Early evening summary
Keir Starmer has claimed that the economy is beginning to revive. (See 10.15am.)
Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister, has rejected the Conservative party’s claim that joining the PEM customs scheme would be a betrayal of Brexit. (See 3.59pm.)
The UK population exceeded that of France for the first time on record, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). As Jamie Grierson reports, the UK population is projected to reach 72.5 million by mid-2032, up nearly 5 million from 67.6 million in mid-2022, according to figures from the ONS.
Suella Braverman, the former Tory home secretary, has suggested it is not impossible that Britain could become an Iran-style enemy of America, led by an Islamist government, within the next 20 years. (See 4.47pm.)
Stephen Flynn, the SNP leader at Westminster, has criticised Scottish Labour for not supporting his backbench bill to compensate Waspi women. (See 5.22pm.) Flynn said:
After today’s vote, it’s clear that Anas Sarwar and Labour MPs have broken their promises to Waspi women and shown they are incapable of standing up for Scotland.
Ahead of the UK election, Anas Sarwar promised he would stand up to Keir Starmer but instead he has proven to be spineless in his silence - rolling over and rubber-stamping every damaging decision from Downing Street, no matter the consequences for Scotland.
