Afternon summary
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has suggested that Britain will try to persuade Donald Trump not to raise tariffs. (See 4.42pm.)
Kemi Badenoch has been accused of “cheerleading” for Donald Trump after she used her first PMQs as Conservative leader to say that he should be invited to parliament to address MPs. (See 2.01pm.)
Badenoch announces further set of frontbench appointments
The Conservative party has sent out a long list of shadow ministerial appointments below shadow cabinet level. Some of these have already been briefed, but here, for the record, is the list.
Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury: Gareth Davies MP
Shadow Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury: James Wild MP
Shadow Economic Secretary to the Treasury: Mark Garnier MP
Shadow Minister of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs: Wendy Morton MP
Shadow Minister of State for the Home Office: Matt Vickers MP
Shadow Minister for the Cabinet Office: Mike Wood MP
Shadow Minister of State for Defence: Mark Francois MP
Shadow Minister of State for Justice: Kieran Mullan MP
Shadow Minister of State for Education: Neil O’Brien MP
Shadow Minister of State for Health and Social Care: Dr Caroline Johnson MP
Shadow Minister of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities: David Simmonds MP
Shadow Minister of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Robbie Moore MP
Shadow Minister of State for Business and Trade: Harriet Baldwin MP
Shadow Minister of State for Work and Pensions: Danny Kruger MP
Shadow Minister of State for Transport: Jerome Mayhew MP
Shadow Minister of State for Culture, Media and Sport: Saqib Bhatti MP
Shadow Minister of State for Science, Innovation and Technology: Dr Ben Spencer MP
Shadow Minister of State for Energy and Net Zero: Andrew Bowie MP
Shadow Minister for Women: Mims Davies MP
Shadow Attorney General: Lord (David) Wolfson of Tredegar
Shadow Solicitor General: Helen Grant MP
Shadow Co-Deputy Chief Whip (Commons): Gagan Mohindra MP
Shadow Co-Deputy Chief Whip (Commons): Joy Morrisey MP
Media plurality rules could be extended to cover online news platforms, Nandy says
Lisa Nandy, the culture secretary, has announced she will look at adding online news platforms and weekly publications to the current rules on media plurality, PA Media says. PA reports:
Currently, the secretary of state has the power to intervene if there are concerns about media freedom and freedom of expression when there are media mergers of local, daily and Sunday newspapers as well as broadcasters.
Nandy has begun a consultation into whether weekly or monthly publications – such as The Economist or Prospect – should be added to the legislation.
It also proposes that UK online providers such as HuffPost or The Independent or the website version of print publications if being merged, could trigger “public interest” considerations under the scope of the Enterprise Act 2002.
This follows influential weekly politics and culture magazine The Spectator being bought by Sir Paul Marshall, a hedge fund magnate and co-owner of GB News.
Labour updates ministerial code of conduct in effort to restore trust
Ministers will still be allowed to receive gifts and hospitality but must show good judgment and declare the value of anything they receive, according to an updated code of ministerial conduct. Peter Walker has the story.
Updated
Donald Trump has “repeatedly told associates in Britain he thinks the country’s new prime minister Keir Starmer is ‘very left-wing’,” Bloomberg is reporting.
Exclusive: Donald Trump has repeatedly complained that Keir Starmer is “very left-wing” and echoed some of Elon Musk’s vitriolic criticism of the PM, in private conversations with high-ranking British officials in recent monthshttps://t.co/0yV4IoctU5
— Alex Wickham (@alexwickham) November 6, 2024
Lib Dems urge Starmer to organise summit to maximise European support for Ukraine before Trump becomes president
Ed Davey, the Liberal Democrat leader, has urged Keir Starmer to hold a “Save Ukraine” summit to maximise European support for Kyiv before Donald Trump assumes the US presidency again in January.
Davey said the summit could be used to agree how frozen Russen assets could be seized and used to support Ukraine. He said this should be done before Trump takes power on 20 January, claiming it could fund a rescue package for Ukraine worth £40bn.
He said:
Donald Trump’s re-election risks having a devastating impact on European security. Putin will be rubbing his hands with glee while the people of Ukraine are fearing for their future.
At this time of global insecurity the UK must stand with our European allies and redouble our efforts to support the Ukrainian people in their brave fight against Russia’s illegal invasion.
The prime minister must show global leadership and work with our European partners to gather support for Ukraine, including through seizing Russian assets.
There is no time to waste. We must help Ukraine turn the tide of this war before the end of the year. If the US won’t, Europe must.
Reeves suggests UK will try to persuade Trump not to raise tariffs, as economists say his policies will cut growth
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has suggested that Britain will try to persuade Donald Trump not to raise tariffs.
Speaking to the Commons Treasury committee, she said that the UK government was “not just a passive actor”.
Trump has said that, when he becomes US president again, he will impose a 60% tariff on Chinese goods and a 10% tariff on goods from all other countries.
The National Institute of Economic and Social Research (NIESR) says UK growth could be halved as a result. And Goldman Sachs has reduced its growth forecast for the UK next year following Trump’s election.
Asked if she agreed with the Goldman Sachs forecast saying growth next year will be 1.4% not 1.6% (see 2.55pm), Reeves replied:
I think it is too early to start making changes to forecasts for our economy because of the election of a president in the United States.
But I would say this, our trading relationship, our economic relationship with the United States, is absolutely crucial. The US are our single biggest trading partner.
Reeves said that in Trump’s first term “we continued to have a strong and healthy economic relationship” with the US. And she went on:
We’re not just a passive actor in this.
It’s a trade relationship with the United States and we will make strong representations about the importance of free and open trade, not just between ourselves and the United States, but globally.
The US also benefits from that access to free and open trade with us and other countries around the world, and it’s what makes us richer as societies, to benefit from that open trade.
Asked by John Glen, a Conservative former Treasury minister, if it was realistic to seek to influence Trump, Reeves said:
We’ve got another couple of months before the inauguration.
Obviously we will begin those conversations. We’ll prepare for different eventualities.
I absolutely do not want to sound in any way sanguine. On the other hand, I am optimistic about our ability to shape the global economic agenda, as we have under successive governments.
And, while we’re on the subject of centrist dad podcast world, Rory Stewart, the former Tory cabinet minister who co-hosts the Rest is Politics with Alastair Campbell, has owned up about being “completely wrong” when he forecast that Kamala Harris would win comfortably. Stewart posted this on social media.
For the record - I was completely wrong about Kamala Harris. It is heartbreaking that Trump is now the President.
Updated
Ed Balls says Trump's win shows Labour will lose next election if living standards don't rise quickly
Ed Balls, the Labour former shadow chancellor, has said that Labour will suffer the fate of Kamala Harris at the next election if it does not do something quickly to raise living standards.
Speaking on his Political Currency podcast, which he co-hosts with the former Tory chancellor George Osborne, Balls said the lesson from the US presidential election is that governments that don’t raise living standards will be punished.
In an episode out today, he said:
If living standards don’t rise and it happens on your watch, then the incumbent gets absolutely punished – and that is the story of this election.
I think if I was in the room [with Britain’s Labour party], I would say this: ‘We’ve just been told by the Office of Budget Responsibility that we are on track in this parliament to have the second-lowest rise in living standards of any parliament since the second world war. Only the last parliament was lower. They’ve downgraded our growth forecasts to half the level of US growth this year.
‘And even with stronger growth, the living standards accumulation of resentment against Joe Biden lost him the election, and if we don’t get this economy growing more strongly and living standards up quickly in this parliament, we’re going to go the way of the Biden-Democrats, and that is the right conclusion. It’s all about living standards.’
Of course, Balls is in the room with the Labour party; he is married to Yvette Cooper, the home secretary. He was a key figure in Labour politics for 20 years, but now works as a TV presenter.
Osborne also said the US results showed why living standards were more important than identity politics. He said:
In a politics obsessed with identity, you [the left] go, ‘[Kamala Harris] a big change from the old white guy.’
But if you’re looking at your pay packet – and you couldn’t give a stuff whether someone’s a man or a woman, and couldn’t care if they’re white, black or brown, or whatever. You go, ‘Hold on, she’s the person who’s been sitting there in the White House while my living standards have been falling.’
I do think it’s a challenge for the left … If you only see things through these identity prisms, rather than actually the more old fashioned ways the left used to see things, which was through economics and class.
Osborne is a Tory. And Balls is a Labour centrist. Here is a much more leftwing British commentator, Ash Sarkar from Novara Media, making a similar argument to theirs.
In the last 4 years, American food prices have gone up by 22%. Like I'm sorry, but running a campaign on the threat to democracy when people are unable to afford staple groceries was completely bonkers.
— Ash Sarkar (@AyoCaesar) November 6, 2024
In the last 4 years, American food prices have gone up by 22%. Like I’m sorry, but running a campaign on the threat to democracy when people are unable to afford staple groceries was completely bonkers.
But the problem for the government is that voters also want it to improve the dire state of public services. Indeed, some polling, like this More in Common report, suggests people will view cutting NHS waiting lists as an even bigger test for government success at the time of the next election than raising living standards. A briefing yesterday from Labour Together, a thinktank/campaign group closely linked to No 10, implies the NHS is the top priority.
Donald Trump, whose mother, Mary Anne Macleod, was born on the Isle of Lewis before emigrating to New York at the age of 18, has had a vexed relationship with Scotland’s political class: he clashed with Alex Salmond over his resort expansion plans in Aberdeen and described Nicola Sturgeon as a “failed woke extremist” after she refused to maintain a “diplomatic silence” on his intolerance and treatment of women.
The current first minster John Swinney’s backing for Kamala Harris last week was branded “an insult” to his investment in Scotland by his business Trump International.
Although Swinney went on to formally congratulate Trump, he immediately raised concerns about how his proposed import taxes would impact on the Scotch whisky business.
Five more shadow frontbench appointments announced by Tories
The Conservative party has announced more appointments to Kemi Badenoch’s frontbench.
Danny Kruger is a shadow work and pensions minister.
Wendy Morton (chief whip under Liz Truss) is a shadow Foreign Office minister.
Gareth Davies (a former Treasury minister) is shadow financial secretary to the Treasury.
Harriett Baldwin (a former Treasury minister) is a shadow business minister.
And Joy Morrissey will be co-shadow deputy chief whip. She will share the post with Gagan Mohindra, whose appointment was announced yesterday.
The Tories say this is more evidence of Badenoch’s desire to have an inclusive team. Kruger was campaign manager for Robert Jenrick, Badenoch’s main rival in the leadership contest, and Morton and Davies were also both Jenrick supporters.
Trump's win will cut UK growth in 2025 from 1.6% to 1.4%, Goldman Sachs says - but Reeves argues it's 'too early' to know
John Glen (Con) asked Reeves if Donald Trump winning the US presidential elections would affect growth in the UK. He said Goldman Sachs has already revised down its forecasts for this country, from 1.6% in 2025 to 1.4%.
Reeves said it was “too early” to know what the impact would be. But she said the relationship with the US was crucial. She was confident trade flows with the US would continue. Trump has been president before, and UK trade with the US was strong then, she said.
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has just started giving evidence to the Commons Treasury committee about the budget. There is a live feed here.
In her opening remarks, she said she wanted growth to be faster and stronger, and for families to feel the effects of it.
No 10 says Lammy staying as foreign secretary despite some Tories saying he should go over past anti-Trump comments
Kemi Badenoch has not called for David Lammy, the foreign secretary, to resign because if his past comments condemning Donald Trump when she raised them at PMQs. (See 12.06pm – I’ve beefed up the original post with full quotes.) But at least one Conservative MP has suggested he should go (Nick Timothy – see 9.51am) and the former Tory MP Bob Seely was even more blunt in a post on social media on this.
I don’t understand how @DavidLammy can remain Foreign Secretary, given what he has said about #Trump. We will have no credibility, not only with the new Administration but also with his many supporters in Congress, etc. Lammy’s silly student politics yet again damaging the #UK.
But Downing Street has said Lammy is staying. At the post-PMQs lobby briefing, asked if Lammy would remain foreign secretary for the rest of this parliament, the PM’s press secretary said: “Yes, he’s the foreign secretary.
Downing Street said that Keir Starmer would welcome president Trump being invited to speak to MPs in parliament – but that invitations like that were a matter for the speaker.
At the post-PMQs lobby briefing, asked if Keir Starmer was open to Trump being invited to parliament, the PM’s spokesperson replied:
I think questions for the house are for the speaker, but clearly the prime minister would of course welcome a visit from president-elect Trump to the UK in the future.
Asked whether he would also welcome a visit by Trump to parliament, the spokesperson added:
And to parliament, but clearly parliamentary matters are one for the speaker.
Updated
Starmer hopes to speak to Trump 'in due course', No 10 says
Keir Starmer has not spoken to Donald Trump yet since his election victory but hopes to do so “in due course”, his spokesperson told reporters at the post-PMQs lobby briefing. The spokesperson said:
Hopefully the President-elect is getting some well-deserved rest right now but the prime minister obviously looks forward to speaking to him in due course.
He knows first-hand how busy the first couple of days are after winning an election.
Ed Davey accuses Badenoch of 'cheerleading' for Trump after she says he should be invited to parliament to address MPs
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, has accused Kemi Badenoch of “cheerleading” for Donald Trump at PMQs. (See 12.08pm.) He posted this on social media.
Kemi Badenoch’s cheerleading of Donald Trump at PMQs shows the Conservatives are totally out of touch with our values. We should be standing up for human rights, the rule of law and international security – not rolling out the red carpet for Trump.
Updated
At the post-PMQs briefing a spokesperson for Kemi Badenoch said that, when she talked about there being no mention of defence in the budget (see 12.12pm), she meant there was no reference to how the government would meet its pledge to raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP.
PMQs - snap verdict
If Tory MPs were hoping that Kemi Badenoch was somehow going to trounce Starmer in debate, they will have been disappointed. She didn’t, by any stretch. It wasn’t a disaster for her, and she displayed confidence at least in her first outing in what is the hardest environment in parliament. But Keir Starmer was able to hold her off with some ease.
Badenoch started by asking if David Lammy apologised to Donald Trump for all the offensive things he has said about him in the past when he and Starmer met Trump for dinner in New York. In some respects it’s a cheap question, but it is a reasonable one too and, of course, Starmer dodged it. She then brought up the Bercow-inspired snub that happened during Trump’s last presidency, when the then Speaker blocked a bid to allow Trump to speak to MPs in Westminster Hall (following in the footsteps of people like Nelson Mandela and Barack Obama – it is the biggest honour parliament can offer to a visiting dignitary). Again, Starmer sidestepped the question. She also asked Starmer if he would say when Labour would raise defence spending to 2.5% of GDP – another topic on which the PM won’t make a commitment. These were all okay attack points. Badenoch made them forcefully, although her excessively patronising manner may grate on a lot of viewers.
But, on defence, it went wrong because foolishly Badenoch claimed that the budget speech did not mention defence. (See 12.12pm – I’ve beefed up the post now with with full quotes.) It did, four times. This allowed Starmer to administer an effective put-down. He also turned her jibe against student politics back against her quite neatly (see 12.08pm), but his funniest and most effective retort came when he mocked her comment about scripted responses. (See 12.14pm – again, I’ve beefed up the orginal post.) This clinched it for Starmer.
Badenoch also got heckled at this point by Labour MPs shouting out “reading” (something MPs say when someone is obviously reading from a script). There is nothing unusual about reading from a script at PMQs. But it is unwise to criticise someone else on these grounds when you are doing it yourself so transparently.
There were three other interesting things to point out about the Starmer/Badenoch exchanges.
First, there was a concerted effort by Labour MPs to attack over past comments on topics like autism, maternity pay, Partygate. This shows her back catalogue can furnish Labour HQ with multiple attack lines. Badenoch’s allies would claim Labour are only trying so hard because they are worried.
Second, despite fighting a leadership campaign on the basis that she is not going to set party policy now because it is far too early, Badenoch used PMQs to commit to reversing the inheritance tax extension for farmers announced in the budget. (See 12.14pm.) This sounded like a rookie mistake – something said to beef up a PMQs question that will cause embarrassment when it has to get reversed in the future. Interestingly, the Tory Edward Leigh sounded a lot more reasonable when he just asked for a change to the threshold. (See 12.26pm.)
And, third, by suggesting that Trump should be invited to address MPs in parliament (see 12.08pm – again, I’ve updated the original post), Badenoch sounded a lot more pro-Trump than did in the statement she issued earlier. (See 10.06am.) This might be what she thinks. But it is probably not where the public are (British voters are generally quite anti-Trump) and she ended up sounding like Nigel Farage, who in a tweet this morning was challenging Labour to give Trump the red carpet treatment when he next visits.
Donald Trump is a genuine friend of the United Kingdom.
— Nigel Farage MP (@Nigel_Farage) November 6, 2024
Keir Starmer must roll out the red carpet for the 47th President of the USA.
This is a huge opportunity to be grasped. pic.twitter.com/Wza4UgzGzh
After PMQs Lucy Powell used a point of order to say Kemi Badenoch was wrong to claim that the budget speech did not mention defence.
Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, said the point was noted.
(Keir Starmer also made this point in his response to Badenoch at 12.12pm. (The original post included a “not” in the sentence by mistake, but that has now been removed.)
James Cleverly, the former Tory leadership candidate, asked Starmer:
Before the election he claimed that he would not put up national insurance contributions. He put it up after the election. He claimed he would scrap tuition fees. He put it up after the election. He said he would not tax family farms. He’s taxing family farms.
Will he address his party’s growing reputation for dishonesty by making good on his commitment to close the Wethersfield asylum accommodation centre in my constituency.
Starmer said the government was keeping its promises. He said the problem was the Tories could not add up (with budget matters). He went on:
If they could add up, [Cleverly] might be down here rather than up there.
Starmer was joking about how Cleverly might have ended up Tory leader if MPs had not voted him out in the final parliamentary ballot – almost certainly by mistake, because some Cleverly supporters thought it would be safe to vote for someone else to block the third candidate they did not like.
Starmer says it was unacceptable for Labour MP to retweet comment calling Badenoch 'white supremacy in blackface'
Ben Obese-Jecty (Con) asks Starmer if he thinks it was accepted for the Labour MP Dawn Butler to repost a tweet describing Kemi Badenoch as “white supremacy in blackface”. And, if he doesn’t, why hasn’t Butler been suspended?
Starmer says it was not acceptable. He does not address the suspension point.
Updated
Torcuil Crichton (Lab) asks Starmer to sort out the “ferry fiasco” affecting his constituents in the Western Isles. He blames the SNP.
Starmer says the SNP government now has the money it needs to sort this out.
Alex Brewer (Lib Dem) asks how long ti will take for victims of hte Post Office scandal to be compensated.
Starmer says the last government made that commitment, but did not allocate any money to fund it. Money has been set aside now. He says it will be paid as quickly as possible.
Starmer criticises Badenoch for saying anger over Partygate was 'overblown'
Mary Glindon (Lab) asks if Starmer agrees that Kemi Badenoch was wrong to say that public outrage about Partygate was overblown.
Starmer says he does agree.
People made enormous sacrifices during Covid. They missed weddings, births, deaths, really important moments in their lives and their families’ lives.
In doing so they saved the lives of people they will probably never meet. That was a collective effort, and unfortunately, the party opposite who set the rules did not follow them themselves.
It was a betrayal of those that did, and I think the leader of the opposition was wrong to describe the public anger and upset as overblown. I’m sure she’ll want to clarify that at the first opportunity.
Updated
Starmer defends extension of inheritance tax to some farms, saying 'vast majority' of farmers won't be affected
Edward Leigh (Con) says, as a lawyer, Starmer should listen to the evidence. If the evidence shows that family farms will be affected by the inheritance tax changes, will he change the threshold.
Starmer says the “vast majority” of farms will not be affected. And, having grown up in a rural community, he also knows that people in rural areas need “an NHS that is back on its feet … schools that their children can go to and homes that their families can afford to live in”.
Starmer says the destruction of the waterways that happened under the Tories “should never have been allowed”. That is why a commission has been set up to look at this.
Starmer says he disagrees with Andrew Griffith, the new shadow business secretary, who said the minimum wage was “something legislators pass to make themselves feel good”.
Alex Baker (Lab) asks Starmer to condemn Kemi Badenoch’s “awful” words about autism, implying they benefit economically from their condition.
Starmer says he will leave it to Badenoch to defend what she said. He says the government will support people with autism.
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, says President-elect Trump praised the Russian invasion of Ukraine as “genius”. And he encouraged Russia to do whatever it wanted to allies.
What action is the prime minister taking to encourage a Trump presidency to change its mind, because otherwise it’s a huge threat to global security and to national security in the UK?
Starmer says he is proud of Britain’s support for Ukraine, and that will continue. And he says the UK has a strong relationship with the US, and he will work to keep it special.
Davey asks if Starmer agrees it is more important than ever to reduce trade barriers with the EU.
Starmer says the economy was at the centre of the budget.
Matthew Patrick (Lab) asks about a case involving a constituent of economic abuse, where an ex-partner destroyed the credit approval of his constituent. Will the governemnt address this problem?
Starmer says HMRC has launched a tool to help charities and businesses recognise and address this.
Badenoch says Tories would reverse extension of inheritance tax to cover farms
Badenoch says she has a good record on the minimum wage. She put it up as business secretary. What does Starmer says to farmer. She says she is clear; the Tories would reverse the cruel farmers tax.
Starmer says, if Badenoch is complaining about scripted answers (as she did a moment ago), she should not be reading her questions from a script. On farming, she says “the vast, vast majority” of farmer will not be affected, as Badenoch knows. That budget was about investment, he says. If the Tories are opposed, they should tell their constituents. He says Labour is taking the country forward; the Tories are “stuck in the past”.
UPDATE: Badenoch said:
His scripted lines are showing that he has not even listened to the Budget himself. So I will try a different question, perhaps he can give something that is unscripted to the people watching …
I am very clear that we would reverse Labour’s cruel family farms tax. What can he say now to reassure the farming community, who provide security for the whole nation?
And Starmer replied:
If she’s going to complain about scripted answers, it’s probably best not to read that from a script.
I’m glad she’s raised farmers because the budget last week put £5bn over the next two years into farming. That’s the single biggest increase, unlike the £300m which was underspent under the last government.
But when it comes to inheritance, the vast majority of farmers will be unaffected, as she well knows, as they well know.
But that budget was about fixing the foundations, fixing the whole £22bn that they left and investing in the future of our country, investing in our NHS, investing in our schools, our hospitals and our homes, and I’m proud that’s the investment we’re making.
If they oppose it they should go out there and tell their constituents they’re against that investment, the future of our country. That’s the difference: a Labour government taking us forward, they’re stuck in the past.
Updated
Starmer mocks Badenoch for saying budget did not mention defence when it did
Badenoch says Starmer would not make a commitment to 2.5%. The chancellor’s budget did not mention defence. She says the budget was based on Bidenomics. But that is less popular than Rachel Reeves thought.
Starmer says Badenoch should have listened to the budget. It did mention defence. He says Badenoch still has not welcomed the rise in the minimum wage.
UPDATE: Badenoch said:
His chancellor’s budget did not even mention defence. The chancellor’s Budget last week was a copy and paste of Bidenomics.
It turns out a high-spending, high-borrowing, high-inflation approach is less popular than she may have thought.
May I suggest he now urge her to change course, or is he determined to be a one-term leader?
And Starmer replied:
The one thing I learned as leader of the opposition is it’s a good idea to listen to what the government is actually saying.
I think she just said that defence wasn’t mentioned in the budget. It was – seven days ago – that it was absolutely clear and central to the budget, as was economic growth.
Updated
Badenoch says the last Tory government said defence spending should rise to 2.5% of GDP by 2030. Will Starmer match that?
Starmer says Labour is committed to defence. It created Nato. The last time the 2.5% level was met was under the last government. The plan put forward by the Tories at the last election was “fantasy”, he says.
Badenoch says Starmer is not answering the questions. She asks if he will continue free trade talks with Trump.
Starmer says he will of course work on matters of economic policy with Trump. And he turns to the budget, saying it will help working people. If Badenoch is opposed to those measures, she should say so.
Badenoch challenges Starmer to invite Trump to parliament to address MPs
Badenoch says when Trump was last president Labour MPs signed a motion saying Trump should not be allowed to speak in Westminster Hall. Will Starmer show that Labour are more than student politicians by inviting Trump to speak here on his next visit.
Starmer says Badenoch is giving a masterclass on student politics. He says he will work with Trump on issues of mutual interest.
UPDATE: Badenoch said:
The prime minister did not distance himself from the remarks made by the foreign secretary, and I’m very sure that President Trump will soon be calling to thank him for sending all of those North London Labour activists to campaign for his opponent.
Given that most of his cabinet signed a motion to ban President Trump from addressing parliament, will the prime minister show that he and his government can be more than student politicians by asking you, Mr Speaker, to extend an invitation to President Trump to address parliament on his next visit?
And Starmer replied:
I thank the leader of the opposition for giving a masterclass on student politics.
But seriously, we live in probably more volatile world than we’ve lived in for many decades.
It is absolutely crucial that we have a strong relationship, that strong special relationship forged in difficult circumstances, between the US and the UK.
We will continue to work as we have done in the four months in government.
Updated
Kemi Badenoch says she will be a constructive leader of the opposition. And she asks if David Lammy apologised to Donald Trump when he and Starmer met Trump in New York. And, if he did not, will Starmer apologise now.
Starmer says he had a constructive meeting with Trump. He does not mention the Lammy comments.
UPDATE: Badenoch said:
As leader of His Majesty’s Opposition I will be taking a different approach to the last opposition by being a constructive opposition.
And so I would like to start by congratulating President-elect Trump on his impressive victory this morning.
The prime minister and the foreign secretary met him in September. Did the foreign secretary take that opportunity to apologise for making derogatory and scatological references, including, and I quote, ‘Trump is not only a woman-hating neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath, he is also a profound threat to the international order’, and if he did not apologise, will the prime minister do so now on his behalf?
And Starmer replied:
There will be many issues on which the leader of the Opposition and I disagree, but there will be issues that do unite this House on national security and Ukraine.
The foreign secretary and I did meet President-elect Trump just a few weeks ago for dinner for about a couple of hours, and we discussed a number of issues of global significance. It was a very constructive exercise.
Updated
Jacob Collier (Lab) says his constituents are worried about Kemi Badenoch’s talk of getting rid of maternity pay. Will the government keep it?
Starmer says the government will keep it. He says he does not agree with Badenoch on this.
Caroline Dinenage (Con) asks about a constituent missing out on the winter fuel payment this winter because she is £10 over the limit for pension credit. Is that fair?
Starmer says the government has had to take tough decisions. He says that has allowed the government to keep the pension triple lock, which will help Dinenage’s constituent.
Keir Starmer starts by congratulating President-elect Trump. He says he looks forward to working with him in the years to come.
And he welcomes Kemi Badenoch to her place. She is his fourth Tory leader, he says. He says he looks forward to working with her in the national interest.
Updated
Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, starts by welcoming Kemi Badenoch to her first PMQs as leader of the opposition.
Welsh questions is just winding up in the Commons. Nia Griffith, a Welsh Office minister, has just accused Kemi Badenoch of betraying farmers with the trade deals she worked on while she was international trade minister and business secretary.
Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQ
Kemi Badenoch has her first PMQs as Conservative leader today. She’s confrontational, likes attacking Labour and is a confident Commons performer, and in the Conservative party MPs are expecting her to do well.
Here is the list of MPs down to ask Keir Starmer a question.
Gavin Robinson, the DUP leader, has congratulated Donald Trump. In a message on social media he says:
The voters in the United States have clearly spoken. I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on a big win.
We look forward to seeing him in Northern Ireland during his term as President.
The voters in the United States have clearly spoken. I congratulate President-elect Donald Trump on a big win.
— Gavin Robinson (@GRobinsonDUP) November 6, 2024
We look forward to seeing him in Northern Ireland during his term as President.
But Claire Hanna, the SDLP leader, has said his victory is “very disheartening”. In a statement she says:
My thoughts today are largely with people in the United States who are fearful about what this might mean for their future. Donald Trump has repeatedly shown himself as someone with little respect for most people or the high office that he once again holds. It’s very disheartening that his divisive brand of politics has been so widely endorsed, but we acknowledge the clarity of the election outcome.
There is serious concern about what this means for the United States, Gaza, Ukraine and indeed the world. In each, the most vulnerable will likely bear the brunt of the decisions the Trump administration will take.
Many people will be feeling low today and I hope they will take care. The best response to this is to organise, and to think about the ways that we can help protect community cohesion, security and the planet. The SDLP will continue to champion inclusive, forward looking and internationalist politics.
Government to stop police and prison cells being used for people facing mental health crisis
Campaigners have welcomed the end of using police and prison cells to place people experiencing a mental health crisis in the updated mental health bill, but say more needs to be done to tackle systemic racism.
Black people are over three times more likely to be detained under the Mental Health Act, whilst those with a learning disability and autistic people are also found to be inappropriately sectioned.
Patients currently have little say over their care and treatment should they be detained, or over who should be involved in making decisions related to their care, such as family members and carers.
The Department of Health and Social Care has published its updated mental health bill today to reform laws they describe as outdated, and introduced changes that they say will give patients more dignity
These changes also include ending the inappropriate detention of people with autism and learning disabilities.
Dr Sarah Hughes, Chief Executive of Mind, said:
Today’s introduction of the mental health bill brings us a step closer to a more progressive mental health system for the 50,000 people who are sectioned each year – but we still need to look at whether it will fully go the distance for meaningful change.
The bill has the potential to be an historic moment for people with the most serious mental health problems and their loved ones, as well as the clinicians and experts who have fought tirelessly to bring the outdated Mental Health Act 1983 into the 21st century.
The introduction of statutory care and treatment plans and the removal of police and prison cells as ‘places of safety’ are vital in creating a step change in how people are supported at times of crisis and as they live with enduring mental illness.
However, the systemic racism enabled by the Mental Health Act was one of the key drivers behind these reforms. Those of us from racialised communities are still disproportionately impacted by restrictive and unfair practice and poor outcomes, and this shames us all. We must address this.
Reform UK MP Lee Anderson ordered to apologise for breaking Commons anti-bullying rules by swearing at security guard
The Reform UK MP Lee Anderson has been ordered to apologise after a report found that he breached Commons anti-bullying rules by swearing at a security guard.
The report published this morning says that Anderson, who was originally elected to the Commons as a Tory MP but how defected to Reform UK ahead of the 2024 election, insulted and ignored a security officer who tried to check his pass.
Describing what happened, the report says:
On 3rd November 2023, at the Derby Gate search post, Houses of Parliament, the respondent, Lee Anderson MP, twice verbally insulted the complainant […], who was on duty as a security officer. After instructing the complainant to open the door and allow the respondent access to the parliamentary estate, the complainant asked to check the respondent’s pass. The respondent replied, ‘Fuck off, everyone opens the door to me, you are the only one’. The complainant again explained he would need to check the respondent’s pass. The respondent then approached the complainant and said, ‘Fuck you, I have a train to catch’, before walking out of the search post.
In its report the Independent Expert Panel, which investigates allegations of sexual misconduct and bullying against MPs, says the incident left the security guard feeling “upset and intimidated, and led to him moving to a different job in parliament.”
The IEP said that Anderson should apologise to the security guard, and to the Commons.
But it accepted Anderson’s claim that his rude behaviour was not planned, and that he was affected by “challenging personal circumstances”.
When Anderson was a Conservative MP, he was suspended by the party for comments about Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, that were seen as Islamphobic.
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Plaid Cymru says Trump's win means strengthening ties with EU countries 'more urgent than ever'
Rhun ap Iorwerth, the Plaid Cymru leader, has joined the Liberal Democrats (see 9.02am) in saying Donald Trump’s election victory means improving relations with the EU is now “more urgent than ever”. He put these on social media.
Events in the USA represent a backward step for women’s rights, global stability and the struggle against increasingly regressive forces in our politics.
The need to strengthen ties with our neighbours in Europe is now more urgent than ever, as is the importance of ensuring that governments remain true to their word and listen to the voices of the most marginalised in society.
Eluned Morgan, the Labour Welsh first minister, has posted this on social media congratulating Donald Trump.
Congratulations President-elect Donald Trump.
Llongyfarchiadau ar gael eich ethol yn Arlywydd Unol Daleithiau
America. Wales and the USA have a strong relationship which we highly value. We look forward to continuing that partnership for the benefit of all our people.
Other Conservatives have issued more enthusiastic messages about Donald Trump’s victory.
This is from Liz Truss, the former PM.
Congratulations @realDonaldTrump. Great news for the USA and the West. Let the fightback begin!
Congratulations @realDonaldTrump. Great news for the USA and the West. Let the fightback begin!
— Liz Truss (@trussliz) November 6, 2024
This is from Suella Braverman, the former home secretary.
Congratulations President-elect Trump on your election victory.
— Suella Braverman MP (@SuellaBraverman) November 6, 2024
America is our closest ally: your success is our success.
At this time of global insecurity, you can now lead the fight for democracy, prosperity & peace around the world.
And the UK will continue to support you. pic.twitter.com/enoWYH7i63
Congratulations President-elect Trump on your election victory.
America is our closest ally: your success is our success.
At this time of global insecurity, you can now lead the fight for democracy, prosperity & peace around the world.
And the UK will continue to support you.
And this is from Lord Frost, the former Brexit minister.
The very welcome victory for @realDonaldTrumpthis morning has come at a crucial time for the West.
For the first time, across all our countries, there are real signs of pushback against the conventional wisdom of recent years. Trump’s victory strengthens this decisively and sets a different course: to dismantle the over-mighty bureaucratic state, control our borders, protect free speech, stand up for historical and biological reality, end disastrous net zero policies, and get the West’s foreign and defence policies in line with our actual capabilities.
A Harris victory would have seen another doubling down on all the policies that got us into this mess.
That’s why so many progressives are so disappointed this morning: they know their ideas are on the way out, and not before time.
Just Stop Oil campaigners put orange paint on US embassy wall in London as anti-Trump protest
Just Stop Oil supporters have put orange paint on the US embassy wall in London as a protest against Donald Trump, PA Media reports.
The environmental activist group say they are demanding governments work together to “end the extraction and burning of oil, gas and coal by 2030”.
A Just Stop Oil spokesperson said:
The only real winner of today’s election is the corporate power that controls the major parties in both the US and UK.
Regardless of who sits in the White House, corporations and billionaires will ensure that the interests of the fossil fuel industry will continue to be prioritised over the wellbeing of ordinary people.
It is only through people coming together to disrupt ‘business as usual’ that humanity will stand any chance of minimising the effects of climate breakdown, and the resulting social collapse that is already under way.
In Spain this week, hundreds of bodies continue to be dragged from the mud – this is just a small portent of what is to come if we don’t change course immediately.
As long as democracy is hijacked by corporate interests and billionaires, it will fail to deliver the change ordinary people are crying out for. This will always leave the door open for fake populists like Trump to exploit the disaffection many feel.
Ordinary people have to step up, get organised and make change happen, because it should be clear by now, no political leaders are coming to save us.
BREAKING: Just Stop Oil activists have painted the US embassy building in London in orange paint, as Donald Trump is elected the 47th president of the United States. pic.twitter.com/kBAkNU3hlD
— Talk (@TalkTV) November 6, 2024
New Tory leader Kemi Badenoch congratulates Trump
Kemi Badenoch has posted a message on social media congratulating Donald Trump.
Congratulations President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory.
— Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) November 6, 2024
The world faces many serious challenges and I look forward to our two countries working together to confront them.
Congratulations President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory.
The world faces many serious challenges and I look forward to our two countries working together to confront them.
There is no rightwing triumphalism in this. (See 9.51am.) In fact, if Kamala Harris had won, this message would have been just as appropriate. The same could be said of Keir Starmer’s response. (See 8.36am.)
Trump’s win is “historic” because he is only the second person to win two non-consecutive terms as president. The first was Grover Cleveland, who won his comeback election in 1892.
But a Harris win would have been even more historic, because she would have been the first woman elected president.
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John Swinney, Scotland’s SNP first minister, has posted a message on social media congratulating Donald Trump on his victory.
Congratulations to President-elect Trump on his election.
Scotland and the USA share many social, cultural and economic links.
In that relationship, we will stand fast in support of our values of fairness, democracy and equality – ideals that America was built upon.
Kemi Badenoch, the new Conservative leader, and Priti Patel, the new shadow foreign secretary, have not yet issued a statement following Donald Trump supporting victory. Badenoch has not been as overtly pro-Trump as some Tories, like Liz Truss and Boris Johnson, but it is fairly clear where her sympathies lie. In a GB News hustings during the Tory leadership debate, asked if she favoured Trump or Kamala Harris, she replied: “I like both of them equally.” But she also laughed, implying it was a diplomatic answer, not a truthful one. She has also said she is a “huge fan” of Elon Musk, Trump’s richest and most influential supporter.
But one Conservative MP, the rightwinger Nick Timothy, has been commenting on Trump’s win in detail. He has put a series of posts on social media highlighting the challenges raised for Labour. A lot of these are questions they will probably be asking in Downing Street this morning.
I’m not into America-brained punditry but the US election poses questions of our government.
1. Trump has made clear America will not subsidise European defence any longer. The Govt has refused to put a timeline on an increase in defence spending. What’s it’s plan? (1/n).
2. American subsidies and the enormity of its equity market have drawn British talent and businesses across the Atlantic, even under Joe Biden. What is the response?
3. Trump will adopt a more confrontational approach to trade with China. How will we handle that?
4. We don’t know his Ukraine policy but it’s likely Trump will push for a deal. Does our Government back a deal or is its Ukraine policy independent?
5. Trump will take a hard line towards Iran. Our Government won’t even proscribe the IRGC. What’s the policy?
6. In the UN the UK has recently voted with European countries not America on eg Iran. Will that change?
7. The constant in Trump’s career is his concern about the US trade deficit. If he goes protectionist with British produce, goods and services, what’s our response?
8. On the many other issues that arise between the two countries - eg security cooperation, extradition, diplomacy - what’s the plan to ensure good relations?
9. Who will be our next ambassador in DC? Labour blocked a skilled diplomat in Tim Barrow and have flirted with options including Mandelson, Miliband and Baroness Amos, who thinks we should consider paying reparations to Caribbean countries.
10. Is David Lammy the Foreign Secretary to address all these questions? https://t.co/n3SzEMQSEM
— Nick Timothy MP (@NJ_Timothy) November 6, 2024
11. How wise was it to appoint Lammy to this position when this election result was always a possibility?
12. How wise was it to send armies of Labour activists to fight against Trump in the election?
13. And how wise was it for Starmer himself to say things like this (while campaigning, incidentally, for Jeremy Corbyn to become Prime Minister)? https://t.co/fPzvIF4ImG
— Nick Timothy MP (@NJ_Timothy) November 6, 2024
Green party says people around world should fight 'politics of hate' represented by 'bigot, bully and liar' Trump
The Green party says Donald Trump is a “bigot, bully and liar”, and that people around the world must fight the “politics of hate” he represents. In a statement from the party, Carla Denyer, the co-leader, said:
A dangerous bigot, bully, and liar is once again set to become the leader of the most powerful country in the world. A climate change denier, a proud racist and misogynist, and a man who has sought to subvert elections and incite insurrection.
On this dark day, we stand in solidarity with all US citizens who fear a convicted criminal and a fascist in the White House. And we stand with all those around the world who dreaded this moment and must now live with its consequences, including those in Gaza and Ukraine.
Together, those of us who believe in democracy must work together to overcome authoritarianism and the politics of hate.
Another Labour politician who has criticised Donald Trump strongly in the past is Emily Thornberry, shadow foreign secretary when Jeremy Corbyn was Labour leader and now chair of the Commons foreign affairs committee. In an interview on the Today programme this morning she said Trump’s victory (or apparent victory – he still has not officially hit 270 electoral college votes) was “disappointing”, and that it made the world “unpredictable”.
When it was put to her that she described him as a “racist, sexual predator” when he visited the UK during his first term as president, she replied:
Well, he is. But he is the president of the United States, and we need to work with him.
Sadiq Khan, the Labour mayor of London, has put out a statement saying people in the capital will feel “anxious” about the results of the US presidential elections. He said:
I know that many Londoners will be anxious about the outcome of the US presidential election. Many will be fearful about what it will mean for democracy and for women’s rights, or how the result impacts the situation in the Middle East or the fate of Ukraine. Others will be worried about the future of NATO or tackling the climate crisis …
The lesson of today is that progress is not inevitable. But asserting our progressive values is more important than ever - re-committing to building a world where racism and hatred is rejected, the fundamental rights of women and girls are upheld, and where we continue to tackle the crisis of climate change head on.
During Trump’s first term as US president, Trump publicly criticised Khan on various occasions, prompting Khan to respond robustly.
The most detailed account of Keir Starmer’s private dinner with Donald Trump in New York in September (see 8.44am) appeared in an article by Tim Shipman in the Sunday Times at the weekend. Here is an extract.
Twice during Sir Keir Starmer’s first dinner with Donald Trump at the end of September, the former president turned to the prime minister and said: “You’re a liberal, so we won’t always agree but we can work together.” At the end of the meal, he looked at Starmer and said: “You and I are friends.” Starmer’s team breathed a sigh of relief. With America set to choose a new commander-in-chief, personal relationships could define the future of the transatlantic alliance.
An even bigger hit with Trump than the buttoned-up Starmer, however, was David Lammy, the foreign secretary. Lammy laughed in the right places at Trump’s jokes and the former president personally offered him a second portion of food, a moment of both levity and symbolism as a man accused of neo-fascist tendencies bonded with the descendant of slaves.
Lammy, who attended Harvard Law School and has relatives in the United States, is given to the kind of back-slapping bonhomie that goes a long way in Washington. “David gets American politicians,” said one diplomatic source.
Anti-racism campaigners say they're planning protest against Trump outside US embassy in London
The Stand Up to Racism campaign says it is organising a “No to Trump” protest at 6pm tonight at the US embassy in London. Weyman Bennett, co-convenor of of the group, said:
Trump is a racist who gives every fascist and far-right activist a boost. His last presidency saw millions march against him. We are coming out to oppose him - and his racism, sexism, bigotry and Islamophobia again.
Other organisations supporting the protest include the Stop the War Coalition, the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament, and the Abortion Rights Campaign
Trump tariffs would halve UK growth and push up prices, says thinktank
UK growth would be halved in the event Donald Trump wins the US presidential race and imposes the swingeing new tariffs he has threatened, a leading thinktank warned in a report published as the US election results starting coming in. Larry Elliott has the story.
Ed Davey says Trump winning 'dark, dark day' for the globe, making fixing UK's relationship with EU 'even more urgent'
Opposition party politicians have scope to criticise Donald Trump in a way that members of a government that will have to deal with the Trump administration do not, and that is evident from the Liberal Democrats’ reaction to Trump’s election victory (which still have not been officially confirmed, but which seems very certain).
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, released a statement shortly after Keir Starmer’s (see 8.32am) saying that Trump declaring victory was a “dark, dark day” for the world and that it made fixing the UK’s relationship with the EU “even more urgent”.
This is a dark, dark day for people around the globe. The world’s largest economy and most powerful military will be led by a dangerous, destructive demagogue.
The next president of the United States is a man who actively undermines the rule of law, human rights, international trade, climate action and global security.
Millions of Americans – especially women and minorities – will be incredibly fearful about what comes next. We stand with them.
Families across the UK will also be worrying about the damage Trump will do to our economy and our national security, given his record of starting trade wars, undermining NATO and emboldening tyrants like Putin.
Fixing the UK’s broken relationship with the EU is even more urgent than before. We must strengthen trade and defence cooperation across Europe to help protect ourselves from the damage Trump will do.
Now more than ever, we must stand up for the core liberal values of equality, democracy, human rights and the rule of law – at home and around the world.
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Farage says Trump will be 'genuine radical' and claims in many ways he's 'bringing Americans together'
Nigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, told the Today programme this morning that Donald Trump would be “a genuine radical”. Farage, who counts Trump as a friend and who is in the US to attend Trump’s election day party in Florida, said:
What you are going to see from this Trump administration, and I’m guessing that Elon Musk will be the man that is tasked to do it – is there will be a big fightback against the administrative bureaucratic state which is far too big, far too powerful and actually very undemocratic.
He also claimed Trump was “bringing Americans together”.
What is very interesting about the Trump movement is that it’s critics call it all sorts of nasty names, the truth is in many ways it’s bringing Americans together.
David Lammy, the foreign secretary, has posted a message on social media congratulating Donald Trump.
Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump on your victory.
The UK has no greater friend than the US, with the special relationship being cherished on both sides of the Atlantic for more than 80 years.
We look forward to working with you and @JDVance in the years ahead.
Lammy is one of several senior Labour figures who made very critical comments about Trump in public in the past. Lammy’s comments included describing Trump as a “neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath”, a “profound threat to the international order” and a “dangerous clown”.
Kamala Harris has not conceded yet in the US presidential contest, and Donald Trump has not quite secured the necessary 270 electoral college votes needed to make him president. But Downing Street sent out a message from Keir Starmer congratulating Trump anyway at 8.16am. By that point other word leaders, like the French president, Emmanuel Macron, and the Israeli PM, Benjamin Netanyahu, had already offered Trump their congratulations and Starmer will have decided that it was best not to hang around.
Most Labour MPs are horrified by Trump’s politics. But Starmer knows he has to work with him and as Labour leader in opposition he was scrupulous about talking about him respectfully, and as PM he has made an effort to cultivate a good relationship, calling him to express support after the assasination attempt and arranging a private ‘get to know you dinner’ when he was in New York for the UN general assembly meeting recently.
Starmer congratulates Trump
Good morning. Keir Starmer has just issued a statement congratulating Donald Trump on his election victory, which now appears all but certain. Starmer said:
Congratulations President-elect Trump on your historic election victory. I look forward to working with you in the years ahead.
As the closest of allies, we stand shoulder to shoulder in defence of our shared values of freedom, democracy and enterprise.
From growth and security to innovation and tech, I know that the UK-US special relationship will continue to prosper on both sides of the Atlantic for years to come.
Congratulations President-elect @realDonaldTrump on your historic election victory.
— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) November 6, 2024
I look forward to working with you in the years ahead. pic.twitter.com/QYHLd4k4EG
There will be plenty, plenty more UK reaction to the US election to come. I’ll be covering it here.
And it is an important day in UK politics too, with Kemi Badenoch taking PMQs for the first time since her election as the new Conservative party leader.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Noon: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.
2.30pm: Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, gives evidence to the Commons Treasury committee about the budget.
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