Sir Keir Starmer suffered a backbench rebellion in a vote on the two-child benefit cap that saw him remove the hip of seven Labour MPs.
Corbynistas Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain, Rebecca Long-Bailey, John McDonnell and Zarah Sultana broke ranks and voted to scrap the amendment.
Ms Sultana, representing Coventry South, has suggested she was the victim of a “macho virility test” and she felt proud to back scrapping the amendment.
In total, there were 103 votes to abolish the welfare measure, and 363 to keep it, with the prime minister winning a majority of 170.
But the issue is unlikely to go away, with Sir Keir set to face a grilling on the benefit cap at Prime Minister’s Questions today.
Rishi Sunak will represent the opposition at PMQs but the race to replace him is on and last night former home secretary James Cleverly announced his candidacy in a video on social media. For updates on the Tory leadership race, click here.
Key Points
- Suspended Zarah Sultana claims she is victim of Starmer’s ‘macho virility test’
- Starmer faces PMQs grilling after suspending MPs over two-child benefit cap
- Shadow minister backs Starmer’s decision to suspend rebel MPs
- Cleverly rules out merging Conservative party with Reform
- Labour adviser says long-term sick should be forced into work
Starmer urged to restore whip of suspended Labour MPs
10:32
Salma Ouaguira
The general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union called on Sir Keir Starmer to restore the whip to the seven MPs suspended over a Commons rebellion on the two-child benefit cap.
Matt Wrack said: “1.6 million children are affected by the two-child cap, and 300,000 children live in poverty as a result of it. The UK is a rich country with ample resources for everyone to live a decent life.
“The seven MPs who voted to scrap the cap spoke for millions of trade union members and many Labour Party members. Keir Starmer must restore the whip to them immediately.”
Watch: James Cleverly pays tribute to parents in Tory leadership bid video
10:30
Salma Ouaguira
Mapped: How did my MP vote on the two-child benefit cap?
10:30
Salma Ouaguira
Sir Keir Starmer has suspended seven Labour MPs after they voted against the government in support of scrapping the two-child benefit cap.
The move will be seen as a show of strength by the new prime minister after he saw off the first rebellion of his premiership, by 363 votes to 103, a majority of 260.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, ex-business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Zarah Sultana have been suspended from the parliamentary party.
More than 40 Labour MPs recorded no vote, with some of those listed spotted in the chamber throughout the day but then not voting, while others had permission to miss the vote.
The Independent has put together this map below, where readers can see how their MP voted on the amendment.
Sunak scrapping HS2 will cost £100m and take up to three years, NAO
10:20
Salma Ouaguira
The decision to scrap the second phase of HS2 will cost up to £100m and could take three years to complete, an official report has revealed.
Rishi Sunak’s decision to slim down the high-speed rail link also means the government has £592m worth of land and property on the route from Birmingham to Manchester it needs to sell, which the government spending watchdog has warned could take years and distort local housing markets.
In full: Bibby Stockholm barge to be scrapped as depth of financial chaos under Tories laid bare
10:10
Salma Ouaguira
Labour newly appointed policy lead for children has repeatedly called for the two-child cap to be scrapped
10:02
Salma Ouaguira
Sir Keir Starmer’s newly appointed policy lead for children and young people has repeatedly called for the two-child benefit cap to be scrapped.
In a move that will pile pressure on the prime minister to get rid of the controversial limit, Rachel Statham has been picked for Downing Street’s policy unit.
The former associate director at left-leaning think tank the IPPR has in the past said the “punitive” policy is “pulling more families into deeper poverty” and that to keep it in place is “to plan for substantial increases in child poverty over the next parliament”.
She has been appointed to the No10 policy unit, which is an integral part of the inner workings of the government, to lead on children and young people. She was previously the associate director for work and the welfare state at the IPPR.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, who was suspended by the party for rebelling over the policy, told The Independent: “Keir Starmer is now surrounded by both ministers and senior policy advisers that have all supported the scrapping of the 2 child limit. It’s a policy that will inevitably be adopted. So the plea from many in the PLP is to take the drama out of this and not to make this some loyalty test and just get on and implement it.”
Pressure mounts on Labour over smartphones for under-16s - new survey
10:00
Salma Ouaguira
Pressure is mounting on the Labour government to rethink its policy on smartphones for under-16s, after a new survey of 10,000 parents saw more than half say they wish they had waited longer before handing the devices to their children.
Experts have warned that “solutions are needed”, as three-quarters of respondents admitted they fear smartphones expose their children to internet dangers.
Our political correspondent Millie Cooke has the full story:
Shadow Welsh secretary Lord Davies accuses Labour of ‘taking Wales for granted’
09:50
Salma Ouaguira
The new shadow secretary of state for Wales has accused Labour of “taking Wales for granted” after his party, the Conservatives, were wiped out there.
Lord Davies of Gower, who sits in the House of Lords, has taken on the shadow Cabinet role after the Tories lost every MP in Wales.
Speaking to peers yesterday, Lord Davies claimed that Wales was only named once in the King’s Speech and urged the Government to match the previous government’s commitments to the Welsh people.
He said: “Wales was only named once and that was in reference to the Government’s plan to make a Council of the Nations and Regions.
“And sadly, I believe this could well be a reality check for what is to come, that is Labour once again taking Wales for granted.”
He added that he was “bitterly disappointed” that the King’s Speech did not include the last government’s pledges to allow Welsh patients access to NHS England to relieve the backlog of people on waiting lists.
Watch: Yvette Cooper accused of running for the hills after ditching TV interview day after whip removed from seven MPs
09:40
Jabed Ahmed
Suella Braverman: I want Donald Trump to be president
09:40
Salma Ouaguira
Suella Braverman has said she would vote for Donald Trump if she was a US citizen, claiming “the world will be safer” if the Republican presidential hopeful wins the November election.
The former home secretary’s endorsement of the ex-president came as she is widely believed to be preparing a bid to lead the Conservative Party from the right.
“I want Trump to be president,” she said while guest-hosting a programme on LBC Radio on Tuesday.
“Don’t look at the characters and the personalities – if we look at the policy, I think the world will be safer under Donald Trump.
“If we look at his record as president, you know, no wars were started while Donald Trump was president.”
She continued: “I think there’s been a real track record of peace and stability globally that we saw from Trump when he was president and that we can expect going forward. And right now the world is a very volatile place.
“I do think that we need a strong president in the White House. I personally would give my vote to Donald Trump were I an American citizen.”
Union boss: ‘Starmer must restore the whip to them immediately’
09:38
Jabed Ahmed
The general secretary of the Fire Brigades Union called on Sir Keir Starmer to restore the whip to the seven MPs suspended over a Commons rebellion on the two-child benefit cap.
Matt Wrack said: “1.6 million children are affected by the two-child cap, and 300,000 children live in poverty as a result of it. The UK is a rich country with ample resources for everyone to live a decent life.
“The seven MPs who voted to scrap the cap spoke for millions of trade union members and many Labour Party members. Keir Starmer must restore the whip to them immediately.”
Keir Starmer accused of ‘authoritarian control-freakery’ over two-child benefit cap rebellion
09:34
Jabed Ahmed
Tom Tugendhat asked if home secretary will resign if Channel migration rises
09:30
Salma Ouaguira
Shadow security minister Tom Tugendhat asked the Government frontbench whether the Home Secretary will resign if cross-Channel migration rises.
Speaking during yesterday’s King’s Speech debate, Mr Tugendhat said: “If she (Home Secretary Yvette Cooper) is wrong, God forbid, and the numbers rise – I know, wonders will never happen – what will the Home Secretary do? Will she take responsibility and resign?
“Or will she reach for the old Blair-Brown playbook that is the golden thread running through this King’s Speech and instead farm out the blame, set up a new quango, pretend it’s not your problem and hope that it all goes away?”
Mr Tugendhat also sad: “The trouble with Labour’s plans is we know that however well meaning they are, they always lead to the same outcome.
“While Conservatives see industry as the source of our prosperity, Labour just views it as something to be taxed.”
Why have the Tories opted for such a long leadership election campaign?
09:20
Salma Ouaguira
Short of money after a bruising election defeat, the Tories may seek to use the autumn conference as a platform for hustings says John Rentoul
Read the full article here:
Plan to oust hereditary peers from House of Lords branded a ‘vendetta’
09:10
Salma Ouaguira
The Government has been accused of waging a “vendetta” in its plan to remove the remaining hereditary peers from the House of Lords.
Critics called the move “political vandalism” as members of the unelected chamber debated the measure contained in the recent King’s Speech.
Legislation has been proposed to end what the Government has called the “outdated and indefensible” presence of peers who are there by right of birth.
The presence of 92 hereditary members and the by-elections used to fill vacancies has been the subject of ongoing criticism given the exclusive, male-dominated list of eligible candidates and the limited number of people able to vote in the contests.
Lords reforms under Tony Blair reduced the number of hereditary peers to 90, plus the Earl Marshal and Lord Great Chamberlain.
That was intended only as a short-term compromise, but the situation has persisted for 25 years.
Ashworth accuses rebel Labour MPs of ‘gesture’ politics
09:05
Salma Ouaguira
Jonathan Ashworth accused the seven Labour MPs suspended for rebelling over the two-child benefit cap of “gesture” politics.
The former Labour MP, who played a prominent role in his party’s election media campaign but was unseated in the general election, told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “They knew that this amendment was never going to pass because of the commanding majority Keir Starmer has.
“To join with the odds and sods, who are pretty impotent in Parliament, they knew there was no chance of this amendment passing. It was a gesture. That’s not how you change policy. You don’t change policy by gestures, you change policy by engaging with the policymaking structures.”
He continued: “I don’t think any of us should be surprised that Labour MPs who were … not defending the first (Labour) King’s Speech for 14 years would lead to this disciplining.”
Downing Street rejects suggestion that racism at play in scrapping Rwanda scheme
09:00
Salma Ouaguira
Downing Street has denied that the Government’s decision to scrap the scheme to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda was racist after James Cleverly suggested it showed a “disdainful attitude” to Rwanda.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman rejected a suggestion by the shadow home secretary that there was a racial element to the Labour Government deciding to nix the agreement, saying the scheme was scrapped because it was ineffective.
Mr Cleverly told Times Radio that the Labour Government cancelled the agreement with the Rwandan government “without even having the good grace to contact them directly to inform them”, which he said would not have happened had the deal been with a European country.
When asked if he was saying the decision was racist, Mr Cleverly said: “You and I both know that this would never have happened like this had it been with a European country. It’s because there is a below-the-salt disdainful attitude to African countries and the Rwandan government.”
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman rejected the suggestion that racism was at play in the decision to scrap the scheme.
He told reporters: “The decision to scrap the scheme was based on the scheme being a completely ineffective policy.”
What is happening today in UK politics?
08:58
Salma Ouaguira
- Sir Keir Starmer is set to face off Rishi Sunak in the House of Commons at midday during his first PMQs as prime minister.
- The Labour Party is suffering the aftermath of yesterday events when the PM suspended seven of his MPs for rebelling against the two-child benefit cap.
- Nominations for the Tory leadership contest kick off this evening with James Cleverly the first candidate to declare a bid. For updates on the Tory leadership race, click here.
- David Lammy will push to reset the UK-India partnership on his first trip to the country as Foreign Secretary.
Zarah Sultana brands her suspension by Starmer a ‘macho virility test’
08:52
Salma Ouaguira
Zarah Sultana has suggested she was the victim of a “macho virility test” after being suspended by Sir Keir Starmer for supporting an SNP motion to scrap the two-child benefit limit.
Asked for her view of the Prime Minister following the move, the Coventry South MP told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I’m not interested in playing up to this macho virility test that seems to be what people are talking about.
“It’s about the material conditions of 330,000 children living in poverty.”
She added: “This isn’t a game. This is about people’s lives.”
Ms Sultana also said she was not told by the party that she would lose the whip if she rebelled.
US election on November could overshadow Tory leadership contest
08:50
Salma Ouaguira
Shadow home secretary James Cleverly said he is aware that the US election on November 5 could draw attention away from the Conservative Party’s announcement of its new leader on November 2.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Of course the American elections will be of interest, but we can’t put our job of being a good and credible opposition and charting the path towards future electoral victories… you can’t put that on hold because of the electoral processes in another country.”
He declined to say whether he would vote for Donald Trump if he was American, after party colleague Suella Braverman said she would.
He called it a “nonsense question” and said: “I’m not an American citizen, so it’s a moot point.
“It’s not a test of candidates in a British political system to ask them what they would do in a parallel universe where they weren’t British, but were actually American.”
Cleverly rules out merging Conservative party with Nigel Farage’s Reform
08:40
Salma Ouaguira
The Conservatives do not do mergers, party leadership hopeful James Cleverly said when asked what his party should do about Reform.
He was asked about a YouGov survey that showed roughly half of Conservative members were in support of merging with Nigel Farage’s party.
“The Conservative Party doesn’t do mergers,” the shadow home secretary told BBC 4’s Today programme.
“The simple truth is that we have got a series of principles.
“We believe in civil liberty, we believe in free enterprise, we believe in the efficient but modest size of the state, lower taxes.”
He said the Conservative Party needs to “expand our base of support”.
The shadow home secretary became the first Tory MP to declare he will run for the leadership.
James Cleverly denies calling the Rwanda asylum policy 'batshit’
08:31
Salma Ouaguira
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said that Mr Cleverly, who was tasked with working on the policy to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda when he was home secretary, called the plan “batshit crazy”.
But Mr Cleverly told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Yvette Cooper keeps throwing that accusation without evidence.
Asked if he was denying it, he said: “I’ve never described the Rwanda policy using that word.”
Shadow minister backs Starmer’s decision to suspend rebel MPs
08:28
Salma Ouaguira
Shadow education secretary Damian Hinds has backed Sir Keir Starmer’s decision to suspend seven rebel MPs over the two-child benefit cap vote yesterday.
The Conservative MP for East Hampshire said members who act against their party’s program should expect to have their whip removed.
Mr Hinds told Sky News: “That’s fair enough, if you vote against your own party you should expect to lose the whip.
“It is reasonable to say if you are in a political party you have to stick to that program, if you don’t like it then go.”
Labour adviser says long-term sick should be forced into work
08:23
Salma Ouaguira
A health adviser to the Labour government has said the long-term sick must be forced to look for jobs to cut welfare costs and reduce the UK’s reliance on immigration.
Former health secretary Alan Milburn, who has been brought in by the party to advise on NHS reform, said seven in 10 economically inactive people want to work but few are required to or have the help to do so.
Ms Milburn presented a report alongside work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall which said getting people back into work was “the only route to higher levels of economic growth”.
Ms Kendall acknowledged that addressing long-term sickness is key to Sir Keir Starmer’s mission to boost economic growth and promised to address spiralling economic inactivity.
Our political correspondent has the full story:
Watch: Labour MP who had whip suspended over two-child benefit cap breaks silence
08:15
Salma Ouaguira
Yvette Cooper ditches morning media round
08:09
Salma Ouaguira
Home secretary Yvette Cooper has been accused of running for the hills after ditching a TV interview on Sky News.
The Labour minister was due to be scrutinised over the party’s decision to suspend seven MPs after rebelling against Sir Keir Starmer during the two-child benefit cap vote yesterday.
Conservative MP Ben Obese-Jecty posted on X: “Sky News not impressed at Yvette Cooper MP’s no-show on the media round this morning.
“Barely three weeks in and Labour’s front bench are already running from media scrutiny around their decision to suspend 7 MPs.”
“It’s rather disrespectful”@SkyNews not impressed at @YvetteCooperMP’s no-show on the media round this morning.
— Ben Obese-Jecty MP (@BenObeseJecty) July 24, 2024
Barely three weeks in and Labour’s front bench are already running from media scrutiny around their decision to suspend 7 MPs. pic.twitter.com/OjdsSoOy8U
Lawlessness ‘characterises’ pornography online, says MP in plea to reform laws
07:59
Salma Ouaguira
Lawlessness “characterises” pornographic websites, an MP has said, while a minister has agreed there is “much work to do” to tackle illegal behaviour online.
Labour backbencher Tonia Antoniazzi labelled the laws which govern pimping and pornography a “fudge”, during a House of Commons adjournment debate she secured to discuss the prevention of commercial sexual exploitation.
Victims minister Jess Phillips told the Commons that she has been unable to get images depicting her taken down from pornographic websites, weeks after Channel 4 News found more than 400 digitally altered pictures of more than 30 high-profile UK politicians online.
“Lawlessness characterises the online pornography trade with films featuring child sexual abuse, rape and trafficking victims found on some of the UK’s most heavily visited sites,” Ms Antoniazzi said.
“Illegal content is freely accessible on mainstream pornography websites.”
Gower MP Ms Antoniazzi referred to a 47-page All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Commercial Sexual Exploitation report from 2023 which featured a testimony from Alia Dewees.
Diane Abbott breaks silence after missing two-child benefit cap vote
07:56
Salma Ouaguira
Personal reasons meant I could not be in Westminster this evening to vote against the 2 child benefit cap. But horrified colleagues suspended for 6 months for voting against, when removing the cap is supposed to be party policy pic.twitter.com/1wLW37H2WD
— Diane Abbott (@HackneyAbbott) July 23, 2024
David Lammy to press commitment to free trade deal on first trip to India
07:45
Salma Ouaguira
David Lammy will push to reset the UK-India partnership on his first trip to the country as Foreign Secretary.
He will travel to New Delhi on Wednesday, where he tell his Indian counterpart, minister of external affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, that he wants to “drive forward greater growth” for both countries and reinforce the UK’s commitment to securing a free trade agreement with India, the Foreign Office said.
He will reiterate the contribution of British Indians to the UK, saying that they enrich the UK’s social and economic landscape and are the epitome of modern Britain.
The previous Conservative government had been seeking to nail down a deal, which they saw as a major post-Brexit prize, but negotiations have dragged on for two years.
Mr Lammy said: “Our free trade agreement negotiations are the floor not the ceiling of our ambitions to unlock our shared potential and deliver growth, from Bengaluru to Birmingham. We have shared interests on the green transition, new technologies, economic security and global security.
“I am travelling to India in my first month as Foreign Secretary because resetting our relationship with the global south is a key part of how this government will reconnect Britain for our security and prosperity at home.”
University tuition fees in England should be cut to £6,000 a year – report
07:43
Salma Ouaguira
University tuition fees in England should be reduced to £6,000 a year to make post-18 education “more equitable” for students, a think tank has said.
The Government should remove the “distortions and biases” in the funding and oversight of post-18 education that favour full-time degrees over other routes, according to an EDSK report.
It comes as Labour has pledged to create a “secure future” for higher education as it recognises that the funding settlement “does not work” for the taxpayer, universities, staff or students.
University leaders have been calling on the new Government to raise the annual tuition fee for domestic students in line with inflation to help institutions struggling financially.
The previous Government raised the cap on university tuition fees in England to £9,000 a year in 2012 but it has been fixed at £9,250 since 2017.
The paper from the education think tank said many colleges and independent higher education providers are only allowed to charge around £6,000 a year for university-level courses.
“It is a clear indication of how provision within HE (higher education) settings has been prioritised above alternative options to date,” the report said.
The paper also highlights that students in higher education can access more financial support than their peers on higher-level further education courses.
ICYM: Keir Starmer suffers first backbench rebellion of his premiership over two-child benefit cap
07:36
Salma Ouaguira
Keir Starmer has suspended seven Labour MPs after they voted, against the government, to scrap the two-child benefit cap.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, ex-business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Zarah Sultana have been suspended from the parliamentary party.
The move will be seen as a show of strength by the new prime minister after he easily saw off the first rebellion of his premiership, by 363 votes to 103, a majority of 260.
In a bid to head off a larger revolt on the issue, ministers had said on Monday that they would consider ditching the “cruel” policy.
Our Whitehall editor Kate Devlin has the full story:
Labour MP Zarah Sultana ‘slept well’ after being suspended by Starmer
07:26
Salma Ouaguira
Zarah Sultana, one of seven Labour MPs suspended for backing an SNP motion to scrap the two-child benefit cap, said she slept well after the vote.
“I slept well knowing that I took a stand against child poverty that is affecting 4.3 million people in this country and it is the right thing to do and I am glad I did it,” she told ITV’s Good Morning Britain.
She said she saw the email on the way home from the vote last night saying she had had the whip removed.
Speaking to ITV’s Good Morning Britain, she said: “I look forward to many bills that will be coming forward in this Government including nationalising rail, the new deal for working people, but I was also very honest that we should go further, we can make a real difference to people’s lives.
“And when you’ve got anti-charity campaigners, think tanks, trade unions saying that the key driver for child poverty in this country – which is the sixth largest economy in the world – is the Tories’ two-child benefit cap, then it is a moral imperative on the Labour Party to scrap that and do everything that they can to make sure that not a single child has to live in unnecessary hardship and poverty.”
New clinical guidance aims to ‘ensure safety and dignity’ of trans patients
07:20
Salma Ouaguira
A first-of-its-kind set of guidelines for the care of transgender people before and after general surgery has recommended gender-inclusive language and consideration of whether a patient should be accommodated in a single room rather than on a ward.
The guidance, created independently of the NHS, is said to have been put together amid a “dearth of knowledge and confidence amongst anaesthetists when caring for transgender and gender-diverse patients”.
Published in Anaesthesia – the journal of the Association of Anaesthetists – it was produced by a working group of experts including those from the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and the University of Cambridge, and sets out 15 recommendations.
It states there is “currently no existing guidance covering the scope and focus of this document”, and that it covers “the specific clinical care required for this cohort of patients when attending for either elective or emergency surgery or anaesthetic care”.
The recommendations include confirming and using a patient’s preferred name and pronouns, with a suggestion that digital pre-assessment questionnaires can allow the person to “privately and safely disclose both their sex at birth and gender”.
The guidelines advise that someone’s transgender identity “need only be shared with the patient’s consent and if it is deemed important for the safety of their care”, and should be given the same level of confidentiality as “any other sensitive personal information”.
Transgender and gender-diverse patients should be cared for in an environment that “respects their gender identity”, the guidelines state, adding that “in some circumstances, this may involve providing a single room”.
Starmer faces PMQs grilling after suspending seven MPs over two-child benefit cap
07:12
Salma Ouaguira
Sir Keir Starmer faces a Commons grilling in his first Prime Minister’s Questions amid backbench unease over a vote on the two-child benefit cap that saw him suspend seven Labour MPs.
The PM will be quizzed from the Government benches by MPs for the first time since entering Number 10 after stripping Labour rebels of the whip for backing an SNP motion to scrap the welfare measure.
Former shadow chancellor John McDonnell, ex-business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey, Apsana Begum, Richard Burgon, Ian Byrne, Imran Hussain and Zarah Sultana have been suspended from the parliamentary party.
Although the rebellion was small and the motion comfortably defeated by Government, opposition to the cap within Labour is not limited to the seven who lost the whip.
The House of Commons voted 363 to 103, majority 260, to reject the amendment tabled in the name of SNP Westminster leader Stephen Flynn.
More than 40 Labour MPs recorded no vote, with some of those listed spotted in the chamber throughout the day, while others will have had permission to miss the vote.
The decision to remove the whip from the seven who defied the Government over the amendment is an early show of ruthlessness from the new administration, and sends a message that dissent will not be taken lightly.
Ahead of the vote, Sir Keir had said there is “no silver bullet” to end child poverty but acknowledged the “passion” of MPs who were considering opposing the continuation of the Tory measure.
Children ‘being failed in dual crises of poverty and mental health’
07:00
Salma Ouaguira
Children are being failed in “dual crises of poverty and mental health”, according to charities which have ramped up calls for the Government to scrap the two-child benefit limit.
The groups said money and mental health are “inextricably linked” and that those children growing up in families facing financial hardship face a knock-on impact throughout their lives.
The report from the Centre for Mental Health, Save the Children UK and the Children and Young People’s Mental Health Coalition recommended the new Labour Government should scrap both the two-child limit and the benefit cap “to ensure all children receive their benefit entitlements”.
The cap, introduced in 2013 under the then-Conservative and Liberal Democrat coalition government as a way of “restoring fairness to the welfare state”, sees the amount of benefits a household receives reduced to ensure claimants do not receive more than the cap limit.
Any pay deal for junior doctors ‘will be affordable’ – Streeting
06:30
Salma Ouaguira
The Government hopes to agree a pay deal with junior doctors that “the country can afford,” the Health Secretary has said as official talks began to try and bring the long-running dispute to a close.
Wes Streeting said that junior doctors made a “reasonable case” that their pay had not kept up in line with inflation, but said that their request for a 35% uplift was not affordable.
But addressing the Commons, Mr Streeting insisted that the Government was negotiating with medics from the British Medical Association (BMA) “in good faith”.
Formal negotiations between the new Government and the BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee began on Tuesday with a view to end the long-running dispute over pay.
Dr Vivek Trivedi and Dr Robert Laurenson, co-chairmen of the Committee, refused to answer questions from reporters as they arrived at the Department for Health and Social Care on Tuesday morning.
Mr Streeting was asked about the negotiations during his first Oral Health Questions in the House of Commons.
Shadow health secretary Victoria Atkins said: “In opposition, (Mr Streeting) described the 35% pay rise demand by the junior doctors committee as reasonable. What he didn’t tell the public was that this single trade union demand would cost an additional £3 billion, let alone the impact on other public-sector workers.
“So, will he ask the Chancellor to raise taxes or will she ask him to cut patient services to pay for it?”
Mr Streeting, in his reply, said: “What I said was that the doctors were making a reasonable case that their pay hadn’t kept up in line with inflation, but we were clear before the election that 35% was not a figure we could afford.
“We are negotiating with the junior doctors in good faith to agree on a settlement that we can deliver and the country can afford.”
Wes Streeting launches ‘review’ into cash and timetable for 40 new hospitals
06:00
Salma Ouaguira
A review of plans for 40 new hospitals could delay projects, a shadow health minister warned, as the new Health Secretary vowed not to give patients “false hope” about when they can expect more up-to-date facilities.
Wes Streeting faced questions in the Commons about the Conservatives’ £20 billion New Hospital Programme – for new and refurbished hospitals by 2030 – and told MPs he has ordered a review into the scheme’s funding and timetable.
He said: “It’s painfully clear that the previous government’s New Hospital Programme, that said they would deliver 40 new hospitals by 2030, is not deliverable in that timeframe.
“I want to see the New Hospital Programme completed but I’m not prepared to offer people false hope about how soon they will benefit from the facilities that they deserve.
“That’s why I’ve asked officials as a matter of urgency to report to me on the degree to which the programme is funded, along with a realistic timetable for delivery.”
In May 2023, the Department of Health and Social Care claimed “the Government is on track to deliver the manifesto commitment to build 40 new hospitals in England by 2030”, in line with a flagship Tory manifesto pledge made in 2019, before former prime minister Boris Johnson led his party to an 80-seat majority.
Watch: Cleverly hints he will launch Tory leadership bid
05:30
Salma Ouaguira
British army not as strong as it should be because of ‘historic underinvestment’ says defence chief
05:00
Salma Ouaguira
Britain’s army is not as strong as it should be because of “historic underinvestment”, the head of the military has admitted, with “deficiencies in people, equipment, stockpiles, training and technology”.
Admiral Sir Tony Radakin, the chief of defence staff, said there was a need for “humility” to recognise the limitations and “near-term financial challenges” faced by our armed forces.
But he said Russia, the main adversary of the West, has been hugely damaged by brutal losses in Ukraine and will take a decade or more to rebuild its military strength to the level it had at the time of Vladimir Putin’s invasion and rectify the shortcomings exposed.Our world affairs editor Kim Sengupta has the full story:
Councils face ‘unsustainable financial pressure’ on homelessness, says watchdog
04:30
Salma Ouaguira
Councils are facing “unsustainable financial pressure” in dealing with record levels of homelessness, the public spending watchdog has said as it called for a long-term and cross-Government strategy to tackle the problem.
England remains an outlier in the UK as the only one of the four nations without a strategy or target for statutory homelessness, which the National Audit Office (NAO) noted is the case despite its recommendation for one seven years ago.
The NAO report, published on Tuesday, is its first since 2017 on the issue, which covers people considered homeless as they are in temporary accommodation provided by their local authority, rather than those rough sleeping.
The report acknowledged the rough sleeping strategy under the previous Conservative government, but said no such strategy had been formulated to tackle statutory homelessness – something each of the other UK devolved administrations has an overarching strategy or action plan for.
Funding for local authorities to meet their obligations under the 2017 Homelessness Reduction Act, extending local authorities’ statutory duties to include prevention and relief, is a major issue amid rising need, the NAO said.
The report stated: “Funding remains fragmented and generally short-term, inhibiting homelessness prevention work and limiting investment in good-quality temporary accommodation or other forms of housing.
“Until these factors are addressed across government, DLUHC (Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities) will not be able to demonstrate that it is delivering optimal value for money from its efforts to tackle homelessness.”
Increasing number of NHS bodies failing to break even, report warns
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Salma Ouaguira
An increasing number of NHS bodies have been unable to break even, according to a new report on the financial management and sustainability of the health service.
NHS England is facing challenges on an “unprecedented” scale, the National Audit Office (NAO) warned, with its sustainability hinging on how well it manages future demand.
Concerns have also been raised that the health service “may be working at the limits of a system which might break before it is again able to provide patients with care that meets standards for timeliness and accessibility
