Early evening summary
The economic and security benefits of a closer relationship with the EU are “simply too big to ignore”, Keir Starmer has told parliament as the British government prepares for more rapid alignment with European rules. As Peter Walker and Alexandra Topping report, updating MPs on the Iran conflict and his visit to the Gulf last week, the prime minister was explicit about what he argued was the need for renewed ties with Europe given the chaotic global situation and Donald Trump’s unpredictable US administration.
Axel Rudakubana was able to carry out the Southport atrocity because of “catastrophic” failures by multiple agencies and the “irresponsible and harmful” role of his parents, a damning inquiry has found. And Josh Halliday has a summary of the key points in the report here.
The Liberal Democrats have written an open letter to the Financial Conduct Authority asking it to investigate Nigel Farage’s purchase of £2m in bitcoin for Stack, the cryptocurrency business chaired by Kwasi Kwarteng. (See 1.08pm and 5.26pm.) In a separate development, Labour has written to HM Revenue and Customs asking it to investigate the tax affairs of a company owned by Richard Tice, Farage’s deputy. (See 1.08pm.) Farage has dismissed the allegations, saying he is satisfied with Tice’s explanation. (See 12.22pm.)
For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.
Updated
Shadow home secretary Chris Philp says Southport report shows danger of downplaying risks for fear of seeming racist
For the Tories, Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, accepted the report identified multiple state failings.
But he also said the report showed that concerns about the killer’s behaviour were played down because of his ethnicity. Philp quoted this passage in the report – a direct quote from the teenager’s former head teacher. She said:
My efforts to include this information [about the risk the teenager posed] within the EHCP draft were met with hostility by AR’s father and also by Samantha Steed (CAMHS [child and adolesent mental health services]). Ms Steed even went as far as to accuse me of racially stereotyping AR as “a black boy with a knife”. Nothing could be further from the truth. We wanted to support AR and his family in finding a suitable education provision. Withholding relevant information was not going to assist him or us in that process. The statement on risk assessment remained in the EHCP. However, in the end the wishes of the family prevailed and the wording of the EHCP was re-written in many places to change the emphasis of some of the concerns in the original EHCP.
Philp said the same issue cropped up in the inquiry into the Nottingham murders. He went on:
The fixation with ethnic disproportionality is deeply damaging. Ethnicity should never be a consideration when an agency is taking steps to protect the public.
Mahmood said today’s Southport inquiry report contained 67 recommendations. She said the government would respond to the ones relevant to central government by the summer.
She said the government had already updated Prevent guidance.
And the Online Safety Act placed new duties on social media companies, she said.
But she said she could announce that the government would legislate “to prevent the spread of extreme violent content online”.
She also said that, while planning an attack with terrorist intent is a crime, there is no equivalent offence for someone planning an attack “without an underlying ideology”. She said the government would legislate to close this loophole.
She said the second part of the inquiry would consider what steps could be taken to stop attacks like this happening again.
Shabana Mahmood says Southport inquiry report has exposed 'systematic failures across multiple public sector organisations'
In the Commons Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, is making a statement on the first report from the Southport inquiry, published today.
Mahmood says she will be not using the name of the perpetrator, or dwelling on what happened.
She says the report has exposed systemtic failings.
The findings of the inquiry are unsparing. Sir Adrian [Fulford] has uncovered systematic failures across multiple public sector organisations. The recording and sharing of information was poor. None of the agencies involved had a full understanding of the risk that the perpetrator posed, and many did not take steps to assess the risk that he posed to others.
There was a failure by the agencies involved to take responsibility, and nobody was clear as to who was in charge. So the failure, because it belonged to everyone, belonged to no one.
Where individuals missed opportunities to intervene, lessons must be learned. But they did so within organisations that repeatedly passed the risk to others and where systemic failings existed.
The perpetrator came into contact with the state on countless occasions. Lancashire Police responded to five calls to his home address. The police were called when he was in possession of a knife in a public place. He was referred on several occasions to the multi-agency safeguarding hub. He came into contact with children’s social care, the early help service and children’s mental health services. He was referred to Prevent on three occasions. He was convicted of a violent assault and referred to a youth offending team.
All failed to identify the risk that the perpetrator posed, and so he fell between the gaps. The warning signs were missed – a growing history of violence and a clear and continuing intent to commit harm.
Lib Dems urge Financial Conduct Authority to investigate whether Farage's crypto investment creates conflict of interest
Turning away from the Starmer statement for a moment, the Liberal Democrats have written an open letter to the Financial Conduct Authority to ask it to investigate Nigel Farage’s purchase of £2m in bitcoin for Stack, the cryptocurrency business chaired by Kwasi Kwarteng. The party fears this creates a conflict of interest because it means that, if he is promoting the use of crypto as an MP and party leader, it could be in his personal interest.
Daisy Cooper, the Lib Dem deputy leader and Treasury spokesperson, said:
This raises real concerns that Nigel Farage could be using the Donald Trump playbook to put his own financial interests above the public good, potentially luring people into high-risk schemes for his own gain.
The FCA must investigate whether Farage’s plans to cash in on Crypto could potentially amount to market abuse and a conflict of interest.
We cannot allow political leaders to treat the financial markets like a personal piggy bank to potentially line their own pockets.
Fraser Nelson, the Times columnist and former Spectator editor (ie, no leftie, by any measure) wrote a long essay about Farage’s links with crypto on the Times on Saturday. He concluded it was suspect. Here is an extract.
Farage presents Reform UK as a vehicle to bypass elites, back new technology and return power to “the people”. But the direction of travel points elsewhere. When politicians hold stakes in the sectors they promote, promise regulatory favours to friends and openly threaten disfavoured companies, the boundary between public policy and private gain begins to dissolve. What emerges is not a freer market but a managed one where advantage flows through proximity to power. The risk is that it starts to look less like a revolution and more like a racket.
This month Lord Chadlington, a Tory peer, resigned from the House of Lords after an investigation found he used parliamentary access to assist a company in which he held a financial interest. He argued that he acted in good faith during the Covid emergency, but accepted that even the appearance of a conflict of interest warranted stepping down rather than contesting a lengthy suspension.
That reflects an older expectation: that public office requires distance from private gain; that crossing the line carries consequences. Chadlington, 83, acted on an old code. Farage is building a new one. Britain has seen versions of this before in milder form and has long prided itself on resisting it. The danger now is not a sudden break but a gradual normalisation: incentives aligning, rules bending, expectations shifting.
Updated
Starmer defends treating Trump as reliable ally, saying US defence and intelligence cooperation keeps Britons safe
Brendan O’Hara (SNP) asks if Starmer still regards President Trump as a “stable, reliable and trustworthy ally”.
Starmer says the UK works with the US every day on defence, security and intelligence.
He says that, when he mentions the US, “I mean President Trump”. He goes on:
We share intelligence on a daily basis. That intelligence safeguards many people in all countries across the United Kingdom. And it would be foolhardy, in my view, to give up that co-work that we do, which … safeguards the lives and interests of so many, so many people in this country on a daily basis.
Graham Stuart (Con) says Starmer should overrule his “insane” energy secretary, Ed Miliband, and allow the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas developments to go ahead. Acknowleding his language is unparliamentary, he corrects himself and says that it is Miliband’s policies that are “crazy”.
Starmer says he and President Macron will be co-hosting the summit later this week on safeguarding the strait of Hormuz. (See 12.57am.)
Updated
Jeremy Corbyn, the Your Party parliamentary leader, asks for an assurance that the supply of weapons to the US will be suspended while this “appalling” war goes on.
Starmer says the Americans are only being allowed to use British bases for defensive missions. British bases in the region were being targeted by Iran. It is his duty to protect them, he says.
Neil Shastri-Hurst (Con) said the government’s failure to publish the defence investment plan must be due to inertia or incompetence. Which was it?
Starmer said the armed forces were hollowed out under the Tories. He did not need their advice, he said.
Iqbal Mohamed (Ind) said intelligence obtained by British surveillance was used by the Israelis in Gaza. He said he was concerned that this might be happening in Lebanon, and he asked if that was that case, and if any arms supplied by the UK to Israel were being used in Lebanon.
Starmer did not answer these questions directly. He just said the UK always complied with international law.
John McDonnell (Lab) says there seems to be agreement in the Commons with what Starmer said about Lebanon being included in the ceasefire. But Benjamin Netanyahu is “out of control”, and Donald Trump cannot influence him, he says. He urges the PM to work with the EU on a “comprehensive European sanctions strategy” to restrain Israel.
Ellie Chowns (Green) says Starmer did not say anything critical of the US in his opening statement. And, despite what Starmer said about Lebanon, the bombing there continues. She said the government should sanction Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli PM, and stop the US and the UK using British airbases.
Starmer says the British bases are only being used for attacks on missile sites. What Chowns is suggesting would leave Britons in the region less protected, he says. He says that would be a “dereliction of duty, and I will never do that”.
Yasmin Qureshi (Lab) says that Israel started bombing Iran just as a deal on uranium was about to be reached. And it is still bombing Lebanon.
This is typical of Israel. Just before an agreement is reached, it kills negotiators and bombs the countries.
Lincoln Jopp (Con) asks if the defence investment plan will be published before the elections on 7 May.
Starmer does not give a direct answer, just saying it will be published as soon as it is ready.
Mike Martin (Lib Dem) asks Starmer to meet with other parties to discuss ways of increasing defence spending. He says his party is keen on using defence bonds.
Paul Waugh (Lab) asks Starmer to condemn the settler violence on the West Bank, and condemn the Isreali government’s failure to do anything about.
Starmer does condemn it. And he says it is getting “worse by the day, not better by the day”.
Bernard Jenkin (Con) said Starmer should be more critical of Iran, and less critical of the US.
Starmer said he had been clear that the Iranian regime was “odious”.
Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, put it to Starmer than in the US the price of gas has fallen since the war started. He said that showed that having more domestic production could lead to lower prices.
In response, Starmer accused Reform UK of wanting to “go in with both feet” in support of the war. And he said the gas price was set internationally.
Starmer refuses to back call from ex-ambassadors for tougher measures against Israel over illegal West Bank settlements
Debbie Abrahams (Lab) asks if he agrees with the former UK ambassadors that the government should impose blacklist firms involved in building Israeli settlements in the E1 area on the West Bank, and suspend trade concessions with Israel because of the settlement building.
She is referring to this letter in the Guardian.
Starmer said that he set out his position on this a few weeks ago. He is referring to his evidence to the Commons liaison committee, where he condemned the actions of the Israeli settlers, but sidestepped calls for tougher sanctions.
Stephen Flynn, the SNP leader at Westminster, put it to Starmer that he had not mentioned the illegality of Donald Trump and the Israeli actions in the Iran war.
And he asked why Starmer was not announcing energy protection measures. Ireland has announced support, he says.
Starmer accused Flynn of being “opportunistic”.
UPDATE: Starmer said:
I’ll remind him that we put in support and protection for our citizens in the region by taking defensive action – he opposed that. Protection for Scottish citizens in the Gulf, and they oppose taking any action whatsoever.
It is only because we’ve stabilised the economy we’re able to reduce energy bills. What did they do? They voted against the budget in which we put forward the money for this.
So we will carefully do the work that we need to do … to reopen the Strait of Hormuz, which is the single most effective thing we can do in relation to household costs and to work for de-escalation. I would have thought that he would have supported that, but unfortunately, again, he’s on the opportunistic road.
Updated
Ed Davey says Trump has shown he's 'dangerous and corrupt gangster', as he revives call for state visit to be cancelled
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, condemns Donald Trump.
He refers to Trump’s threat last week to wipe out Iranian civilisation. And he goes on:
These words are a stark reminder of how reckless, immoral, and completely outside the bounds of international law this president is.
Regrettably, he is no friend of the United Kingdom. He’s no leader of the free world. He’s a dangerous and corrupt gangster, and that is how we must treat him.
He urges Starmer to call off the statee visit. He says he is afraid of what Trump might say with the king standing beside him.
Starmer says what Trump said about killing a civilisation “was wrong”
A threat to Iranian civilians in that way is wrong. These are civilians, let’s remember, who suffered immeasurable harm by the regime in Iran for many, many long years. And that’s why they’re words and phrases that I would never use on behalf of this government, which is guided by our principles and our values throughout all of this.
But Starmer defends the state visit. He says the king can sustain bonds that have lasted decades.
UPDATE: Starmer said:
The relationship between our two countries is very important on a number of levels, and often what the monarchy is able to do, through the bonds that they build, is reach through the decades in a situation like this.
And the purpose of the visit is to mark the 250th anniversary of the relationship between our country and the United States, and that’s why the visit is going ahead.
Updated
Emily Thornberry, the Labour chair of the foreign affairs committee, says her “blood ran cold” when she heard an Israeli minister says Gaza would be the model for the intervention in Lebanon.
Starmer repeats his point about the need for Lebanon to be included in the ceasefire.
Starmer is replying to Badenoch.
He criticises her initial support for getting involved in the Iran war.
He also criticises Badenoch for going back on what she used to say when she was in government about the importance of switching to renewals.
And he says the armed forces were hollowed out when the Tories were in power. So he will resist her offer of cooperation, he says.
Badenoch suggests its time to put party interests aside.
Labour MPs laugh (because, even by leader of the opposition standards, Badenoch is particularly partisan – and loath to agree with Labour on almost anything.)
Badenoch says she is glad that Labours are laughing, because it means people can see they do not want to cooperate.
She says the two parties should cooperate on a plan to increase defence spending.
Badenoch says the government should take rapid action to get fuel bills down.
It should scrap the planned fuel duty increase for September, and allow the Rosebank and Jackdaw oil and gas developments in the North Sea.
Badenoch says UK should be clear 'whose side we are on' in Iran war
Kemi Badenoch is responding now.
She says the government must rapidly solve the energy crisis, and make sure the country is able to defend itself.
A nuclear-armed Iran would be an existential threat to the UK, she says.
She says Britain must know whose side it is on.
We should be in no doubt whose side we are on in this war – our allies in the Middle East and the United States.
Starmer ended by saying it is also necessary to boost the UK’s defence capacity.
Starmer says oil and gas will be part of the UK’s energy mix for decades to come.
But the UK does not set the global price, he says.
And that is why the government must hasten the switch to renewables.
Starmer says the energy price cap is down for this quarter.
But an energy shock is not a new experience, he says.
In the past, “the response each time has been to try to return to the status quo”, he says.
This time, Britain’s response must be different, he says (reviving the argument that he was making last week).
Starmer says he wants the strait of Hormuz open.
The impact of the war is visible in the prices shown on garage forecourts, he says.
He says opening the strait will not be easy.
Shipping companies will not sent vessels through it until it is safe to do so.
He confirms that the UK and France will host a summit on this this week. (See 12.57pm.)
It will be about the diplomatic efforts, and about practical measures to protect shipping.
Starmer says Israel's strikes against Lebanon 'are wrong', as he makes statement to MPs about Iran war
Keir Starmer is making his statement to MPs now about the Iran war, and his trip to the Gulf last week.
He says in all his meetings with Gulf leaders he discussed deepening the UK’s commitment to their defence.
He says the ceasefire is welcome, but also “highly fragile”.
A lot of work is needed to reopen the strait of Hormuz, and to have a sustainable ceasefire, he says.
And he says the ceasefire must cover Lebanon.
Israel’s strikes “are wrong”, he says.
Anas Sarwar says cutting NHS waiting times would be priority as he publishes Scottish Labour's manifesto
A UK Labour government will always work with the Scottish government, Anas Sarwar has said. As the Press Association reports, the Scottish Labour leader launched his party’s manifesto this morning in Edinburgh, with the 94-page document offering very little in terms of new policy pledges. PA says:
Throughout the campaign, Sarwar has faced questions over his relationship with prime minister Keir Starmer – whom he urged to stand down just weeks ago.
He would seek a collaborative relationship with Downing Street if elected as first minister after the 7 May election, he told party faithful at the event, despite the cooling of his once close relationship with the occupant of Number 10.
Speaking to PA after the event, Sarwar said the suggestion his relationship with Sir Keir had broken down was “nonsense”.
“I’ve made my views clear, I stand by my views, I don’t recoil from my views, but I will always do what’s in the best interests of Scotland,” he said.
Sarwar said he did not question the prime minster’s integrity and is certain he wants to “do what’s best by our country”.
Pushed on whether he could have that relationship with Starmer, Sarwar said: “I’m confident that a UK Labour government would, of course, work with the Scottish government to deliver for Scotland.”
The party put the health service at the heart of its policy pledges, with the drive to cut waiting times in the NHS described as “the main thing” by Sarwar.
“As someone that has worked in our NHS – I was an NHS dentist before coming into politics – the NHS is personal to me and that’s why fixing the NHS, making sure it’s fit for the future and cutting waiting lists, is so important,” he said.
“Are there other priorities too? Yes. But if you’re asking me specifically the one I’m most passionate about, it has to be the NHS, because that’s in my DNA.”
Despite Sarwar’s optimistic tone, the party has been lagging behind in the election campaign, with polling putting them in a battle with Reform UK for second place with the SNP well ahead.
But the party leader has resolved to prove wrong those journalists and commentators who have written his party off.
Asked if he would resign if he failed to do so, Sarwar said: “It’s your job to hypothecate, it’s my job to persuade.
“I’m going to spend the next three-and-a-half-weeks persuading people that Scotland needs change, because after 20 years of SNP government, they’ve lost their way.
“I’m asking people to give me five and, in those five years, I will demonstrate that the NHS can work, I will demonstrate that we can have an education system that’s there for our young people.
“I will demonstrate our skill system can give opportunities to all our amazing young people, I will demonstrate that we can end homelessness and eradicate rough sleeping and I will demonstrate that we can have a government with the right priorities stops the waste and respects people’s money.”
The document makes a raft of pricey pledges, including £5.3bn to build more than 50,000 affordable homes; £2bn for rail infrastructure; and more than £600m for 2,000 teachers and 1,500 classroom assistants.
All of which, the party said, could be funded through existing forecasts for the budget, but it appears to fail to reckon with the almost £5bn blackhole looming in the Scottish government’s budget by the end of this decade.
“We’re really clear that these are fully costed commitments that are within the portfolio and envelope available to the Scottish government,” Sarwar said.
The party is also aiming to cut taxes in the next parliament if a Labour government is able to increase economic growth.
A review of the Thistle safe consumption room in Glasgow was among the new pledges, but was not touted by Sarwar from the stage in Edinburgh.
There are four ministerial statements in the Commons after 3.30pm. They are: Keir Starmer on the Middle East; Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, on the Southport inquiry; Stephen Doughty, the Foreign Office minister, on the Chagos Islands deal; and Al Carns, the defence minister, on Russian activity in the North Atlantic.
The latest episode of the Guardian Politics Weekly UK podcast is out. It features Pippa Crerar and Jessica Elgot talking about the election in Hungary, the UK aligning more with the single market, and the latest developments in the strait of Hormuz.
Streeting claims Reform UK 'hiding true intentions' over NHS
Ben Quinn is a Guardian political correspondent.
Wes Streeting has challenged Nigel Farage to “come clean” on how much a Reform UK government would charge patients to use healthcare as Labour sought to make the future of the NHS a dividing line in upcoming elections.
The health secretary used a speech at the offices of the IPPR to highlight the absence thus far of a named Reform UK front bench spokesperson on health, saying: “That might be because if Farage becomes prime minister, there will be no NHS.”
Battles about the NHS dating back to its very origins were having to be fought again, said Streeting, who added that a political consensus which had been in place for decades was now fraying as he accused the Conservatives and other “siren voices” of claiming that the NHS should be abandoned.
However, he reserved most of his criticism for Reform, using past quotes by Farage including his support for moving to a more insurance-based healthcare system and opposition to the NHS being funded from general taxation.
Streeting posed a series of questions for Farage, including on how a government led by him would pay for the administrative costs of an insurance system via higher taxes or cuts.
Farage and his gang know what National Health Service means to this country. It is no coincidence that the Vote Leave campaign plastered the NHS on the side of a bus – they knew how to tug on the nation’s heartstrings.
These same charlatans who sold us a pack of lies during the Brexit campaign are now hiding their true intentions for our National Health Service.
Asked at a Reform UK press conference why he had less to say about the NHS than about other issues, Farage said that the party was working on policies in the area and was in talks with a prominent figure who had been involved in “turning around” an NHS Trust. Farage said:
We are going to, of course, put forward some radical ways of getting better bang for buck for the British people of the National Health Service.
And, contrary to what Labour will tell you, or the Tories will tell you, we’re not going to privatise it or charge you. But it’s not working well, and the more, the higher percentage of GDP, we put into health, the fewer hospital beds we have.
The tax expert Dan Neidle says Nigel Farage misrepresented what he has said about Richard Tice’s tax affairs at his press conference this morning. (See 12.22pm.) In a post on social media, he says:
I hope @Nigel_Farage retracts this false statement.
I did not say Mr Tice paid the full amount. I said we don’t know what tax Mr Tice and his offshore trust paid.
And the “little bit more” is an invention.
Your Party 'deeply flawed and dying', say its Scottish executive committee members as they quit en masse
Your Party, the leftwing party led in parliament by Jeremy Corbyn, has lost the leadership of its Scottish wing.
All 12 remaining members of the party’s interim Scottish executive committee (ISEC) have resigned, complaining about the way Scotland was being sidelined by the party’s UK leadership. Your Party was “deepy flawed and dying”, they said. Niall Christie, Scotland’s representative on the party’s central executive committee (CEC), has also resigned.
The final straw was a CEC meeting where proposals to allow Your Party Scotland to operate with a degree of independence were ignored.
In a statement, the outgoing members of the ISEC said:
As a result of this consistent denial of autonomy for Scotland, and a willingness by the UK leadership to sideline an entire nation by withholding funding and mailing lists and refusing to engage, we have, after careful thought and consideration, taken the collective decision to resign our positions on ISEC, having found ourselves completely blocked when we attempted to carry out the clear mandate set for us by members from across Scotland.
No serious attempt to unite the left can be done through purges of socialists or by disregarding entire nations and their representatives. It is clear that these are fatal blows to the Your Party project from which it cannot recover.
Despite this generational fumble of the left in Britain, the need for a new party on the left in Scotland couldn’t be more urgent, and it is our clear intention to continue working towards this. We call on others who share our vision to join us in doing so over the coming weeks and months, as the reality of a rising far-right and its representatives joining our national parliament set in. Simply put, the best time for change has passed, but the next best time is now. In Scotland, we intend to continue building that change, but to do so outwith the constraints of the deeply flawed and dying Your Party.
And Christie said:
It has become clear the party has run out of road. This is in no small part down to the consistent disrespect shown to Scotland and Scottish members, with decisions about us being made without our input, and on our behalf.
Farage says Orbán voted out because 16 years in power 'too long', dismissing claims it's defeat for Reform UK-style politics
Nigel Farage has dismissed suggestions that the defeat of Viktor Orbán in the Hungarian election at the weekend has implications for his brand of politics.
Orbán has been Europe’s most successful exponent of Reform UK-style hard right, national populism. Like Farage, Orbán is a fierce critic of the EU (although not critical enough to advocate leaving). Like Farage, he is sympathetic to the arguments used by Russia to justify its invasion of Ukraine. And, like Farage, he is closely allied to Donald Trump; JD Vance, the US vice president, travelled to Hungary to support Orbán ahead of the election.
But, when asked about the election result at his press conference this morning, Farage would not accept this as evidence that his side is losing; he said it was just that Orbán was in power for too long. He said:
If I was in power for 16 years, I’d be same age as Donald Trump, which I think may just be too long.
So 16 years is too long for any leader in any democracy. Nobody survives that long, whether it’s John Howard in Australia, a Margaret Thatcher, a Tony Blair. Leaders of countries have a term limit, and anything much over 10 years appears to be about what it is.
Farage also claimed that Peter Magyar’s election as prime minister was not “some massive lurch away to the liberal/left of politics” and that it was “not that massive a change”.
Updated
Streeting claims accuses BMA resident doctors' committee of 'holding country to ransom' with strike threats
Ben Quinn is a Guardian political correspondent.
A few dozen members of the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee are “holding the country to ransom” at a time of green shoots of recovery in the economy and the NHS, Wes Streeting has claimed.
In a speeech this morning, the health secretary had harsh words for strike leaders after doctors in England returned to work in their long-running row with the government over jobs and pay.
Asked during an event at the IPPR thinktank how much it would cost if he was to accept what was being asked for, Streeting said that meeting resident doctors’ pay demands and then rewarding other NHS in the same way would cost £30bn a year and “break the country”.
He said there was agreement between the government and doctors about many of the issues in the NHS “but there isn’t an acknowledgment from the BMA” that the £300m lost to six days of strike action is money that could have been spent elsewhere. He added:
I feel like we’ve turned the ship, the boat’s going in the right direction, except some of the crew are trying to row in one direction while the rest of us are going in the other. You can’t make progress that way.
Streeting said if the BMA’s underlying assumptions about pay restoration were accepted, “we’d be looking at £3bn a year for full pay restoration for resident doctors.” He went on:
Not unreasonably, I think other staff would have something to say about that: ‘We’d like some of that too.’
The BMA has accused the government of going back on an offer made last month to resolve the long-running dispute and is demanding pay is restored to 2008 levels under retail prices index (RPI) measures of inflation.
Farage dismisses suggestions that Trump posting pictures of himself as Jesus is evidence of cognitive decline
At his press conference this morning Nigel Farage was asked if he thought Donald Trump posting an image of himself as Jesus Christ on Truth Social was evidence of the president’s “cognitive decline”.
For once, Farage did not seem to have a snap response. After saying that was “broad canvas” question, and pausing for a moment, he replied:
He’s 80 in a few weeks’ time. He has a very unusual way of operating.
And let’s go back 10 years. People were asking that question 10 years ago. There were Democrats screaming ten years ago that the 25th amendment should be moved in Congress. And those same voices are saying the same things now. I don’t think he’s changed very much at all, which some people like and a lot of people don’t.
Reform UK would not let Holyrood hold second independence referendum, Farage says
At his press conference this morning Nigel Farage was asked if a Reform UK government would let a Scottish government hold a second independence referendum. Farage explained:
Referendums are genuinely meant to be a generational issue. And everybody was promised in 2014 that it would be a once in a generation referendum. And the result was perfectly clearl; it was a result to remain part of the United Kingdom. And there’s no reason to change that.
The question is becoming particularly pertinent because polling suggests that, even if the SNP do not win a majority in the Holyrood election, taking into account the Scottish Greens, there will almost certainly by a pro-independence majority in the parliament – and perhaps quite a large majority.
A party or a bloc needs 65 seats to have a majority in the parliament. A YouGov MRP poll published at the weekend suggests there are likely to be between 69 and 82 pro-independence MSPs at Holyrood after May.
Kwarteng claims Farage's £2m purchase for Stack 'historic moment for Britain's bitcoin future'
And this is what Kwasi Kwarteng posted on social media about Nigel Farage’s £2m bitcoin investment. (See 1.08pm.)
On Friday we reached a historic moment for @StackBTC and for Britain’s Bitcoin future.
@Nigel_Farage executed a £2,000,000 Bitcoin purchase on behalf of Stack BTC at the @blockchain headquarters , backing our mission to build the UK’s premier Bitcoin treasury company and put London at the centre of this new monetary era.
A big thank you to @niccary and his team for a great reception and hospitality throughout the morning.
Updated
Labour criticises Farage over £2m bitcoin purchase for Kwasi Kwarteng's crypto firm
Kwasi Kwarteng has a good claim to be the least successful chancellor in British history. But that does not seem to have dented Nigel Farage’s faith in his economic judgment. Last month it was reported Farage had invested £215,000 in Stack BTC, a cryptocurrency business chaired by Kwarteng.
Today Stack says Farage has bought £2m in bitcoin through the company.
BREAKING: Nigel Farage has purchased £2m of Bitcoin for Stack BTC - becoming the first sitting MP and the first UK political party leader in history to publicly buy Bitcoin. A landmark moment for Bitcoin in British politics.
In response, Anna Turley, the Labour chair, said:
Nigel Farage is hyping up a former Tory chancellor who crashed the economy, in a bid to line his own pockets.
From Farage’s crypto-boosting to his deputy Richard Tice’s admission that his business didn’t pay the taxes it owed, Reform are more interested in themselves than in standing up for working people.
UPDATE: Reform UK later said Farage put through the purchase on behalf of Stack, not because he was buying the bitcoin personally. I have updated the headline to reflect this.
Updated
Starmer says UK and France will this week co-host summit on multinational plan to safeguard strait of Hormuz when war ends
Keir Starmer has said the UK and France will co-host a summit this week on a “coordinated, independent, multinational” plan to protect shipping in the strait of Hormuz when the conflict ends.
He said:
The ongoing closure of the strait of Hormuz is deeply damaging. Getting global shipping moving is vital to ease cost-of-living pressures.
The UK has convened more than 40 nations who share our aim to restore freedom of navigation.
This week the UK and France will co-host a summit to advance work on a coordinated, independent, multinational plan to safeguard shipping when the conflict ends.
At the Downing Street lobby briefing, the PM’s spokesperson confirmed that the UK would not join the proposed US blockade of the strait. He said:
Our consistent position has been that we’re not going to get dragged into this war, but the effective closure of the strait is damaging.
The unconditional reopening of the strait is the only way to address the severe impact on the global economy, and our efforts are very much focused on convening a multinational response, which will put the steps in place to restore freedom of navigation and give shipping the confidence it needs to travel through the strait.
Tories claim Farage's plan for 'Boriswave' inquiry amounts to 'circular firing squad' given ex-ministers now in Reform UK
The Daily Express has reported a Reform UK source as claiming that the proposed inquiry into the so-called “Boriswave” surge in legal migration will consider whether what Boris Johnson and Priti Patel, his home secretary, was “gross negligence” that “amounted to criminal conduct”.
All this sounds a bit far-fetched. Asked about this claim at the press conference, Nigel Farage and Zia Yusuf did not say they were expecting an inquiry to find Johnson and Patel guilty of criminal negligence, but they did not rule it out either. “That’s the point of an inquiry,” Yusuf said.
After the press confernce, the Tories hit back. Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said:
We look forward to Reform explaining when their new converts will be hauled into the dock to explain the Suella Surge and the Jenrick Jump.
The Conservatives are under new leadership and setting out clear plans to drastically reduce legal immigration. Reform are busy stuffing their ranks with has-been former politicians whilst pretending they represent change.
And a Tory source said:
Zia Yusuf spent months publicly savaging Jenrick and Braverman. Then Farage recruited them anyway. Now Reform are investigating their own frontbench.
Nigel Farage’s idea of a functional shadow cabinet is closer to a circular firing squad.
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Labour urges HMRC to investigate Tice's tax affairs
Anna Turley, the Labour party chair, has written an open letter to HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) asking them to investigate Richard Tice’s company tax affairs. She said:
Richard Tice’s tax affairs are a major scandal, and they call his integrity and credibility into serious question. Reform’s attempts to describe tens of thousands of pounds of unpaid tax as “a minor administrative error” are laughable. The facts are clear: his business was supposed to pay this tax, and it did not.
It’s time for Tice to reveal the tax records that show what taxes he and his companies paid, and to pay any taxes they still owe. If he wants people to believe he’s done nothing wrong, he needs to prove it. The British people rightly demand the highest standards from their political leaders: they clearly won’t get them from Reform.
Tice has called for others to resign over tax errors, but now seems to think that the rules don’t apply to him. He has no credibility at all: he’s not on the side of working people, he’s just in it for himself.
In her letter Turley acknowledged that the last time she wrote to HMRC about Tice’s company, she got a reply saying they would not comment on individuals’ tax affairs. She said she was not asking for a comment; she just wanted to ensure there was an investigation.
Southport attack blamed on ‘catastrophic’ failures by agencies and killer’s ‘irresponsible’ parents
Axel Rudakubana was able to carry out the Southport atrocity because of “catastrophic” failures by multiple agencies and the “irresponsible and harmful” role of his parents, a damning inquiry has found. Josh Halliday has the story.
Farage says he's 'satisfied' with Tice's response to allegations his firm broke law by failing to pay tax
During the Q&A Nigel Farage was again asked about Richard Tice and his tax affairs by a reporter who asked why he did not know exactly how much Tice had paid in tax to settle this liability, and whether Tice should give that figure on the record.
Farage started with a hostile response, challenging the reporter to give him a lecture on Reit (real estate investment trust) tax law. When she said she wasn’t an expert on this, he replied: “Nor am I, thank you.” Asked again how much Tice had repaid, Farage said:
If our biggest critic is Labour activist Dan Neidle – and he is a tax expert, he is he’s good at it – if our biggest critic says that Richard Tice has not evaded or avoided tax, has paid the full amount, and actually, maybe even a little bit more the full amount, then I’m satisfied with that.
Neidle himself is active on social media and, while he does not seem to have responded directly to the press conference, he has posted these, responding to the Tice line that because HMRC has not lost out there is no story here.
Mr Tice’s line: a mere technicality and HMRC isn’t out of pocket.
It is, however, more than that: Mr Tice obtained an unlawful tax benefit – tax was paid up to 21 months late.
And Mr Tice’s payment didn’t fix the company’s failure to withhold tax – the tax remains due.
Is this an unfair result? It could be in the case of a normal REIT. But this was a REIT driven solely by tax considerations - Mr Tice has all but admitted that.
When you play tax avoidance games, you need to stick to the letter of the law. If you don’t, you win tax prizes)
Neidle has posted more on the story here.
UPDATE: Neidle is now saying Farage has misrepresented what he has been saying. See 2.33pm.
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Asked if he thought the UK should be supporting Donald Trump’s blocked of the strait of Hormuz, Nigel Farage in effect sidestepped the question. He said he was pleased the UK was going to send minesweepers, but he went on:
We can’t get involved – we haven’t got a navy.
Even if we wanted to help with the blockade, we do not have the means to do so.
Farage says Badenoch disowning last government's migration policies shows why you should 'never trust the Tories'
Q: The figures in your document cover the time when Suella Braverman and Robert Jenrick (who have both now defected to Reform UK) were Home Office ministers. Wil they be covered by this inquiry?
Farage said that Jenrick resigned because he disagreed with the Tory govenrmen’s migration policy. And he said Braverman had constant fights with Rishi Sunak over this.
He contrasted their behaviour with Kemi Badenoch’s.
Kemi Badenoch …seems now to dis-associate herself with virtually everything she did and supported whilst being in government.
Never trust the Tories. That’s frankly what I would say. Never trust the Tories. What they say at elections and what they do are completely different things.
Farage says closer alignement with EU single market would be 'total betrayal of Brexit vote'
Farage claimed the government proposal for closer alignement with the EU was “a total betrayal of the Brexit vote”. He said:
Will rejoining the single market grow the economy? Well, it didn’t whilst we were in it and we are rejoining the low-growth capital of the world. We are rejoining economies, many of whom are doing even worse than we are right at this moment in time.
It’s a very fast-moving world in lots and lots of ways. The British economy needs to be flexible. It needs to be adaptable, but equally it needs to recognise that Europe is a declining part of the global economy and actually quite rapidly declining. And to tie ourselves ever closer to it makes no sense. In economic terms and in democratic terms, it is a total betrayal of the Brexit vote of ten years ago.
Here is the Reform UK policy document explaining why it is claiming that the “Boriswave” could eventually cost the taxpayer hundreds of billions of pounds.
It says that only 17% of people who arrived in the UK as part of this surge came on work visas.
Farage defends Richard Tice over allegations his firm broke law by failing to pay tax, saying Tice paid up in personal capacity
Farage and Yusuf are now taking questions.
Farage was asked about yesterday’s Sunday Times report saying a company owned by Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, is alleged to have failed to pay tens of thousands of pounds in tax on dividends.
In response, Farage said that Dan Neidle, the tax campaigner who has also looked into the Tice story, backing up the Sunday Times claims, has said that there was “no attempt at [tax] avoidance or evasion” because Tice paid the tax in a personal capacity. Farage said:
If anything, Mr. Tice might have slightly overpaid tax. So has the exchequer lost in any way at all? No.
Farage also said this was “an incredibly complex area of tax law”.
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How government experts assess impact of legal immigration as positive - contrary to claims made by Reform UK
The Reform UK claims about the economic impact of legal migration are not in line with the views of mainstream economists and experts.
A few months ago the Migration Advisory Committee, the government’s main expert advisory body, published a report on the fiscal impact of immigration. It looked at the lifetime fiscal contribution made by a particular group of immigrants – people on skilled worker (SW) visas, and their dependents and that that, overall, their lifetime contribution to the British economy is “clearly fiscally positive”.
There is more on the report here.
And here is a quote from the MAC report.
Overall, the SW [skilled work] visa route is clearly fiscally positive for the UK. This is almost inevitable given that main applicants on the route must have a job offer paying above a set of salary thresholds. This means that these migrants have higher employment rates than UK residents since employment is a condition of the visa and as we shall demonstrate, salaries on the SW route are significantly higher than UK average wages. For the 2022-23 cohort as a whole, we estimate a present value net fiscal contribution of around £47bn over their lifetime. However, this estimate hides very substantial heterogeneity. The entire positive contribution comes from main applicants – particularly those outside of H&C [health and care workers – a subset of the SW route].
Zia Yusuf says 'Boriswave' migration surge was political scandal, and Reform UK would hold national inquiry into it
Zia Yusuf, the Reform UK chair, is speaking now. He says that, according to govenrment figures, up to 2.2 million immigrants are becoming eligible for indefinite leave to remain. He claims this could eventually cost the country £622bn – three times the annual budget for the NHS.
He gives credit to Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, for wanting to tighten the rules. But he says that Mahmood is under pressure to back down. He says he has heard that she is preparing to resign.
He confirms that Reform UK would abolish indefinite leave to remain status, and terminate all welfare payments to foreign nationals.
And he says Reform UK would hold a national inquiry into how the “Boriswave” legal migration surge was allowed to happen.
He says:
We recognise the historic scale and severity of this financial catastrophe.
The Boriswave caused Britain enormous damage and the fact it was done against the wishes of the British people. It is without a doubt one of the biggest political scandals of our lifetimes. It culturally transformed our country and has the potential to bankrupt it.
So a Reform government will commission a national inquiry into the Boris wave, how it happened, who authorised each aspect of it and why the likes of Boris Johnson and Priti Patel will be compelled to testify under oath, along with anyone else involved.
Farage claims allowing 'Boriswave' migants to get citizenship and claim benefits would lead to 'catastrophic' costs
Farage is now talking about immigration. He says supporters of high immigration always claim this is good for the economy. But they never provide evidence for this, he claims.
And he claims that, if people who arrived in the UK as part of the so-called “Boriswave” (the surge in legal immigration that took place when Boris Johnson was PM), get indefinite leave to remain (normally available after people have been in the UK for five years – although Labour plans to make the normal wait much longer) then the economic consequences will be “catastrophic”.
He says the party publishing a document explaining how ensuring “Boriswave” migrants are blocked from citizenship, and being able to claim benefits, would save every household £20,000.
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, is holding a press conference. There is a live feed here.
Unusually (normally, he is quite quiet on the subject), he is talking about Brexit. He says the UK voted to leave the EU by quite a large margin, and he says small businesses were overwhelmingly in favour because they wanted to be free of EU regulations. He says that when Kemi Badenoch was business secretary she chose to retain many of those regulations, and he criticises Keir Starmer to wanting to align more closely with EU rules. (See 9.39am.)
Starmer says addictive scrolling features will 'need to go' as part of plan to protect children from social media
Keir Starmer has confirmed that he wants to stop children being exposed to addictive scrolling features on their phones as part of measures to protect them from social media.
The PM is under pressure to implement an Australian-style ban on social media for under-16s, and the government is consulting on whether to go ahead with a full ban, or whether to just impose more specific restrictions.
In his interview on Radio 5 Live this morning, Starmer said that addictive scrolling features would have to be banned for young people. He said:
It’s not a question of if we do something, it’s what we do.
The addictive scrolling mechanisms are really problematic to my mind, they need to go.
That stuff where it’s designed to ensure that children stay on for longer, so there’s never-ending scrolling, for example.
There are algorithms, there’s features in the system that are designed to be addictive – I think that’s wrong.”
Parents and carers are really worried about this.
Energy price shock means typical household on course to be £480 worse off this year, Resolution Foundation says
A typical household will be almost £500 worse off this year because of higher energy prices caused by the war in Iran, the Resolution Foundation thinktank has claimed.
In a briefing, it says that, whereas the average household had been on course to see living standards rise modestly this year, the energy price shock will put that into reverse.
It says:
Despite some lower-income households receiving a long-overdue real-terms increase in their benefits, we now estimate – based on market-forecasts for the rise in energy prices consistent with market pricing after the announcement of a ceasefire – that average income growth for the poorest fifth this year is now set to be just 1.2 per cent, down from 2.8 per cent before the conflict.
The picture is brighter for families in the bottom half of the income distribution with three or more children. Even after the inflation shock, the abolition of the two-child limit is estimated to deliver 7.7 per cent income growth for this group this year – compared to 0.0 per cent for poorer families with fewer than three children.
Further up the distribution, rising energy prices will likely tip living standards growth into negative territory: the typical household, previously on track for 0.9 per cent growth, is now set to see its income fall by 0.6 per cent – a difference of £480 – over the course of the current financial year.
James Smith, chief economist at the thinktank, said:
Despite hopes for a sustained peace, the path of this conflict remains uncertain and energy prices remain well above pre-war levels, meaning many households face a decline in their purchasing power this year.
Keir Starmer was asked this morning if thought Donald Trump was to blame for the economic damage being caused by the war in Iran. He replied:
In terms of where the blame lies, it’s Iran that has caused the restriction on traffic and vessels through the Gulf, and they’re doing that in breach of international law.
Starmer signals he will stay on as PM regardless of what happens in May elections
Keir Starmer has dismissed suggestions that bad results for Labour in the elections in May could force him out of office.
Speaking to reporters in the north-west this morning, and asked if he would resign if Labour suffered heavy losses in the elections, Starmer replied:
We will go in and fight these elections.
But I was elected in July of 2024 with a five-year mandate to change this country, and I intend to carry through that mandate.
I will be judged at the next election on whether I’ve delivered, and I know that I’ll be judged on whether living standards have improved, whether our public services are better, particularly the health service, or whether people feel safe and secure as a country in a more volatile and dangerous world.
Reform UK is campaigning under the slogan “Vote Reform, Get Starmer Out”, with Nigel Farage claiming big wins for his party could force Stamer out of office within weeks. At Wesminister this is seen by many as more wishful thinking than a realistic assessment of what might happen.
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Badenoch says aligning with single market rules, but staying out of EU, 'worst of both worlds'
Given how unpopular Brexit has turned out to be, you might think there would be limited appeal for the ‘Brexit betrayal’ counterattack as a response to the story about the government’s plans to align much more with single market rules. (See 9.39am.)
But Reform UK are happy with their old war cry. This is how Richard Tice, the party’s deputy leader, responded to the Guardian’s story.
Outrageous
Labour plots to deny MPs vote on new EU sell-out
Reform will reverse such a betrayal
Kemi Badenoch has been giving interviews this morning. Asked about the story on Sky News, she said aligning with the EU’s single market rules, while not being a member, would be “the worst of both worlds”. She went on:
It won’t help growth. Why should we be out of the EU, able to make our own choices and not take those decisions?
Remember we are a competitive, competing economy. Taking EU rules without having a vote on them is completely wrong.
If you want to be in the EU, come out and say ‘We want to go back into the EU’. That’s what they’re not brave enough to do.
So they’re picking this weird hybrid, which is the worst of both worlds. It’s not in the EU, it’s not out. It’s just doing whatever the EU is doing.
Government shift on intelligence evidence could revive delayed Hillsborough law
The delayed Hillsborough law could come into force after a shift by the government on forcing intelligence services to give evidence to public inquiries, Peter Walker reports.
Fried nuggets and steamed sponges off menu in school food overhaul in England
Keir Starmer is at a school in Angela Rayner’s constituency this morning (see 9.45am) to promote this government announcement about school food. Raphael Boyd has the story here.
Keir Starmer has joined his former deputy prime minister Angela Rayner and Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham on a school visit, the Press Assocation reports. PA says:
The trio joined up on Monday in the Greater Manchester area and put on a united front, despite Rayner previously appearing to challenge Keir Starmer’s leadership and Burnham being blocked from standing in the Gorton and Denton byelection.
They all shared a joke as they sat amongst schoolchildren, asking the youngsters about their favourite breakfast foods and favourite sports.
The visit comes after the government announced deep-fried food will be banned from school menus, with sugary treats limited.
Starmer defends proposed law letting Britain align with EU regulations easily, saying 'closer relationship with Europe' vital
In his Radio 5 Live interview, Keir Starmer was also asked about this Guardian story by Alexandra Topping and Peter Walker saying “ministers are planning to fundamentally reshape Britain’s relationship with the European Union, with new legislation that could result in the UK signing up to EU single market rules without a normal parliamentary vote”.
Starmer defended the proposed legislation, saying a closer relationship with the EU was in the national interest. He said:
We’re in a world where there’s massive conflict, great uncertainty, and I strongly believe the UK’s best interests are in a stronger, closer relationship with Europe, whether that’s defence and security, of course, energy … and also our economy …
I think there’s also a sense, 10 years on from the Brexit referendum, that we’ve got to look forward now, not backwards.
Let’s not just have all the old arguments over the last decade. Let’s go forward and recognise that a stronger, closer relationship with Europe is in the UK’s best interest, particularly in a world that is as volatile as it is at the moment and I know that worries a lot of people.
In response to the suggestion that allowing the UK to align with EU regulation using secondary legislation amounted to integration by stealth, Starmer said this would only happen under a bill “voted on in parliament”.
Updated
Starmer confirms UK will not support US blockade of strait of Hormuz
Good morning. The parliamentary recess is over, the Iran war disaster isn’t, campaigning is ramping up because the May elections are less than four weeks to go, and there will be plenty for MPs to discuss as they meet in the Commons this afternoon. The full timetable, as usual, is down below.
Keir Starmer is in Greater Manchester this morning, on a visit linked to the English local elections. But he is expected to be in the Commons later giving an update on the UK response to the Iran war, and in an interview on Radio 5 Live a few minutes ago he confirmed that Britain will not join the US in enforcing the new blockade of the stait of Hormuz proposed by Donald Trump.
Asked if the UK would support the US with its blockade, Starmer replied:
We’re not supporting blockade.
Starmer confirmed that the UK does have “minesweeping capability”. He said he would not go into “operational matters”, but he confirmed that Britain has been talking with allies, in a reference to discussions on what could be done to keep the strait open after the conflict between Iran and the US is over.
Having the strait open was a priority, he said.
The strait is shut or not free for navigation in the way it should be. That means that oil and gas is not getting to market. That means the price is going up. That means everybody listening to this is facing higher energy bills. And I don’t want that to happen.
I want their energy bills to be stabilised and lower. And so it is, in my view, vital that we get the strait open and fully open.
I will post more from the interview shortly.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer is on a visit in Greater Manchester, and is doing an interview with Radio 5 Live.
Morning: Kemi Badenoch is on a campaign visit in Clapham, south London.
10.30am: Anas Sarwar launches Scottish Labour’s manifesto for the Holyrood election.
10.30am: Wes Streeting, the health secretary, gives a speech on NHS funding to the IPPR thinktank.
11am: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, and Zia Yusuf, the Reform chair, hold a press conference.
11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.
Noon: The Southport inquiry publishes its phase one report.
2.30pm: Steve Reed, the housing secretary, takes questions in the Commons.
After 3.30pm: Starmer is expected to make a statement to MPs about the Iran war and his tour of the Gulf last week.
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