Closing summary
That’s all from me, Tom Ambrose, and indeed the UK politics live blog for today. Thank you for following along.
The blog will be back tomorrow at the usual time but, for now, stay informed of all the latest UK politics news here. Goodnight.
David Lammy has referred himself to the environment watchdog because he did not have a rod licence to go fishing with JD Vance. The foreign secretary failed to catch any fish when he hosted the US vice-president at his grace-and-favour retreat at Chevening House, Kent. Anglers in England and Wales aged 13 or over must have a rod licence to fish for freshwater species, such as carp, according to the Environment Agency.
Donald Trump’s interventions over the Ukraine war have created a “viable” chance of a ceasefire but the UK stands ready to “increase pressure” on Russia if necessary, Keir Starmer has said. In a call with allies on Wednesday, the prime minister said the meeting between the US president and Russian leader Vladimir Putin is “hugely important” with the prospect of a truce in sight, PA reported.
Keir Starmer has said that plans have already been formed to deploy a “reassurance force” once a ceasefire between Ukraine and Russia has been agreed. The prime minister said the UK was also drawing up further sanctions on Russia as part of an attempt to squeeze Vladimir Putin.
The next mass protest in support of the banned group Palestine Action will aim to be twice the size of the last, organisers have said, as they increase pressure on the government to lift its proscription. Last Saturday’s protest in Parliament Square was predicated on 500 people signing up but the next one, announced on Wednesday for 6 September, is conditional on 1,000 people agreeing to take part.
Keir Starmer is to formally revive Northern Powerhouse rail this autumn with an announcement expected before the Labour conference, as a major demonstration of Labour’s commitment to northern infrastructure. Sources said the speech would be delivered by both Starmer and Rachel Reeves as they attempt to show their commitment to Labour’s former heartlands across the north of England, where Nigel Farage’s Reform UK is eyeing significant gains at the next general election.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has paid tribute to Welsh Labour politician Hefin David, describing him as a “powerful voice for the people of Wales and a committed public servant”. Backbench politician David died suddenly, the first minister of Wales confirmed on Wednesday shortly before midday. Eluned Morgan, the Welsh Labour leader, paid tribute to the Caerphilly MS, who has been a member of the Welsh parliament since 2016.
The Treasury is looking at ways to increase the money it collects through inheritance tax (IHT), sources have told the Guardian. Ideas on the table include a review of the rules on giving away assets, with one possibility being the introduction of a lifetime cap on how much an individual can donate.
Yvette Cooper insisted there would be “safeguards and protections” governing the use of live facial recognition as she was questioned about whether its deployment could infringe on privacy.
The vitriol faced by scouts and charity rowers mistaken for migrants was not an “innocent mistake”, a race equality campaigner has said, as she warned that toxic rhetoric could lead to more vigilantism and violence. A wave of anti-migrant protests outside asylum hotels in recent weeks has been followed by growing reports of vigilantism, with people facing abuse after being mistaken for migrants.
Scotland would have a stronger economy and would be richer if the UK government allowed greater immigration and rejoined the EU, Shona Robison, the Scottish finance secretary said after the country’s fiscal deficit grew. Robison said the growing deficit, which reached £26.5bn or 11.4% of Scotland’s GDP in 2024/25, was partly attributable to the economic damage caused by Brexit and the impacts of strict immigration controls on Scotland’s population.
The Scottish Greens have to broaden their appeal beyond middle-class urbanites by talking to voters in industrial towns facing wholesale job losses, a Green leadership candidate has said. Gillian Mackay is one of four Scottish Greens bidding to win two co-leader posts after Patrick Harvie, the UK’s longest-serving party leader, quit as co-convener earlier this year.
A group of nine human rights and freedom of expression organisations have called on the culture secretary to halt RedBird Capital’s proposed £500m takeover of the Telegraph and investigate the US private equity company’s ties to China. The international non-governmental organisations, which include Index on Censorship, Reporters Without Borders and Article 19, have written to Lisa Nandy arguing that RedBird Capital’s links with China “threaten media pluralism, transparency and information integrity in the UK”.
A Chinese firm is reportedly a leading contender to buy Thames Water if the heavily indebted company collapses in coming weeks. Hong Kong’s CKI, which invests in power and other utility companies in the UK, is among those lining up to acquire the water and sewerage supplier if it enters a special administration regime (SAR), according to the Times.
The Trump administration has accused the UK of backsliding on human rights over the past year, citing antisemitic violence and “serious restrictions” on free speech. The annual US state department assessment, which analyses human rights conditions worldwide, highlighted laws limiting speech around abortion clinics, as well as the way government officials “repeatedly intervened to chill speech” online after the 2024 Southport attack.
Disinformation could still spread around suspects arrested under new guidance for police, a minister has said, reports the PA news agency. Police forces have been told to share suspects’ ethnicity and nationality with the public after authorities were accused of covering up offences carried out by asylum seekers, and after riots following the Southport murders which were partly fuelled by social media disinformation.
The Scottish Greens have to broaden their appeal beyond middle-class urbanites by talking to voters in industrial towns facing wholesale job losses, a Green leadership candidate has said.
Gillian Mackay is one of four Scottish Greens bidding to win two co-leader posts after Patrick Harvie, the UK’s longest-serving party leader, quit as co-convener earlier this year.
The pro-independence Scottish Greens are currently Holyrood’s fourth largest party, with seven MSPs, and could play a key role in the devolved parliament after next year’s elections.
The Greens prop up the Scottish National party government in Edinburgh, which does not have a majority at Holyrood and is expected to form a minority administration again next year. Recent polls place the Greens as high as 15%, suggesting they could win several more seats.
Mackay said her area around Falkirk had been devastated by industrial decline, including the closure of Grangemouth oil refinery earlier this year, yet the Scottish Greens historically had failed to connect with local voters.
The Scottish and UK governments knew Grangemouth would close, affecting several thousand jobs in the region, but had failed to put in place an industrial strategy to guarantee green jobs, she said.
