Summary
Here is a round-up of all of today’s top news stories from Westminster:
Tens of thousands of railway workers will stage fresh strikes in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions, PA Media has reported. The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said its members at Network Rail and 14 train operators will strike on 15 and 17 September. The union said more than 40,000 members would take action, which would “effectively shut down” the rail network.
Keir Starmer has denied that Labour’s energy policy amounts to “kicking the can down the road”, but acknowledged that something will have to be done early next year to tackle the crisis in the longer term. During a Q&A on BBC Radio 5 Live, the Labour leader was quizzed on his plans to tackle soaring energy bills beyond the middle of next year, PA Media reported. One listener told him: “The public is more leftwing than the Labour party at the moment.” Starmer replied: “I don’t accept that is kicking the can down the road.”
Boris Johnson has vowed to give his full support to the next prime minister, but could not resist using his penultimate speech to take a potshot at Liz Truss’s energy plans. In an attempt to shore up his legacy just days before he leaves No 10, the outgoing Conservative leader hailed the government’s “accelerated, long-overdue reforms” to make the UK more energy independent and announced £700m for the Sizewell C nuclear plant.
Johnson also said that “only time will tell” what kind of ex-prime minister he will be, and he reiterated that he will give his “full and unqualified support” to his successor. He will leave 10 Downing Street next week when he is likely to be replaced as prime minister by the current foreign secretary, Liz Truss, who leads the former chancellor Rishi Sunak in polling.
The chancellor, Nadhim Zahawi, has said energy supplies should not be cut off if people cannot afford their bills, as the Treasury examines a range of options to help consumers cope with the cost of living crisis. Zahawi promised that the government would expand on the £37bn package of aid announced earlier this year to help households tackle soaring energy costs. He told Sky News: “No one should be cut off because they can’t afford their bills.”
Michael Gove has urged Liz Truss to reconsider energy rationing for businesses this winter, after she rejected the idea at Wednesday’s final Tory leadership hustings. Gove said the UK should follow other European countries in urging companies to show restraint in their use of electricity and gas.
Michael Gove dismissed speculation he intends to quit politics, saying he is “definitely planning to stay in parliament”. Sacked by Boris Johnson as the levelling up and housing secretary after privately advising the prime minister to stand down, Gove laughed off suggestions he could become a newspaper editor.
The energy crisis is hitting UK household budgets harder than any country in western Europe, according to analysis by the International Monetary Fund. The difference between the cost burden on poor and rich households is also far more unequal in the UK than other countries. The reason is the UK’s heavy reliance on gas to heat homes and produce electricity at a time when Russia’s war in Ukraine has sent gas prices soaring. In addition, the UK has the least energy efficient homes in western Europe.
The foreign secretary, Liz Truss, vowed to continue to put pressure on Beijing to end its policies against Uyghur Muslims in Xinjiang, following a blistering report by the outgoing UN human rights commissioner, Michelle Bachelet, who accused China of “serious human rights violations” that may amount to crimes against humanity.
Keir Starmer told listeners to his BBC Radio 5 Live phone-in this morning that he knows what it is like to not be able to pay bills, amid rising concerns over the cost of living crisis. The Labour leader spoke about his own childhood as he was pressed on how his party would help struggling families.
Dozens of charities have demanded the government provide urgent financial support to households dealing with the cost of living crisis and have warned of a “tsunami of need” in the UK. The open letter, signed by 48 charity leaders, warns that an “economic crisis of a magnitude not experienced for decades” will push many formerly comfortable households into poverty and desperation.
Ambulance handover times is the “No 1 priority” for the NHS in England this winter, the health secretary, Steve Barclay, said in a speech this afternoon. Speaking at the rightwing Policy Exchange thinktank, Barclay said just a small number of hospital trusts accounted for almost half of ambulance delays.
That’s it from me, Tom Ambrose, for today. Thanks for following along. I’ll be back tomorrow morning to continue bringing you all the latest UK politics news.
Updated
More rail strike dates announced as fresh talks fail
Tens of thousands of railway workers will stage fresh strikes in a long-running dispute over pay, jobs and conditions, PA Media has reported.
The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said its members at Network Rail and 14 train operators will strike on 15 and 17 September.
The union said more than 40,000 of its members would take action, warning it woud “effectively shut down” the rail network.
Talks between the union and rail industry have been ongoing but there has been no breakthrough or new offers from either Network Rail or the operators, the union said.
The RMT general secretary, Mick Lynch, said:
Our members have no choice but to continue this strike action. Network Rail and the train operating companies have shown little interest this past few weeks in offering our members anything new in order for us to be able to come to a negotiated settlement.
Grant Shapps continues his dereliction of duty by staying in his bunker and shackling the rail industry from making a deal with us. We will continue to negotiate in good faith, but the employers and government need to understand our industrial campaign will continue for as long as it takes.
The news follows announcements by Aslef and the Transport Salaried Staffs Association of strikes by their members in the coming weeks.
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