Afternoon summary
Keir Starmer was accused by Tory leader Rishi Sunak of “hiding” the impact of the government’s winter fuel payment cuts at PMQs, amid fears the policy will cause an increase in pensioner deaths. (See 1.30pm).
The government has published its renters’ rights bill. Polly Neate, chief executive of Shelter, the housing charity, said:
The renters’ rights bill is a watershed moment for England’s 11 million renters. By extending notice periods and ridding the country of the gross injustice of section 21 evictions, renters will no longer live in fear of being booted out of their homes for no reason, with too little notice.
This bill will do far more to protect tenants than previous failed attempts, but renters shouldn’t be forced out by colossal rent hikes once the government pulls the plug on section 21. More than 60,000 renters were walloped with extortionate rent hikes that cost them the roof over their head in the past year alone.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published a detailed guide to the bill here.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, has announced over £600m worth of support for Ukraine, PA Media reports. PA says:
The package includes a reaffirmation of Rishi Sunak’s pledge of £242m, as well as $484m worth of loan guarantees for World Bank lending before the end of the year.
The former will include aid to meet immediate humanitarian, energy and stabilisation needs, while the latter will help bolster Ukraine’s economic stability.
Lammy, who is currently in Kyiv with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, said this will “provide vital support to Ukrainians as they continue to endure relentless Russian attacks”.
Owners of up to 7,000 buildings have yet to apply for funds to remove unsafe cladding, MPs told
Owners of up to 7,000 buildings have yet to apply for funds to address fire risks caused by unsafe cladding, MPs were told this afternoon.
Rushanara Ali, the housing minister, said remediation work has started at 50% of the 4,630 residential buildings above 11 metres which are being monitored by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. But, as PA Media reports, Ali said government estimates suggest as many as 7,000 buildings have yet to apply for the Cladding Safety Scheme (CSS).
Speaking in a Commons debate on building safety, taking place a week after the publication of the final report from the inquiry into the Grenfell Tower fire, Ali said the government intends to consider the report’s recommendations and respond “within six months”, with an annual update to parliament on progress made on its commitments.
She went on:
I want to focus on some of the numbers of properties that are affected.
There are currently 4,630 residential buildings above 11 metres whose remediation is being monitored by my department.
Half of them have seen remediation start, with 1,350 having completed remediation.
But counting the buildings we know about is not enough.
We estimate there are as many as 7,000 buildings that need remediation that have not yet applied for the Cladding Safety Scheme.
That is a maximum estimate, there may well be fewer, but those responsible for those buildings have no excuse for failing to apply and we will work with regulators to make sure they are identified.
We will ensure dangerous buildings are found and dealt with. The money is there, the speed must increase …
Our message to building owners is clear: those who fail to make their building safe will face enforcement action.
The funding is there, the government has committed £5.1bn to remove dangerous cladding and industry is providing the rest.
All blocks of residential flats above 11 metres now have access to a scheme to fix unsafe cladding. Qualifying leaseholders are protected by law from crippling bills for historical safety defects.
The DUP MP Sammy Wilson has described the government’s decision to order a public inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane (see 3.01pm) as “shameful and perverse”.
The Labour Government must explain why the ICIR is good enough for the many victims of terrorism but is not good enough for the Finucane family. Their decision to grant a costly public inquiry and elevate this case is shameful and perverse. pic.twitter.com/ch39aXH3i4
— Sammy Wilson MP 🇺🇦🇬🇧 (@eastantrimmp) September 11, 2024
The Labour Government must explain why the ICIR is good enough for the many victims of terrorism but is not good enough for the Finucane family. Their decision to grant a costly public inquiry and elevate this case is shameful and perverse.
A reader asks:
Two questions for Andrew - 1) Is there any political system in the world which has mechanisms in place to deal with the mismanagement (financial or otherwise) of political leaders? 2) Is there any country which has mechanisms in place to ensure that their population do not have to directly pay for the mistakes/mismanagement of their politicians whilst in office?
The standard answer would be – yes, we have a mechanism, and they are called elections. (Coups and revolutions have been tried in the past, but elections are generally viewed as preferable.) In most countries leaders are also subject to the criminal law. But I can’t think of any process, beyond the electoral one, where politicians who act within the law are subject to sanctions for mismanagement.
But in the UK there is a special process reserved (sometimes) for politicians who mess up. In his excellent new book on why government does not work properly in the UK, Failed State, Sam Freedman describes Chris Grayling as “high up in the list of the least competent people to be given high office in British history”. Freedman describes him like that because of his disastrous attempt to privatise the probation service, described by experts as an “unmitigated disaster” (although Grayling is also associated with various other administrative errors). And how is he paying the price for his mistakes? Just this afternoon, about half an hour ago, he took his seat in the House of Lords.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has published a lengthy guide to the renters’ rights bill, which is being published today.
In a news release about it, Angela Rayner, the deputy PM and housing secretary, says:
Renters have been let down for too long and too many are stuck in disgraceful conditions, powerless to act because of the threat of a retaliatory eviction hanging over them.
Most landlords act in a responsible way but a small number of unscrupulous ones are tarnishing the reputation of the whole sector by making the most of the housing crisis and forcing tenants into bidding wars.
There can be no more dither and delay. We must overhaul renting and rebalance the relationship between tenant and landlord. This bill will do just that and tenants can be reassured this government will protect them.
Hilary Benn announces public inquiry into murder of Patrick Finucane
Here is the full text of the Commons statement from Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland secretary, announcing a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane.
This government takes its human rights obligations - and its responsibilities to victims and survivors of the Troubles - extremely seriously.
And the plain fact is that two decades on, the commitment made by the government – first in the agreement with the Irish government, and then to this House - to establish an inquiry into the death of Mr Finucane remains unfulfilled.
It is for this exceptional reason that I have decided to establish an independent inquiry into the death of Patrick Finucane under the 2005 Inquiries Act …
In making this decision, I have, as is required, considered the likely costs and impact on the public finances. It is the Government’s expectation that the inquiry will - while doing everything that is required to discharge the State’s human rights obligations - avoid unnecessary costs given all the previous reviews and investigations, and the large amount of information and material that is already in the public domain.
John Finucane, Pat’s son, who is a Sinn Féin MP, welcomed the news in a statement on social media.
Today is for my father, Pat Finucane.
— John Finucane MP (@johnfinucane) September 11, 2024
The announcement that there will now be a public inquiry into his murder is very much welcomed by our family.
Led by my mother Geraldine, we have campaigned for decades to uncover the truth behind my father’s murder.
I want to thank… pic.twitter.com/NWl3ikaSF6
The Irish government also welcomed the news. This is from Micheál Martin, the tánaiste (deputy PM).
I welcome the decision to establish an independent public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane.
— Micheál Martin (@MichealMartinTD) September 11, 2024
This case matters, first and foremost, to the Finucane family.
It also matters to those, on all sides, working for justice in Northern Ireland. pic.twitter.com/WJAJZGbT9K
Reeves says government won't cut free bus passes, prescriptions and TV licences currently available for pensioners
At one point during PMQs Keir Starmer refused to guarantee that the government would keep concessionary bus passes for pensioners. (See 12.32pm.)
But in her GB News interview this morning, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, did commit to keeping bus passes for pensioners. Asked if the government was going to “cut back on bus passes”, and if the budget in October would be worse than expected, Reeves replied:
We’ve committed to those bus passes, to free TV licenses for those entitled, and free prescriptions.
Pensioners only get free TV licences if they are 75 or over and on pension credit.
Updated
At its post-PMQs lobby briefing Downing Street refused to say if the government would be publishing an impact assessment into the winter fuel payments cut. A spokesperson said:
Ministers will receive advice on the development of all policies but we don’t routinely provide a running commentary on the advice that they receive.
We have spoken to the necessity of setting out the plans promptly, given the need to lay the regulations to come into effect in September.
But earlier this week Miatta Fahnbulleh, an energy minister, told John McDonnell, in a parliamentary written answer that figures would be published in due course showing how many extra people were in fuel poverty as a result of the policy. She said:
A statistical publication estimating the rate of fuel poverty for those in receipt of winter fuel payment in 2023, and the proportion of households who would be in fuel poverty under new eligibility criteria, will be published in due course.
Reynolds admits deal with Tata Steel over better terms for workers facing redundancy 'falls short of my ideal'
Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, has told MPs that the deal the government has agreed with Tata Steel, linking a £500m government investment in a new electric furnace at the Port Talbot plant with improved terms for workers who are losing their jobs due to the closure of the last blast furnace, “falls short of what would be my ideal”.
In a statement to MPs, he said:
Since becoming the secretary of state two months ago, I’ve had to respond to a series of challenges not just with the steel industry, but also in shipping, such as Harland & Wolff, and in other areas where the previous government had simply ceased to make decisions and decided to leave them for us to deal with.
This was a dereliction of duty and it has left the steel industry in particular in an extremely perilous position.
The last government had been promising a plan for the steel industry for years. With what I’m able to announce today, with the signing of a legally-binding deal that enables Tata to order their electric arc furnace as part of a significantly improved package, this government has made more progress in two months than they made over the last parliament.
But even if we had started these negotiations a year ago, never mind many years ago as they had the opportunity to do, I have no doubt we would have secured an even better deal for the community, so I would like to start with an apology to the people of Port Talbot because they were let down by the previous government.
Whilst this deal is much improved, I acknowledge very much it falls short of what would be my ideal.
Details of the deal are here, in the Department for Business and Trade’s news release.
Urkainian PM asks David Lammy for UK support in allowing Kyiv to use long-range missile to hit Russian territory
Denys Shmyhal, the Ukrainian prime minister, has asked the UK for “help and support” in using long-range missiles to strike Russian territory, PA Media reports. PA says:
David Lammy and his US counterpart Antony Blinken are on a joint visit to the Ukrainian capital to show support for Kyiv.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky has repeatedly pushed for permission to use Western missiles to strike at targets within Vladimir Putin’s Russia, and US President Joe Biden and Keir Starmer are set to discuss the issue in Washington on Friday.
Speaking at the start of a meeting with Lammy at his office in Kyiv on Wednesday, Shmyhal said: “We hope that long-range equipment for strikes on the territory of our enemy will be reached and we will have it. And we hope for your help and support in this issue.”
Lammy and Blinken took an overnight train from eastern Poland and reached the Ukrainian capital at 11.45am local time.
Lammy hailed the Kyiv trip as “the first of its kind in a decade” at a press conference alongside his US counterpart on Tuesday, while Blinken said: “One of the purposes of the trip we will be taking together is to hear directly from the Ukrainian leadership including … President Zelensky about exactly how the Ukrainians see their needs in this moment, toward what objectives and what we can do to support those needs.
“All I can tell you is we will be listening intently to our Ukrainian partners, we will both be reporting back to the prime minister, to President Biden in the coming days, and I fully anticipate this is something they will take up when they meet on Friday.”
Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland secretary, has just told MPs he is ordering a public inquiry into the murder of Patrick Finucane.
Updated
Starmer accused by Tories of 'hiding' assessment of impact of winter fuel payments cut on pensioners
Here is the PA Media story from PMQs.
Keir Starmer has been accused of “hiding” the impact of the government’s winter fuel payment cuts amid fears the policy will cause an increase in pensioner deaths.
Former prime minister Rishi Sunak highlighted Labour research from 2017 which claimed Conservative plans to scrap the winter fuel payment for better-off pensioners could lead to almost 4,000 additional deaths over winter.
Outgoing Tory leader Sunak asked whether the government believed the numbers are predicted to be higher or lower this year, with Starmer focusing on increases to the state pension when answering in the Commons.
Starmer also used PMQs to urge Sunak to “apologise for the £22bn black hole” that Labour argues was left by the previous Tory administration.
People in England and Wales not in receipt of pension credit or other means-tested benefits will lose out under the government’s changes to winter fuel payments.
It is expected to reduce the number of pensioners in receipt of the up to £300 payment by 10 million, from 11.4 million to 1.5 million, saving more than £1bn this year.
Speaking at PMQs, Sunak urged Starmer to publish the impact assessment for means-tested winter fuel payments.
He said: “We know why he’s hiding the impact assessment. The Labour Party’s own previous analysis claimed that this policy could cause 3,850 deaths. So, are the numbers in his impact assessment higher or lower than that?”
Starmer replied: “We’re taking this decision to stabilise the economy. That means we can commit to the triple lock. By committing to the triple lock we can make sure that payments of state pension are higher and therefore there’s more money in the pockets of pensioners, not withstanding the tough action we need to take.
“But he goes around pretending that everything is fine. That’s the argument he tried in the election and that’s why he’s sitting there and we are sitting here.”
Sunak countered: “Today pensioners watching will have seen that the prime minister has repeatedly refused to admit or publish the consequences of his decision and we will continue holding him to account for that.”
Earlier in the pair’s exchanges, Starmer outlined his justification for the decision.
He said: “The fact of the matter is this: they left a £22bn black hole and they hid it from the OBR [Office for Budget Responsibility]. Richard Hughes is absolutely clear, the largest year-ahead overspend outside the pandemic.”
The prime minister said increases in pensions “will outstrip any loss of payment” as a result of the triple lock, which guarantees the state pension will rise by inflation, average wage growth or 2.5%.
The full state pension is set to rise by £460 from next April, according to official wage figures released this week.
PMQs - snap verdict
How long can get away with Labour get away with blaming the Tories for everything being a mess? Months? Years? A whole parliament? A decade? Until the end of time
Experience suggests that, once a party acquires a reputation (rightly or wrongly) for having ruined the country, it takes a very long time to recover. Black Wednesday was a talking point for years, George Osborne’s (false) claim that Gordon Brown was largely to blame for the financial crash helped lift the Tories for the best part of a decade, and until relatively recently the “winter of discontent” was still a memory with some resonance for older voters.
At PMQs today Keir Starmer was relying very heavily on the ‘Tory catastophe inheritance’ argument as a counter to more or less every complaint about government performance. Largely it worked, and that mostly that’s because what he said about the legacy he was left was true. If you were getting bored of PMQs towards the end, then bad news; it’s going to be like this for the foreseeble future.
Over time the argument will become less powerful, but it will also get neutralised when Starmer finds himself up against a Tory leader willing to admit the last government mucked up in many areas. Judging by what the candidates are saying in the current leadership party, that moment won’t come for some while.
Rishi Sunak was most effective at PMQs when pressing Starmer if he would publish the impact assessement about the winter fuel cut, and whether it will confirm an earlier Labour assessment that 4,000 pensioners might die as a result. There is a defence, of sorts, that could be made: the 4,000 deaths figure seems to be based on the assumption that all pensioners would lose the winter fuel payments (the government will still pay it to the poorest pensioners, who will need it most) and it ignores other mitigation payments in place. But it would have been disastrous if Starmer had tried to engage in this argument, and instead he just ignored the question. It is better to look evasive than to look like a PM willing to debate how many pensioner deaths a year might be acceptable.
Sunak represents a rural constituency, and he devoted his last three questions to farming. This helped Starmer, because a full six questions on the winter fuel payments would have been worse.
Overall, Starmer was fine. But it wasn’t a triumph, and Starmer came over as someone who was not that bothered about making it one. Does he spend as much time preparing for PMQs as some of his predecessors? David Cameron, for example, gave the impression of being a PM for whom a witty, brilliant performance at PMQs was the highlight of the week. Starmer looks like someone who just wants to get it all over and done with, so that he can get back to chairing a meeting about his government missions.
Olly Grover (Lib Dem) asks about a new rail service for his Didcot and Wantage constituency.
Starmer says he will ensure Grover gets a meeting with a minister to discuss this.
Jessica Morden (Lab) asks about support for the steel industry.
Starmer says it is vital to have steel made in this country, and in the future the governemnt will need more, not less. In the transition, it is vital jobs are protected, he says.
Ann Davies (Plaid Cymru) says the Welsh government is trying to place all new power cables underground. But the UK government wants them overground. Why?
Starmer says the government is committed to the transition to renewable energy, but it has to be done in a cost-effective way, he says.
Louie French (Con) asks if Starmer will rule out scrapping concessionary bus passes for pensioners and council tax discounts.
Starmer says he will not pre-empt the budget.
Updated
Starmer says he will have a lot more to say about cancer treatment tomorrow when he responds to the Darzi report on the NHS.
Harriet Baldwin (Con) says she thought socialism was about taxing those with the broadest shoulders to help the poorest. Instead “Starmer socialism” is about scaring the richest people out of the country, and penalising the poor.
Starmer says his priority is stabilising the economy, because when the government loses control, the poorest people suffer.
Blake Stephenson (Con) says, if Starmer were a poor pensioner missing out on the winter fuel payment, what would he prioritise – heating or eating?
Starmer says the government is having to take tough decisions. Because it is doing that, it can guarantee the triple lock, and the increase in the state pension will be higher than the winter fuel payment loss, he says.
Starmer confirms the government will legislate to give courts the power to order the most serious offenders to attend their sentencing.
Neil Hudson (Con) says the last government committed to rebuilding hospitals affecting his constituency. Will the government honour these commitments? Wes Streeting’s constituents will benefit too, he says.
Starmer says Hudson is “quite right” to prioritise his constituents. But the last government promised 40 new hospitals. The problem was there weren’t 40, they weren’t new, and some of them weren’t hospitals, he says.
Graeme Downie (Lab) asks if the team doing the strategic defence review will visit Fife, to consider what it can contribute to the defence industry.
Starmer says the review will consider the needs of places like Fife.
Brendan O’Hara (SNP) claims the government is not complying with international law over arms sales to Israel.
Starmer does not accept that. He says fair-minded MPs would agree. A two-state solution is the only way to lasting peace, he says.
Farage claims jail sentence for people over Twitter comments evidence of 'two-tier policing'
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, says prisoners have been released early to make space, not just for rioters, but for people who said “unpleasant things” on Twitter. He says this suggests there is “two-tier policing”.
Starmer says he is angry about having to let prisoners out early. He quotes the Anushka Asthana revelations about Sunak being warned the prisons were heading for a crisis, and that they would have to pray for a solution. (See 10.26am.)
This article, from Archie Bland and Vikram Dodd last month, explains why “two-tier policing” has become a far-right myth.
UPDATE: Here are the full quotes.
Farage asked:
Yesterday, we witnessed some extraordinary celebratory scenes outside Britain’s prisons, where in some cases serious career criminals were released. That was to make way for—yes—rioters, but equally those who have said unpleasant things on Facebook and elsewhere on social media. Does the prime minister understand that there is a growing feeling of anger in this country that we are living through two-tier policing and a two-tier justice system?
And Starmer replied:
I am angry to be put in the position of having to release people who should be in prison because the last government broke the prison system.
The last Prime Minister was repeatedly warned—he had his own release scheme—that he had to adopt the scheme that we have put in place. The former justice secretary said that if they did not do it, they would have to get down on their knees and pray. Police chiefs made it absolutely clear, in a letter to the last prime minister before the election, that he needed to take action, saying that they would not be able to discharge their duties and that the risk was a loss of the ability to detain suspects. That means an inability to arrest people committing offences—that is how bad it was. They warned him that further delays until after the general election would increase the risks significantly. What did he do? He delayed and increased the risks.
Updated
Patrick Hurley, the Labour MP for Southport, asks the government to continue support for his town in the light of the tragic murder of three girls there this summer.
Starmer says he was furious when, after visiting the town to thank the police, they were attacked. The government will continue to support the town, he says.
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, backing what Starmer said about the late Queen and the Princess of Wales. He asks if the PM will gaurantee that every cancer patient can start treatment within 62 days.
Starmer says the report from Lord Darzi out tomorrow will cover this. The government is already putting more scanners in to address a “very serious failure” by the last government.
Davey says the Lib Dems voted against the winter fuel payments cut. The Tories prioritised tax cuts for banks. Will the government reverse those, so it can support pensioners?
Starmer says he will “resist the temptation to get ahead of the budget”. The government is taking the tough decisions, he says.
Amanda Martin (Lab) asks for an assurance that communities are properly consulted about development plans in Portsmouth.
Starmer says the government will get Britain building again. Under the Tories, the dream of home ownership was “snuffed out”, he says.
Sunak asks Starmer if he will rule out the kind of top-down targets for farmers imposed in Wales, which they claim will cost jobs.
Starmer says he is working with the Welsh government. Sunak shows no contrition for the state in which he left the country, he says.
Sunak asks if Starmer agrees the most productive farmland should be kept for food production, not solar energy farms.
Starmer says he wants to “get the balance right”. But the government is picking up the mess left by the Tories, he says.
Sunak asks if the government will adopt the NFU’s plan to enshrine a national food security target in law.
Starmer says the government is talking to the NFU about that. That is why Labour won so many rural seats at the election.
Sunak says Labour said the Tory plan in 2017 to means-test winter fuel payments would cause 4,000 deaths. Is Labour’s assessment higher or lower?
Starmer ignores the question, and says Sunak is claiming everything is fine. That is why he lost the election, he says.
Sunak says Rachel Reeves said this morning she would prefer it if this policy raised no money. (See 11.54am.) He asks again if the impact assessment will be published.
Starmer says he remembers when the Tories used to care about balancing the books. And Kemi Badenoch used to back means-testing the winter fuel payments.
Updated
Starmer says Sunak should apologise for £22bn black hole in government finances
Rishi Sunak says he wants to endorse what Starmer said about the late Queen, and about the Prince of Wales.
He says Labour MPs voted to remove the winter fuel payment from over 10m pensioners, including those on just £13,000 a year. He asks if Starmer will publish the impact assessement this week.
Starmer says “the fact of the matter is this, they left a £22bn black hole, and they hid it from the OBR”.
Mitigations are in place, he says. And he says the triple lock shows increases in pensions “will outstrip any loss of payments”.
He urges Sunak to apologise for the £22bn black hole.
Updated
Torsten Bell (Lab) says the Tories said the minimum wage would cost 1m jobs. But it did not. Today over one million workers have no sick pay. As he goes on, Lindsay Hoyle says the question is too long and cuts him off.
Starmer says the government will deliver for working people.
Keir Starmer starts by saying this weekend was the anniversary of the death of the Queen. There will be a new monument to honour her memory. He says MPs will want to send their best wishes to the Princess of Wales. The renters’ rights bill is being introduced, he says. And he is going to Washington later this week.
Reeves suggests she would not mind if rise in pension credit uptake wiped out winter fuel payment cut savings
The Conservatives have criticised Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, for allegedly saying the winter fuel payments cut won’t save any money.
In fact, Reeves did not say that. But, in an interview with GB News, she said she would not mind if the number of pensioners claiming pension credit went up by so much as to wipe out any savings from means-testing the winter fuel payment
In practice, this is unlikely to happen – although the government does want to increase pension credit takeup, which is currently only about 63%.
Asked to admit that a big increase in takeup would wipe out the £1.5bn saving from means-testing the winter fuel payment, Reeves said:
I would prefer the poorest pensioners to get the support that they’re entitled to. I would rather pay money to the poorest pensioners than to continue with a universal winter fuel payment, which meant that some people who didn’t need the money, were getting it and weren’t using it to pay their energy bills.
Now, many people in that situation were already giving that money to charity, whether it’s to food banks or to other good causes, because they recognise that they really shouldn’t, when the public finances are in the state they’re in and when, for some people, they are living day to day and relying on food banks, that it can’t be justified that you continue to pay winter fuel payments people regardless of what their incomes are.
Commenting on the interview, Laura Trott, the shadow secretary to the Treasury, said:
This admission confirms what we all knew, which is that Labour’s winter fuel payments cut for 10 million pensioners is a political choice, not driven by finances.
The Labour MPs were marched through the lobbies yesterday on false pretences by a chancellor who has planned to do this all along.
Starmer to face Sunak at PMQs
We’re about half an hour away from PMQs.
Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.
There are two statements in the Commons today after PMQs:
At 12.30pm: Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, on “UK government deal with Tata Steel UK on the Port Talbot transition project”
Around 1.30pm: Hilary Benn, the Northern Ireland secretary, on calls for a public inquiry into the murder of Pat Finucane by loyalist terrorists in 1989.
A new Labour pressure group aiming to “take on the Nimbys” is being launched today, PA Media says. PA reports.
The Labour Infrastructure Forum (LIF) said it would challenge the government to “push through the pain” to meet the party’s manifesto commitment to get Britain building again.
Describing itself as a “group of senior policymakers, industry experts and stakeholders from across the Labour movement”, the LIF is backed by former shadow roads minister Bill Esterson and three new Labour MPs – Luke Murphy, Kirsteen Sullivan and Mike Reader.
It is also supported by Blair-era cabinet minister Ruth Kelly, who now chairs Water UK, and Paul Addison, an executive at engineering firm Arup who worked on Labour’s infrastructure review before the election.
Farage claims Paul Nowak's attack on Reform UK shows TUC becoming increasingly political
In his speech to the TUC on Monday, Paul Nowak, the general secretary, launched a strong attack on Nigel Farage and other Reform UK leaders, saying they are frauds, not patriots.
Speaking on GB News, where he is a presenter, Farage hit back, claiming this was evidence that the TUC was becoming increasingly political. He said:
Those of a certain age can remember when the TUC was immensely powerful and very, very political.
I’ve just got a sense that this TUC is now starting to flex its political muscles in a way that we haven’t actually seen for decades in this country.
Interesting, isn’t it? I mean, why should the general secretary of the Trade Unions Congress choose to launch an attack on Reform, who may have a lot of voters but only have five members of parliament.
This, I think, is a sign we’re going to see a very political TUC.
James Cleverly rejects claim he is too 'centrist dad' to win Tory leadership contest
James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary and Tory leadership candidate, has brushed aside claims he is too much of a “centrist dad” to win the contest.
When this claim was put to him on Times Radio in an interview this morning, Cleverly replied:
What do you mean by that?
All the polling that I’ve seen shows that I am consistently either the top or near the top when it comes to who is most wanted by the parliamentary party. It’s shown that I’m best placed to take votes back that went to Reform, as well as those that went to other parties.
I’m staunchly conservative. I always have been. I’ve always advocated for lower tax, less regulation, more freedom and strong defence. And how other people want to try and paint me, that’s up to them. But I know where I stand. And I’m a staunchly conservative Conservative.
Reeves announces £8bn UK investment by Amazon’s cloud computing arm
Amazon’s cloud computing arm will invest £8bn in the UK to build datacentres that support customers in London and the west of England, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has said. Phillip Inman and Heather Stewart have the story.
Jeremy Hunt, the shadow chancellor, says this is continuation of work he was doing when he was running the Treasury.
Glad the Chancellor is carrying on the work done by the previous Conservative government in securing this investment from Amazon Web Services today.
— Jeremy Hunt (@Jeremy_Hunt) September 11, 2024
We left the government the fastest growing economy in the G7 - further business investment is key to sustaining that position. https://t.co/ebM2XBeJys
Glad the Chancellor is carrying on the work done by the previous Conservative government in securing this investment from Amazon Web Services today.
We left the government the fastest growing economy in the G7 - further business investment is key to sustaining that position.
Tories claim early release scheme 'wrong answer' for jail overcrowding and accuse Starmer of 'mass amnesty'
Yesterday around 1,700 prisoners in England and Wales were let out under an early release scheme announced by the government. Ministers say they have had to do this because the prisons are full. But the Conservatives don’t accept this, and the topic is likely to come up at PMQs.
James Cleverly, the shadow home secretary and Tory leadership candidate, told Sky News this morning that this “mass amnesty” was not necessary. He said:
The reason there was congestion in our prison system is because unlike many other countries during Covid who decided to prioritise the safety of prisoners and deprioritise the safety of the general population, we decided not to do that.
So we kept people in prison. We also kept jury trials. And the combination of those two things meant there was pressure.
We knew there was, and we were dealing with it, but this, basically, mass amnesty is completely the wrong answer.
One reason why Rishi Sunak may raise this is because the Conservatives often take inspiration from the Tory papers and today the Daily Mail has gone in very, very hard on the prisoner release story. Here’s their splash, which is apocalyptic.
Daily Mail: Who voted for all this? #TomorrowsPapersToday pic.twitter.com/67trbQ7Yfr
— George Mann (@sgfmann) September 10, 2024
But if Sunak does raise the early prisoner release scheme, Starmer will be able to hit back with new evidence that supports the government’s argument that it had no choice because the Tories left jails full to bursting, with no space for new offenders. Anushka Asthana, ITV’s deputy political editor, is about to publish a book about the election campaign and she reveals that Sunak’s prisons policy amounted to – well, praying something would turn up. In a blog last night she wrote:
The last Conservative justice secretary warned Rishi Sunak that if he failed to introduce an early prisoner release scheme (like the one that has been brought in today by Labour) they might need to “get down on their knees and pray” for the criminal justice system.
I can reveal Alex Chalk repeatedly spoke to the then prime minister, as well as officials in the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) and Downing Street, about what he called a “pray-date” that he warned was no later than mid-June.
He feared that after that point overcrowding could get so severe that the police would be forced to introduce Operation Brinker, effectively a one-in-one-out system.
Officials have told me they feared that could result in riots breaking out across the country’s prison estates.
At the briefing with Scottish lobby journalists yesterday, Keir Starmer also said he will lead a new council of the nations and regions, which will involve the first ministers of the three devolved administrations. The new body will replace the joint ministerial councils, which previously operated and brought ministers from Edinburgh, Cardiff and Belfast together with UK government ministers.
Starmer said that, under the old system, the PM “didn’t bother turning up” and the UK government (also, in effect, England) was represented by the chancellor of the duchy of Lancaster (Michael Gove). Starmer said the new body would be:
A proper council, where Scotland is properly represented by the first minister in a formal setting with me and the other first ministers, meeting on a regular basis, where we can look at challenges and opportunities together.
Some of Keir Starmer’s critics complain that he overdoes the gloom and negativity when talking about the outlook facing the country. A speech he gave in Downing Street in August is remembered as the ‘things can only get worse’ speech, after he told his audience: “Frankly - things will get worse before we get better.”
But he may be revising the message a bit. Yesterday he held a briefing with Scottish lobby journalists in Downing Street, embargoed until today, and, according to the PA Media report, he told them his government offered a “big message of hope”, despite having had to make decisions which “appear gloomy and hard”.
Starmer said:
There is massive hope in this, what we want to do, the change we want to bring about is massive.
It is to make sure the economy is not only growing but growing across the whole of the United Kingdom, including in Scotland, which will be measured in living standards rising, people feeling better off in a material way.
It will be interesting to see if he tries using language like this at PMQs.
Reeves says steel is 'vital part' of economy ahead of statement about Tata plant in Port Talbot
As Jack Simpson reports, Tata Steel is expected to announce the loss of around 2,500 jobs at its plant in Port Talbot. The government is also due to confirm a support package worth £500m for a new electric furnace there. But the jobs are going because the last blast furnace is closing. A statement in the Commons is expected later.
Speaking to broadcasters this morning, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, said the government regarded steel as a “vital part” of the economy. She said:
The steel sector is incredibly important for the UK economy and we’re working in partnership with business and trade unions to help that transition to green steel, which is what businesses are looking for today in construction projects, whilst also preserving jobs.
We’ll be making further detail available later today, but the steel sector is a vital part of our UK economy.
Keir Starmer to face PMQs as latest figures show economy stalling over summer
Good morning. Keir Starmer faces PMQs later today. It is only his third as prime minister, but there is not much novelty factor left, perhaps because his non-performative, serious, ‘government of service’ focus has been evident for some years. This afternoon he is likely to face more questions about the decision to means-test the winter fuel payment. But growth figures out this morning are also important – not because they reflect badly on the government (Labour was not even in office at the start of July), but because they illustrate the size of the challenge it faces.
Starmer and Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, say boosting growth is their top priority. But this morning’s figures show that, in July, there was no growth at all. It was the second month in a row where the economy flatlined. Larry Elliott has the details here.
And Julia Kollewe has reaction on her business live blog.
Commenting on the figures, Reeves said:
I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenge we face and I will be honest with the British people that change will not happen overnight.
Two quarters of positive economic growth does not make up for 14 years of stagnation.
That is why we are taking the long-term decisions now to fix the foundations of our economy.
Here is the agenda for the day.
10am: MPs start voting in the ballot to elect new select committee chairs. It closes at 4pm, and results should be announced in the early evening.
Noon: Keir Starmer faces Rishi Sunak at PMQs.
Afternoon: David Lammy, the foreign secretary, is expected to hold a press conference in Kyiv with Antony Blinken, his US counterpart.
After 12.30pm: Jonathan Reynolds, the business secretary, is expected to make a statement in the Commons about the future of the Tata steelworks in Port Talbot.
After 3.40pm: Peers debate the regulations to means-test the winter fuel payment.
Also, the government is publishes its renters’ rights bill at some point.
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