Sunday.
With Mr Erdogan, Sir Keir discussed the contribution of Turkish communities to the UK and his desire to see an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
Mr Erdogan discussed his aspiration to strengthen relations with the UK in several areas including trade, tourism and defence, the spokesperson added.
Move over, Eton – my old comp is the frontbenchers’ school of choice
21:00
Salma Ouaguira
More members of Labour’s new cabinet went to an unassuming state secondary in south Manchester than attended the public school that produced 20 prime ministers.
Here, Marina Gask remembers fondly her time at Parrs Wood – and reveals what made it such a political powerhouse:
Starmer discusses Ukraine, Gaza and relationships with Commonwealth in Trudeau meeting
20:55
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer discussed Ukraine, Gaza and relationships with the Commonwealth during a meeting with Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau at the Nato summit in Washington.
A Downing Street spokesperson said: “They agreed on the importance of a strong UK-Canada relationship based on our shared values, and warmly welcomed the opportunity to deepen the partnership between our two countries.
“The Prime Minister welcomed Prime Minister Trudeau’s leadership on Ukraine, including Canada’s significant financial support so far. Both leaders agreed we must continue to stand alongside Ukraine for as long as it takes.
“Discussing the situation in Israel and Gaza, they both agreed an immediate ceasefire is vital in order to get hostages out, get humanitarian aid in and make progress towards a two-state solution.”
The spokesman added that the two men agreed to keep in touch ahead of the Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting in October.
Incumbent on SNP to change after election defeat, says Kate Forbes
20:30
Tara Cobham
It is “incumbent” on the SNP to look at how it needs to change after suffering a significant defeat in the General Election, Scotland’s Deputy First Minister has said.
Kate Forbes said she does not believe there needs to be new a leadership but change is needed to ensure the party’s policy agenda matches the priorities of the public.
A disastrous election night for the SNP saw the party fall to nine MPs, down from 48 in 2019, losing all Scotland’s central belt.
Lucinda Cameron reports:
Lib dems urge PM to ‘hold water companies to account’
20:00
Salma Ouaguira
Lib Dems urges government to hold water companies to account and bring a stronger regulator to replace Ofwat.
It comes after Ofwar announced an increase in water bills for the next five years.
Party leader Sir Ed Davey said: “The British public have seen these water companies pumping their filthy sewage into our rivers, into our lakes, into our beaches for years now.
“The water regulator and the government let them get away with it. I don’t think they should be paying for the economic incompetence of these water companies or the regulator’s mistakes.”
Starmer must reduce prisoner sentences or risk justice system collapse, unions warn
19:30
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer’s new government has “no other alternative” but to release prisoners 40 per cent of the way into their sentence to ease the overcrowding crisis behind bars and avert the collapse of the criminal justice system, unions have warned.
The new justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, is expected to announce such measures on Friday, with exemptions for more serious offenders, after Sir Keir described his shock at the extent of the mess he has inherited from the Conservative government.
Rishi Sunak’s administration is understood to have drawn up similar plans before abandoning them prior to calling the general election in June. He had already been forced to release prisoners progressively earlier since October, reaching up to 70 days early in May.
Andy Gregory reports:
Scottish Labour leader calls on Starmer to scrap two-child benefit cap
19:00
Salma Ouaguira
Starmer: Setting deadline for 2.5% defence spending is ‘politics of yesterday’
18:30
Tara Cobham
“Plucking a date” by which to be spending 2.5 per cent of national income on defence is “the politics of yesterday”, Sir Keir Starmer has said as he defended first conducting a strategic defence review.
Decisions on reaching the 2.5 per cent target will follow a major assessment being launched next week and must comply with the Government’s strict fiscal rules on spending and borrowing.
The Prime Minister, who is attending the Nato summit in the US, said carrying out the review underlined his “ironclad” commitment to 2.5 per cent.
Sophie Wingate reports:
Tories must set out ‘positive vision’ for Scotland – leadership contender
18:00
Salma Ouaguira
Scottish Conservatives have for “years” failed to set out a “positive vision” for the country, a likely leadership contender has said.
Russell Findlay, the party’s justice spokesperson at Holyrood, insisted however that in the aftermath of the General Election the Conservatives now have the chance for a “fresh start in Scotland”.
The defeat to Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party in the Westminster vote must lead to a “hard reset” for the party across the UK, he insisted.
But Mr Findlay, who is among those tipped as a possible successor to Douglas Ross after he announced he was quitting as Scottish Tory leader during the election campaign, stressed that “in the face of this huge challenge, there are opportunities, too”.
Writing in the Scottish Daily Mail newspaper, the MSP said: “For Conservatives, this is our chance for a fresh start in Scotland, and we must not waste it.”
Healey warns of ‘decade or more’ of Russian aggression as he outlines military deal with EU
17:38
Tara Cobham
Defence secretary John Healey has warned that the west is facing “a decade or more of growing aggression” Vladimir Putin’s Russia as Labour seeks to drawn Britain closer into EU defence arrangements.
The new defence secretary was speaking to journalists at the Nato summit in Washington DC after a series of meetings with the other 31 allies and Ukraine.
Mr Healey has committed to UK £3 billion of aid to Ukraine for the war to be transferred within the first 100 days of the government.
Our political editor David Maddox reports:
Sir Keir Starmer urges ‘personal responsibility’ at water firms amid bills hikes
17:36
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer has called for more “personal responsibility” at the top of the water industry, following news of a 21% hike to planned average bills despite the sewage pollution scandal and cost-of-living crisis.
Household water bills in England and Wales are to rise by an average £19 a year over the next five years – a third less than the increase requested by companies, under draft proposals announced by Ofwat.
Speaking to LBC during his trip to the Nato summit in Washington DC, the Prime Minister said the situation around the water industry had got “completely out of hand”.
Read the full story here:
Starmer reflects on what his parents would have made of him becoming PM
17:35
Tara Cobham
Sir Keir Starmer has said his parents would have loved to have seen him walking through the door of 10 Downing Street.
The Prime Minister has previously revealed that his parents’ proudest day was when he was knighted in a ceremony at Buckingham Palace in 2014, which they attended.
His mother, Josephine, was a nurse, and his father, Rodney, was a toolmaker.
Asked what they would have made of him walking through the famous black door of No 10, Sir Keir told Sky News: “They would have loved that. There is a real part of me that just wishes that they could have been [there] because that would be very special for them.
“Obviously, they’re not with us anymore. They wouldn’t have that moment. But I can’t pretend to you that I haven’t thought about that.”
Speaking to Sky from Washington DC where he is attending the Nato summit, Sir Keir said it was “not bittersweet”, but added: “I would have loved them to have been there, and they weren’t there.
“Vic [his wife Victoria] obviously lost her mum during the Labour leadership contest, so both of us had a thought and discussion about that.
“We would have loved our parents to have been there. They weren’t, but we smile because we know what they would have thought had they been there.”
Keir Starmer ‘beyond frustrated’ at prisons overcrowding crisis
17:34
Tara Cobham
The Prime Minister has said he is “beyond frustrated” with the prisons overcrowding crisis as the new Labour Government prepares to free more criminals early.
Describing how the scale of the problem was “worse than I thought”, Sir Keir Starmer expressed his anger at being faced with taking emergency measures so soon in his premiership, accusing the former Conservative government of “total” and “shocking” failure.
He is expected to authorise a move which could see criminals automatically freed after serving 40% of their sentence, with an announcement measures to ease pressure on jail space anticipated on Friday – as the latest prison population figures are published.
Flora Thompson has the full story:
Biden not senile and ‘on good form’, Starmer says
17:33
Tara Cobham
Joe Biden is not senile and has been on “good form” at the Nato summit, Sir Keir Starmer has said, as concerns grow about the US President’s mental fitness.
The Prime Minister defended Mr Biden’s leadership credentials amid questions about his cognitive health, which have intensified since criticism of his performance in a TV debate against Donald Trump.
The president, 81, is seeking re-election in November despite discontent within the Democrat ranks about his suitability for a second term in office.
Nina Lloyd has the full story:
‘We’re facing a decade or more of growing Russian aggression,’ warns defence secretary
17:32
Tara Cobham
Defence Secretary John Healey has warned “we’re facing a decade or more of growing Russian aggression” as he stressed the need to work quickly on the Government’s sweeping review of military spending and capabilities.
He told reporters at the Nato summit in Washington: “What is really clear is that we’re facing a decade or more of growing Russian aggression. Supporting Ukraine and its ability to win is our first priority.
“That’s why on my second day in the job, I flew to Odesa and I spent the afternoon with (Volodymyr) Zelensky and his team.
“And when we’re facing growing threats across the board, then you’re quite right, the strategic defence review is our chance as a new government to get to grips with the threats that we face, the capabilities that we’ve got, the true state of the armed forces and of course the finances that may be available.”
The review, and the pathway to reaching the commitment to spending 2.5% of gross domestic product on defence was “the way that we balance the requirements of stronger national security with the responsibilities of sound public finances”.
“It needs to be done at pace, it will be done properly,” he said.
Starmer rules out nationalising water companies
17:29
Political Editor David Maddox
Sir Keir Starmer has ruled out nationalising water companies amid fears that Thames Water could go bust.
The new prime minister has been faced with an immediate crisis on water companies amid sewerage leaks and trouble replacing a Victorian infrastructure of old pipes.
Sir Keir tried to blame the previous Tory government for letting the problems “get out of hand” and also pinned culpability on the water companies.
But he appears to have ruled out the previous Jeremy Corbyn plan to renationalise the companies which he initially signed up to when he became Labour leader.
Speaking to LBC during the Nato summit in Washington DC, he said: “I think the previous government let water, and all of the issues relating to water, get completely out of hand.
“We've seen a lot of coverage of the sewage and the pollution which we’ve got to get to grips with.”
He appeared to suggest that the government may intervene to ensure bills do not sky rocket leading to another cost of living crisis.
He said: “On the question of bills. I don't want bills to be so punishing for people. So we will have a plan to get to grips with that in terms of governance of water, but that requires us to deal with both the pollution and the bill side of it.”
He went on: “That doesn't involve nationalisation, but it does involve making sure the regulations we have are properly enforced, looking at possible further regulation, and something I'm very keen on, which is to have sort of personal responsibility from the top.
“I know from running a big organisation that when there's personal responsibility at the top it does rather focus the mind.”
Chancellor welcomes economic growth but says ‘huge amount of work to be done'
17:05
Salma Ouaguira
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said “there’s a huge amount of work to be done” to drive economic growth.
Speaking after official data showed the UK economy grew quicker than expected in May, she told broadcasters on a visit to Darlington: “It’s welcome to have an increase in GDP. So important after the last few years of a flatlining economy.
“But there’s clearly more work to be done, which is why in my first speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer on Monday, I announced significant planning reforms, ending the moratorium on onshore wind, reintroducing housing targets, calling in planning decisions on housing and data centres so we can get Britain building again, so we can grow our economy, which means we can improve living standards and have the money we need for our public services.
“Just got started. There’s a lot more to do. But I’m determined to fulfil that number one mission of this incoming Labour Government to grow our economy and create good jobs right across the UK.”
Asked whether she thought the economy is taking off, Ms Reeves said: “I hope that the plans that I set in motion this week – the reform of the planning system, establishing the national wealth fund to co-invest with businesses, leveraging a billions of pounds of private sector investment – is what’s needed to grow our economy and create good jobs right across the UK.
“There’s a huge amount of work to be done. I’ve been in post for a week now. We’ve done more to reform the planning system in the first 72 hours I was in this role than the previous government did in 14 years.
“There’s more work that I want to do, but we’ve got off to a good start, and businesses have welcomed our plans. I’m determined to do what’s needed to grow our economy and ensure that working families have more money in their pockets.”
Tory MP claims lights will go out ‘in a year or two’ after Miliband’s oil ban
16:47
Salma Ouaguira
Craig Mackinlay, who was amputated and did not stand at the general election, hit out at Ed Miliband’s ban on new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.
The former chairman of Parliament’s Net Zero Scrutiny Group posted on X: “The lights will start going out in a year or two.”
He added: “Never mind, we can enrich Qatar, the USA and others still further as we desperately buy gas from anywhere we can. Energy security – how quaint and old fashioned as we worship the new ‘green’.”
The lights will start going out in a year or two.
— Craig Mackinlay (@cmackinlay) July 11, 2024
Never mind, we can enrich Qatar, the USA and others still further as we desperately buy gas from anywhere we can. Energy security - how quaint & old fashioned as we worship the new ‘green’. https://t.co/xhhRdVWvqZ
Exclusive: U-turn sees Ukrainian toddler reunited with refugee parents in UK
16:27
Salma Ouaguira
Ukrainian refugee parents barred from bringing their two-year-old daughter to Britain after the UK’s sponsorship rules were suddenly tightened will now be reunited with their child after a government U-turn.
Oleksandra and Yaroslav, both aged 31, decided to leave their daughter Anna with her grandparents in Kyiv while getting set up with their own accommodation and establishing a new business after arriving in Britain under the Homes for Ukraine scheme in April 2022.
But after they overcame these hurdles, their application in April this year for Anna to join them was refused by the Home Office on the grounds that – as per rule changes Related News & Content
