Closing summary
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Here is a summary of the latest developments:
The prime minister travelled to Berlin for a meeting with the leaders of the US, France and Germany. The so-called “Quad” meeting on Friday afternoon discussed the war in Ukraine and the spiralling conflict in the Middle East. At a press conference after the meeting, Starmer described the meeting as “productive”.
“Let me start by saying, no one should mourn the death of Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar,” said Starmer, opening his press conference in Berlin on Friday. Starmer described Sinwar as having blood of both Israelis and Palestinians on his hands.
The UK’s position on suspending arms exports to Israel has not changed, the prime minister has said. Starmer told reporters on Friday: “We continue to support Israel’s right to self-defence, particularly in the face of the attacks by the Iranian regime.” He said allies would continue to work on de-escalating the conflict in the Middle East, describing the solution as coming from diplomacy.
Starmer reiterated support for Ukraine, saying: “We are absolutely united in our resolve and will back Ukraine for as long as it takes.” He said Russia was “getting weaker” said the “Quad” had discussed how to “speed up” its support of Ukraine. He added that the UK is “delivering”, stating that 95% of equipment promised to be fast-tracked in July is now in Ukraine. Starmer added: “Together with the G7, we’re working to send €50bn of support to Ukraine, drawn from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets.”
In his speech, Starmer addressed Israel, saying: “The world will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance. Civilians in northern Gaza need food now.” He said Unrwa must be allowed to continue its “life saving” work. He also called for a ceasefire in Gaza and Lebanon.
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is taking action to ensure her budget plan for a multibillion-pound increase in government borrowing to fund infrastructure projects avoids a Liz Truss-style meltdown in financial markets. Ahead of her tax and spending event on 30 October, the chancellor convened on Friday the first meeting of a taskforce of leading City figures to advise on infrastructure projects. The government will also launch a watchdog to oversee public works and ensure value for money for the taxpayer.
Reeves will seek to make about £3bn of cuts to welfare over the next four years by restricting access to sickness benefits, it is understood, according to the PA news agency. The chancellor is expected to commit to the previous Tory government’s plans to save the sum by reforming work capability rules, as first reported by the Telegraph. However, Work and pensions minister Alison McGovern said Labour will bring its “own reforms” to the benefits system in order to make the £3bn worth of cuts rather than stick to Tory plans.
Reeves is considering raising the tax on vaping products in her budget this month as figures show that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds in England have used e-cigarettes. The chancellor is looking at increasing the tax after a consultation carried out by the last Conservative government.
The Home Office has recruited 200 staff to clear a backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases left by the last government, a minister has told the Guardian. Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, said the department planned to end prolonged uncertainty and anguish for survivors by finalising the cases within two years. It follows reports that some trafficked survivors have been waiting years to be defined as victims of modern slavery.
Britain’s plans to boost the economy through sustained innovation have been thrown into doubt amid fears that research funding will suffer deep cuts after the government’s budget at the end of the month. Dozens of leading research and industry groups have written Reeves to warn against “the false economy of short-term cuts”, that would “undermine” economic growth and lead to losses in jobs, expertise and momentum in the sector.
Peers have called for unaccompanied children who come to the UK as refugees to be allowed to bring their families, branding current rules “inhumane”. The refugees (family reunion) bill seeks to protect the “rights of people who seek safety in the UK, to be joined by their family”, Liberal Democrat Sally Hamwee, who tabled the bill, said.
Charities should criticise the government if they disagree on controversial policies areas such as immigration or the environment, the UK culture secretary has said, as she announced plans to restore civil society organisations to “the centre of our national life”. Lisa Nandy said publicly speaking out was “critical to a healthy, functioning democracy” and that charities should “tell government where we’re getting it wrong and work with us to set it right”.
Small boat crossings are a “national emergency”, The Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick said after French authorities announced that a baby had died when a boat got into difficulty in the English Channel. Jenrick, who has made opposing migration a central plank of his leadership bid said “Starmer is condemning people to death for his own ideology” by having scrapped the Rwanda scheme.
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have attacked each other’s visions for the future of the Conservative party, in a sometimes low-key debate which could nonetheless prove significant in who becomes the next opposition leader. The event on GB News on Thursday evening, the only debate scheduled, involved the pair taking turns to tackle questions from audience members rather than going head to head, but featured notable differences of opinion on strategy and policies such as immigration.
SNP chief executive Murray Foote has announced he will stand down, saying in a statement he could not make the “necessary personal commitment” to delivering change in the party ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election
George Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, has urged Church of England bishops in the House of Lords to back a parliamentary bill on assisted dying, saying that in the past “church leaders have often shamefully resisted change”. The 26 bishops should “be on the side of those who … want a dignified, compassionate end to their lives”, Lord Carey told the Guardian.
The family of Alex Salmond gathered at Aberdeen airport as the plane carrying the former first minister’s body arrived from North Macedonia, where he died on Saturday. Salmond’s coffin was draped in a Saltire ahead of the plane bringing him home to Scotland taking off.
An independent crossbench peer has called for schoolchildren to be taught the “values of British citizenship”. Richard Harries has proposed that democracy, the rule of law, freedom, individual worth, and respect for the environment are taught in schools as “values of British citizenship”, as part of the education (values of british citizenship) bill.
Updated
The UK’s position on suspending arms exports to Israel has not changed, the prime minister has said.
Asked if he would follow the US in considering further suspensions if the humanitarian situation in Gaza did not improve, Keir Starmer told reporters in Berlin after his press conference:
The situation on arms sales has been made very clear and a summary – published for parliament but more widely – and our position on that has not changed.
We strongly support Israel’s right to self-defence, particularly in the face of the Iranian regime’s actions.
But I do think the death of Sinwar provides an opportunity for a step towards that ceasefire that we have long called for.”
Starmer reiterates support for Ukraine at Berlin press conference
Starmer reiterated the UK’s support for Ukraine:
So, as Ukraine enters a difficult winter, it is important to say: We are with you, we are absolutely united in our resolve and will back Ukraine for as long as it takes.”
Updated
Starmer said Russia is “getting weaker” as its war with Ukraine continues. He pointed to the conflict taking up 40% of Russia’s budget and having suffered the highest daily casualty rate of the conflict so far last month.
Starmer said the “Quad” discussed how to “speed up” its support of Ukraine. He added that the UK is “delivering”, stating that 95% of equipment promised to be fast-tracked in July is now in Ukraine.
Starmer said:
Together with the G7, we’re working to send €50bn of support to Ukraine, drawn from the proceeds of frozen Russian assets.”
On the conflict in Ukraine, Starmer said he built on the conversation he had with president Volodymyr Zelenskyy at Downing Street last week. He said: “We [the ‘Quad’] remain united in our support for Ukraine.”
Starmer said:
So, we’re clear, together with president Zelenskyy, that the only acceptable outcome is a sovereign Ukraine and a just peace. We want to see Ukraine thriving and secure and will work together to make that happen.”
Starmer tells Israel 'the world will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance' in Gaza
In his speech, Starmer addressed Israel, saying: “The world will not tolerate any more excuses on humanitarian assistance. Civilians in northern Gaza need food now.”
He said Unrwa must be allowed to continue its “life saving” work. He also called for a ceasefire in Lebanon.
Updated
Starmer said “we continue to support Israel’s right to self-defence, particularly in the face of the attacks by the Iranian regime”.
He said allies would continue to work on de-escalating the conflict in the Middle East, describing the solution as coming from diplomacy.
He added:
What is needed now is a ceasefire in Gaza, the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, immediate access to humanitarian aid and return to the path to he two-state solution, as the only way to deliver long term peace and security. ”
Updated
Starmer begins Berlin press conference by saying 'no one should mourn' death of Yahya Sinwar
Keir Starmer has started speaking after his meeting in Berlin with US president Joe Biden, German chancellor Olaf Scholz and French president Emmanuel Macron.
He begins by saying they held a “productive” meeting focused on two issues: the situation in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine.
“Let me start by saying, no one should mourn the death of Hamas leader, Yahya Sinwar,” says Starmer. He adds that Sinwar had the blood of both Israelis and Palestinians on his hands.
Updated
The parents of a nine-month-old boy who died after choking at nursery are hopeful new government measures will “improve the safety of childcare settings for everyone” after their three-year campaign, reports the PA news agency.
Oliver Steeper died in hospital in September 2021, six days after he choked on chopped penne pasta at the Jelly Beans day nursery in Ashford, Kent.
Parents Lewis and Zoe Steeper have been calling for better safety standards at childcare providers of emergency first aid provision and weaning babies on to solid food since their son’s death.
At the close of Oliver’s inquest in May this year, coroner Katrina Hepburn said regulations requiring one first aider per nursery “pose a risk to future life” and wrote to the Department for Education on preventing future deaths.
Ministers have confirmed early years safeguarding reforms to come into force in September 2025, including to make sure there is always a staff member in the room with a valid paediatric first aid certificate while children are eating, and talking to parents about introducing solid foods to their child.
According to the PA news agency, the move comes after a consultation which showed “strong support” on proposals on safer eating for childcare providers.
Lewis Steeper said:
After Oliver tragically passed away in September 2021 from choking on penne pasta at the age of nine months, we are embracing these changes.
The investigations conducted after Oliver’s death revealed certain issues that needed to be addressed. This update from the Department for Education will rectify those issues and improve the safety of childcare settings for everyone.”
Jill Paterson, the family’s solicitor from law firm Leigh Day, added:
Oli’s parents have campaigned since his death to do what they can to ensure that no other families have to go through the tragedy that they have.
These new measures are a very welcome development towards safer childcare provision and a tribute to the tireless work of Oli’s brave parents.”
Updated
Here are some images, via the news wires, of Keir Starmer on his visit to Berlin today:
Updated
Peers have called for unaccompanied children who come to the UK as refugees to be allowed to bring their families, branding current rules “inhumane”, reports the PA news agency.
The refugees (family reunion) bill seeks to protect the “rights of people who seek safety in the UK, to be joined by their family”, Liberal Democrat Sally Hamwee, who tabled the bill, said.
Former top judge and independent crossbench peer Elizabeth Butler-Sloss argued that children are being “exploited and trafficked” under current rules.
She told peers:
Unaccompanied refugee children are not well cared for in this country, there are many dangers for all of them.
Between 2021 and 2024, children were being placed in asylum hotels and 440 disappeared. 132 have not yet been found, where are they? Almost certainly they’ve been trafficked.”
Lady Butler-Sloss added:
These children, I have to say, need families. They don’t need care homes. It would save a lot of money, the present government might look at the cost to the country of the care of each individual child.
This is a situation which is drifting, this bill is timely, it’s welcome, and it’s important.”
During the bill’s second reading debate, Liberal Democrat peer Sarah Ludford said:
The core proposition is that families belong together, and that we should do what we can to mend the effects of war and persecution that tear them apart. It is simply inhumane to keep families apart.”
Green party peer Natalie Bennett also spoke in support of the bill, saying:
The Home Office cannot be trusted to behave with humanity and justice, and therefore we need this legal provision.”
Conservative frontbencher Andrew Sharpe argued the bill “would potentially jeopardise vulnerable children’s safety as well as having substantial implications for our already stretched public resources”.
Home Office minister David Hanson said:
In our 106th day in office, it would be rash to take those steps today without a reflection on that as a long-term responsibility.”
He added that “wherever possible family reunion is important”, but went on to say: “There are criminal gangs who will watch this debate, watch the progress of this Bill, and will seek to exploit the issues before us.”
Charities should criticise the government if they disagree on controversial policies areas such as immigration or the environment, the UK culture secretary has said, as she announced plans to restore civil society organisations to “the centre of our national life”.
Lisa Nandy said publicly speaking out was “critical to a healthy, functioning democracy” and that charities should “tell government where we’re getting it wrong and work with us to set it right”. She indicated they should no longer be told to “stick to their knitting”, a reference to a criticism by a previous Conservative government that charities had strayed too far into politics.
She spoke to the Guardian as she unveiled a new deal between the government and the £54bn-a-year charity sector that aims to give charity bosses greater influence and enlist them in the delivery of Labour’s five core missions.
The family of Alex Salmond are gathered at Aberdeen airport as the plane carrying the former first minister’s body lands from North Macedonia, where he died on Saturday.
The acting Alba party leader Kenny MacAskill, who assumed the role following Salmond death, and a piper joined relatives. The flight arrived in Aberdeen at 1.55pm on Friday. Salmond’s body will be taken to his family home in Aberdeenshire.
Starmer arrives in Germany for talks on Ukraine and Middle East conflicts
The prime minister has arrived in Berlin ahead of a meeting with the leaders of the US, France and Germany. The so-called “Quad” meeting on Friday afternoon is expected to discuss the war in Ukraine and the spiralling conflict in the Middle East.
Keir Starmer was greeted by German chancellor Olaf Scholz as he arrived ahead of the discussions.
The trip comes after Israel announced on Thursday its military had killed the Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar; presenting his death as a turning point in the country’s campaign against the group.
The White House confirmed the US president Joe Biden will meet Starmer and the French president Emmanuel Macron to discuss “the pathway ahead in Ukraine” and “the ongoing and fast-moving developments across the Middle East”.
Biden said Sinwar’s killing was a “good day for Israel, for the United States, and for the world”, with officials in Washington expressing muted optimism that his death may remove a key obstacle in ceasefire talks that have so far failed to produce a breakthrough.
Starmer said the UK “will not mourn” the death of the mastermind of Hamas’ 7 October attacks, as he repeated calls for an immediate ceasefire in the Middle East.
Britain’s plans to boost the economy through sustained innovation have been thrown into doubt amid fears that research funding will suffer deep cuts following the government’s budget at the end of the month.
Dozens of leading research and industry groups have written to the chancellor Rachel Reeves to warn against “the false economy of short-term cuts”, that would “undermine” economic growth and lead to losses in jobs, expertise and momentum in the sector.
The letter, organised by the Campaign for Science and Engineering and signed by the Wellcome Trust, Cancer Research UK and the Russell Group of research-intensive universities, said prospective cuts would have “significant negative consequences” for UK research and development and put the brakes on economic growth.
The concerns focus on the budget for the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology following reports that the Treasury is proposing a flat cash settlement for a year and looking for the department to absorb up to £1bn in costs for participating in the flagship Horizon Europe research programme. The letter states:
Reports of a re-profiling of investment leading to additional costs in Dsit’s 2025/26 budget, with no extra financing provided to cover a shortfall, are very concerning. It would mean deep cuts across other parts of R&D investment.
Alicia Greated, executive director of Case, says:
We recognise that finances are stretched, and the government must make some difficult decisions around where money is spent. However, we are extremely concerned by the prospect of Dsit needing to absorb additional costs relating to Horizon Europe association, without additional money.
To cover these costs would require deep cuts elsewhere in the R&D sector. This would lead to the loss of jobs, expertise, and momentum right when the sector is needed to make a vital contribution to boosting economic growth and productivity.
Dr Tim Bradshaw, the chief executive of the Russell Group says:
Our sector has consistently proved how research and innovation delivers high rates of return, economically and socially, contributing to job creation, regional investment and breakthroughs that improve public services.
We know the tough fiscal environment we’re operating in. But to achieve long-term growth – and build confidence in the UK as an attractive investment prospect – we urgently need stable policies and sustained research and development investment. Otherwise, we risk cutting off the research and innovation pipeline that contributes so much to the economy, services and citizens across the UK.
Alex Salmond’s coffin was draped in a Saltire ahead of the plane bringing him home to Scotland taking off.
The politician died on Saturday from a heart attack while speaking at a conference in the city of Ohrid in the country’s south west.
The flight took off from Ohrid St Paul the Apostle Airport just after 10.20am UK-time.
Salmond’s body will return to the north east of Scotland, close to his home in Strichen, in Aberdeenshire, and the seats he represented at both Westminster and Holyrood, on Friday afternoon. Plans are being put in place for for a private family funeral along with a more public memorial service.
The former SNP MP and Alba Party chairwoman Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh attended the coffin before it was taken to the plane, which was paid for by businessman Sir Tom Hunter. Ahmed-Sheikh draped the coffin in the Saltire, which is understood to have been provided by the Scotland Office, as it was taken from a van on the tarmac.
Updated
Small boat crossings are a “national emergency”, The Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick says after French authorities announce a baby died when a boat got into difficulty in the English Channel. Jenrick, who has made opposing migration a central plank of his leadership bid, says:
We’ve seen more deaths this year than ever before. Starmer is condemning people to death for his own ideology.
Rather than strengthening the Rwanda scheme to deter people from making the journey in the first place, he scrapped it all because he didn’t come up with the idea.
Now, European countries are looking to do the same thing. It’s a national emergency and he’s playing politics with it.
The small boats crisis largely arose under the Conservative government of which Jenrick was himself a part. Describing that government’s policy in February 2023, Amnesty International said:
It is a government choice to require refugees wishing to seek asylum in the UK to rely on dangerous journeys and people smugglers.
Instead, hundreds of refugee and human rights organisations have proposed opening safe and legal routes, among other measures, as a way of solving the crisis. Far from settling the problem, those organisations believe Conservative policies such as the Rwanda scheme exacerbated it.
The Rwanda plan cost the UK £700m in the two and a half years between its introduction by the Tories and its scrapping by the current government. Under it, a total of four people went to Rwanda – all of them voluntarily.
Keir Starmer’s thoughts are with Alex Salmond’s family and friends as the former first minister of Scotland’s coffin is returned home, No 10 says.
A spokeswoman also urges people to respect the family’s calls for privacy.
Former archbishop of Canterbury urges C of E bishops in Lords to back assisted dying bill
George Carey, the former archbishop of Canterbury, has urged Church of England bishops in the House of Lords to back a parliamentary bill on assisted dying, saying that in the past “church leaders have often shamefully resisted change”.
The 26 bishops should “be on the side of those who … want a dignified, compassionate end to their lives”, Lord Carey told the Guardian.
Carey, who retired as leader of the C of E in 2002 and still sits in the Lords, said he would back Kim Leadbeater’s bill to legalise assisted dying “because it is necessary, compassionate and principled”.
He said it was “ironic that I will represent the vast majority of Anglicans who favour change, and the bishops in the House of Lords will not”.
Carey’s position is in stark contrast to that of the current archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, who this week described Leadbeater’s bill as dangerous, saying it could put pressure on people to ask for an assisted death.
Stephen Cottrell, the archbishop of York, also said the state “should not legalise assisted suicide”, saying better resourcing of palliative care was the right response to end-of-life suffering.
Alan Smith, the bishop of St Albans and convener of bishops sitting in the Lords, said: “In the past, bishops have consistently opposed legislation to introduce assisted dying/suicide. It is likely that we will do the same in the future.”
According to the Rev Canon Rosie Harper, a former member of the C of E’s ruling body, the General Synod, “there is a real disconnect between the [church] hierarchy and what people in the pews think. And I suspect there’s a disconnect between what the bishops feel they have to say and what many of them actually think.”
You can read the full piece here:
Updated
An independent crossbench peer has called for schoolchildren to be taught the “values of British citizenship”, reports the PA news agency.
Richard Harries has proposed that democracy, the rule of law, freedom, individual worth, and respect for the environment are taught in schools as “values of British citizenship”, as part of the education (values of british citizenship) bill.
Opening the bill’s second reading debate on Thursday, Lord Harries said:
I believe passionately that fundamental values should be taught in schools, at a time when the world has a growing number of dictatorships, autocracies, and managed democracies, it’s vital that pupils in our schools should understand the fundamental political values on which our society is founded.”
Harries added:
For young people this is often the key moral issue of our times. I believe that the addition of respect for the environment would help young people see the importance of this set of values as a whole.”
He went on to say that the bill would “give a boost to citizenship education, it would show clearly the political values that are to be taught, [and] it would give the subject a much sharper focus”.
British values should be taught in schools or the UK will live to “regret” it, Labour peer David Blunkett said.
The former education secretary told peers:
We have seen over the summer the riots taking place across our country sadly, and because of course we see the most enormous threats both from the distortion on social media, and the re-emergence of the far right across the world, so this is the moment to reinforce the importance of those values which do hold us together, the ties that bind.
Let us take this bill and use it as a mechanism to go forward, genuinely believing if we don’t teach this now, we’ll regret it later.”
Lord Blunkett also argued that teachers should receive additional training and funding to accomplish the bill’s ambitions, saying:
We must train teachers, we must give bursaries – which we’re not doing – to enable that to take place.”
Updated
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is taking action to ensure her budget plan for a multibillion-pound increase in government borrowing to fund infrastructure projects avoids a Liz Truss-style meltdown in financial markets.
Ahead of her tax and spending event on 30 October, the chancellor is convening on Friday the first meeting of a taskforce of leading City figures to advise on infrastructure projects. The government will also launch a watchdog to oversee public works and ensure value for money for the taxpayer.
It is understood Reeves is preparing to announce changes in the budget to the Treasury’s self-imposed fiscal rules to pave the way for billions of pounds in additional borrowing to finance major public works including roads, railways, schools and hospitals.
Darren Jones, the chief secretary to the Treasury, told journalists on Thursday it was important to have “guardrails” to ensure major public works offered value for money, after years of overspending and delays in big projects.
City investors have warned that a badly managed increase in government borrowing risked prompting a “buyers’ strike” in the market for UK debt, threatening a repeat of the turmoil witnessed after Truss’s 2022 disastrous mini-budget.
Sources close to the Treasury said the government understood that if it was going to add to borrowing, it needed to be clear with the public, parliament and the markets that what it was doing was sensible.
Keir Starmer will gather with leaders of the US, France and Germany to discuss the war in Ukraine and spiralling conflict in the Middle East as he visits Berlin on Friday.
The prime minister will be greeted by chancellor Olaf Scholz before holding talks as part of the so-called “Quad” of western allies, reports the PA news agency.
The White House confirmed that US president Joe Biden would meet Starmer and French president Emmanuel Macron to discuss “the pathway ahead in Ukraine” and “the ongoing and fast-moving developments across the Middle East”.
The chancellor has warned that a £22bn “black hole” in the public finances – which Labour claims it inherited from the Conservatives – will persist over the next five years, forcing the new government to take “difficult decisions” on spending, welfare and tax.
Rachel Reeves is aiming to make £40bn worth of tax rises and spending cuts a year to overcome the shortfall, in order to meet her “golden rule” of balancing day-to-day spending with tax receipts. This would help to avoid a fresh round of cuts to departmental budgets.
My colleague, Richard Partington who is the Guardian’s economics correspondent, has written an explainer on the tax raising options under consideration. You can read it at the link below.
Rachel Reeves considers raising tax on vapes in autumn budget
Rachel Reeves is considering raising the tax on vaping products in her budget this month as figures show that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds in England have used e-cigarettes.
The chancellor is looking at increasing the tax after a consultation carried out by the last Conservative government.
In his budget in March, Jeremy Hunt announced a tax on vaping products, which is due to take effect in October 2026, in a move to make vaping unaffordable for children.
NHS figures on Thursday revealed that one in four children aged 11-15 in England tried vaping in 2023 – up from 22% two years earlier – with almost one in 10 (9%) using e-cigarettes regularly. By comparison, 11% said they had tried cigarettes.
Matt Fagg, NHS England’s director for prevention and long-term conditions, said the statistics were “incredibly concerning. It means they are at risk of becoming hooked on one of the world’s most addictive substances, and that is before we consider the longer-term impacts which are still unclear.”
Andrew Gwynne, a health minister, also said the figures were worrying. “The health advice is clear that children and adult non-smokers should never vape, so it is unacceptable to see unscrupulous retailers marketing them at children,” he said.
An increase in the tax on vaping products would probably go hand-in-hand with an increase in tobacco duty so as not to encourage people to switch to smoking.
The move could raise hundreds of millions of pounds for the exchequer. The vape tax as designed by Hunt is due to raise £120m in 2026-27, rising to £445m by 2028-29, according to estimates from the charity Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).
You can read more on this exclusive by Eleni Courea, Peter Walker and Andrew Gregory here:
Tory MP's Badenoch comments prompt backlash from across political spectrum
A veteran Conservative MP has sparked outrage after saying he would not support Kemi Badenoch to be the Tory party leader because she is “preoccupied with her own children”.
Sir Christopher Chope told ITV News that the frontrunner in his party’s leadership race would be unable to commit to the role of leader of the opposition as she has young children.
Chope said he would support Badenoch’s opponent, the former immigration minister Robert Jenrick, adding:
I myself am supporting Robert Jenrick because I think he’s brought more energy and commitment to the campaign, and being leader of the opposition is a really demanding job.
Much as I like Kemi, I think she’s preoccupied with her own children, quite understandably. I think Robert’s children are a bit older, and I think that it’s important that whoever leads the opposition has got an immense amount of time and energy.”
Both candidates have three children. Badenoch’s youngest is five and Jenrick’s is eight.
Chope’s comments were quickly condemned by members of the Conservative, Labour and Liberal Democrat parties, with Jenrick also distancing himself from them.
Christopher Chope is not a serious person. No one should be surprised by stupidity it's a regular occurrence. Luckily he's as influential as an empty space.
— Jess Phillips (@jessphillips) October 17, 2024
Liz Jarvis, the Liberal Democrat MP, tweeted: “Diminishing women’s ability to play leading roles in public life because they have young families is an attitude that should be in the distant past.”
Helena Dollimore, a Labour backbencher, posted: “I thought nothing could shock me about the state of the Conservative party, but that was before I had to sit through Christopher Chope MP opining about whether mothers can lead political parties.”
Her Labour colleague Stella Creasy added: “This is why we urgently need paternity leave sorted. Because until people start wondering if dads get distracted by their kids as much as they do mums, we will always have dinosaurs walk amongst us … or in this case on the modernisation committee in parliament …”
This is why we urgently need paternity leave sorted. Because until people start wondering if dads get distracted by their kids as much as they do mums, we will always have dinosaurs walk amongst us …or in this case on the modernisation committee in parliament …🫨 https://t.co/7YpqS6Ykk4
— stellacreasy (@stellacreasy) October 17, 2024
A spokesperson for Jenrick also disowned Chope’s comments, saying: “Rob doesn’t agree with this. He’s raising three young daughters himself.”
Updated
Home Office hires 200 staff to clear huge backlog of UK modern slavery cases
The Home Office has recruited 200 staff to clear a backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases left by the last government, a minister has told the Guardian.
Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, said the department planned to end prolonged uncertainty and anguish for survivors by finalising the cases within two years.
It follows reports that some trafficked survivors have been waiting years to be defined as victims of modern slavery.
There are an estimated 130,000 victims of modern slavery in the UK, trapped in sectors including agriculture, prostitution and care. Most have suffered traumatic sexual, physical and economic abuse but face long delays in having their status confirmed through the National Referral Mechanism (NRM).
The aim of the NRM is to protect people from further abuse once they are no longer being controlled by their traffickers by providing safe housing, counselling and other support to help them recover from their ordeal.
Phillips, who met survivors of modern slavery on Thursday at Salvation Army premises in Denmark Hill, south London, said that the government was attempting to right a wrong by issuing a final decision in the process.
“For too long, modern slavery survivors and the harrowing experiences they have lived through have not been given the attention and support they deserve,” she said.
“This is going to change. The actions I have announced today are a first step towards putting survivors first, eradicating the backlog of modern slavery cases to give victims the clarity and peace of mind they need to move on with their lives.”
Murray Foote was praised by first minister and SNP leader John Swinney, who hailed his “significant contribution” to the party.
“When I became leader of the SNP, I promised to deliver a professional, modern, dynamic, election-winning organisation – and Murray’s successor will build on the work he has started,” he said.
He added:
I would like to extend my sincere thanks to Murray for his commitment and dedication to the Scottish National Party, and to independence, and I wish he and his family all the best for the future.”
Foote said he would “always be grateful” for being given the role, adding:
I also believe that in first minister John Swinney, our party has the right leader at the right time to advance the cause of Scottish independence and I look to the future with renewed optimism as I support him in that cause.”
My colleagues Peter Walker and Rosie Anfilogoff have put together this handy piece on the five key takeaways from last night’s Tory debate.
Badenoch and Jenrick spar over visions for future of Tory party in TV debate
Kemi Badenoch and Robert Jenrick have attacked each other’s visions for the future of the Conservative party, in a sometimes low-key debate which could nonetheless prove significant in who becomes the next opposition leader.
The event on GB News, the only debate scheduled, involved the pair taking turns to tackle questions from audience members rather than going head to head, but featured notable differences of opinion on strategy and policies such as immigration.
Jenrick, going first, repeatedly pledged to “end the drama” in the Tory party, seen as a coded reference to Badenoch’s sometimes combustible approach.
Badenoch was polite about her opponent as a person but scathing when it came to his suite of headline policies, notably Jenrick’s repeated pledge to immediately quit the European convention on human rights (ECHR), which he again styled on Thursday as a Brexit-type “leave or remain” issue.
Badenoch argued the idea was a distraction from bigger worries and not properly thought-out.
“We need to stop blaming the EU or international agreements and start fixing problems here ourselves,” she said.
Leaving the ECHR was “not dissimilar to leaving the EU in terms of the consequences”, Badenoch said, in that there could be significant repercussions for Northern Ireland, where the convention forms an integral part of the peace process.
Badenoch, who gained noticably more applause than Jenrick from the audience of Tory members and won a post-event show of hands, criticised Jenrick’s policy focus, saying that with an election still far away, the party needed to first look at its fundamentals.
You can read the full recap by Peter Walker here:
SNP chief executive Murray Foote announces he will stand down
SNP chief executive Murray Foote has announced he will stand down, saying in a statement he could not make the “necessary personal commitment” to delivering change in the party ahead of the 2026 Holyrood election, reports the PA news agency.
The former Daily Record editor was appointed to the role in a surprising move in 2023 after previously resigning as the party’s head of communications in a row with former chief executive – and Nicola Sturgeon’s husband – Peter Murrell over membership numbers.
“The SNP has recently embarked on a substantial process of internal reorganisation and renewal to better equip it for current electoral contests and to prepare for the critical Scottish parliament elections in 2026,” he said in a statement.
He added:
While I agree these changes are both essential and appropriate, I also recognised after a period of reflection that I could not make the necessary personal commitment to leading the delivery of these changes into 2026 and beyond.
In the circumstances, I concluded it would be in my best interests and the best interests of the party that I step down to give my replacement the time and space to mould and develop these changes in a manner they deem appropriate.”
The PA news agency reports that Foote will stay in the role until a successor is appointed.
Updated
The chancellor will hold talks with City bosses on Friday at the first meeting of Labour’s British infrastructure taskforce, as the government seeks advice on how to boost investment in the UK.
Finance leaders from HSBC, Lloyds and M&G will be among those involved in the discussions, which the Treasury says will take place regularly.
Rachel Reeves said their expertise will be “invaluable in the weeks and months ahead” as the government pursues its “number one mission to grow the economy and create jobs”, according to the PA news agency.
Chief secretary to the Treasury Darren Jones said the taskforce would aim to end “the cycle of underinvestment that has plagued our infrastructure systems for over a decade.”
Rachel Reeves will seek to make about £3bn of cuts to welfare over the next four years by restricting access to sickness benefits, it is understood, according to the PA news agency.
The chancellor is expected to commit to the previous Tory government’s plans to save the sum by reforming work capability rules, as first reported by the Telegraph.
Under Conservative proposals, welfare eligibility would have been tightened so that about 400,000 more people who are signed off long-term would be assessed as needing to prepare for employment by 2028/29, reducing the benefits bill by an estimated £3bn.
The PA news agency reports that tt is understood that Reeves will commit to the plan to save £3bn over four years, but work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall will decide how the system will be changed in order to achieve this.
A government spokesperson said:
We have always said that the work capability assessment is not working and needs to be reformed or replaced alongside a proper plan to support disabled people to work.
We will deliver savings through our own reforms, including genuine support to help disabled people into work.”
Reeves is looking to raise up to £40bn from tax increases and spending cuts in the budget as the government seeks to avoid a return to austerity.
Keir Starmer on Thursday faced a cabinet backlash over the planned measures, with several ministers writing to the prime minister directly to express concern about proposals to reduce their departmental spending by as much as 20%.
Downing Street warned that “not every department will be able to do everything they want to” and “tough decisions” would have to be made.
According to the PA news agency, the prime minister’s official spokesperson confirmed Starmer and Reeves had agreed on the “major measures” of the budget, including the “spending envelope” that sets out limits for individual Whitehall departments.
While some spending cuts are all but inevitable, tax rises are expected to form the centrepiece of Reeves’ plans to fill what the Labour government calls a “black hole” in the public finances left behind by its Tory predecessors.
Reports suggest capital gains tax and inheritance tax are among some of the levers the chancellor will pull to raise revenue as she seeks to put the economy on a firmer footing.
Labour will bring its 'own reforms' to benefits system to make £3bn cuts, says work and pension minister
Labour will bring its “own reforms” to the benefits system in order to make £3bn worth of cuts rather than stick to Tory plans, a minister has suggested, reports the PA news agency.
Work and pensions minister Alison McGovern was asked by Times Radio why Labour was pressing ahead with plans made by the previous Conservative government to reform work capability rules.
She replied:
Like all departments, the Department for Work and Pensions has to make savings because we are in a terrible financial situation.
To be clear, on that point we will bring forward our own reforms because the last 14 years have been a complete failure when it comes to employment.”
Pressed if this meant there would be no cuts, she added:
We will not go ahead with the Tory plan because that was theirs. We will need to make savings like all departments, but we will bring forward our own reforms.”
Rachel Reeves will seek to make around £3bn of cuts to welfare over the next four years by restricting access to sickness benefits, it is understood. The chancellor is looking to raise up to £40bn from tax hikes and spending cuts in the budget as the government seeks to avoid a return to austerity, reports the PA news agency.
Elsewhere, the prime minister, Keir Starmer, will join US president Joe Biden, French president Emmanuel Macron and German chancellor Olaf Scholz in Berlin for talks focused largely on how to end the fighting in Ukraine as Russian forces advance in the east and a bleak winter of power cuts looms.
More on that in a moment. In other developments and upcoming events:
British foreign secretary David Lammy will meet his counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing on Friday to “challenge” China on sensitive issues like Russia’s war in Ukraine, as the two nations seek to rebuild frayed ties. Lammy is the first British cabinet minister to visit China since Labour prime minister Keir Starmer took office in July.
Rachel Reeves is considering raising the tax on vaping products in her budget this month as figures show that a quarter of 11 to 15-year-olds in England have used e-cigarettes. The chancellor is looking at increasing the tax after a consultation carried out by the last Conservative government.
The chancellor is taking action to ensure her budget plan for a multibillion-pound increase in government borrowing to fund infrastructure projects avoids a Liz Truss-style meltdown in financial markets. Ahead of her tax and spending event on 30 October, Reeves is convening on Friday the first meeting of a taskforce of leading City figures to advise on infrastructure projects.
Kemi Badenoch has criticised a Conservative MP’s suggestion she could not head the Tories because she was too “preoccupied” with her children, saying “it isn’t always women who have parental responsibilities”.
Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s leader at Westminster, has written to the prime minister urging him to intervene and stop the cuts in this year’s budget. He said, in a letter seen by the PA news agency, that Starmer must “listen to voters and your own cabinet colleagues: intervene now, overrule the chancellor and stop the cuts, or people in Scotland will never forgive the Labour party”.
The Home Office has recruited 200 staff to clear a backlog of 23,300 modern slavery cases left by the last government, a minister has told the Guardian. Jess Phillips, the safeguarding minister, said the department planned to end prolonged uncertainty and anguish for survivors by finalising the cases within two years.
