Afternoon summary
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Bev Craig, the Labour candidate for Greater Manchester mayor, has launched her election manifesto.
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.
DUP sets up review to establish what people in party knew about Jeffrey Donaldson's sex offending
DUP leader Gavin Robinson has insisted he has ordered an “unprecedented review” in terms of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Donaldson’s time in his party, the Press Association reports. PA says:
Robinson previously announced a “focused, independent review” to establish what was known within the party about Donaldson’s conduct.
The review will be led by Jim Gamble, a former senior police officer and current head of the INEQE Safeguarding Group.
The Northern Ireland Survivor Council had expressed “concern” because the INEQE is also undertaking a safeguarding review of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, and it had emerged Donaldson’s victims had previously disclosed to church officials they had been abused.
They have queried whether one organisation can independently and robustly conduct both reviews.
Former DUP leader Donaldson was, last month, convicted at Newry Crown Court of 18 sex offences, including one count of rape, relating to the abuse of two women when they were children.
Robinson said he was very pleased that Gamble and his company has agreed to the review.
Corbyn says Starmer wrong to claim at PMQs that Labour found to be 'institutionally antisemitic' under his leadership
During PMQs Keir Starmer said that Labour was “found to be institutionally antisemitic” as a result of things that happened under his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.
Corbyn, who was thrown out of Labour under Starmer and who is now parliamentary leader of Your Party, has said this claim was false. Starmer was referring to the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s report into antisemitism in Labour, and Corbyn says Starmer has misdescribed its findings.
In a statement, Corbyn says:
The prime minister today falsely claimed that Labour was found to be “institutionally antisemitic” under my leadership. There was no such finding, and Keir Starmer should have the decency to correct the record.
This is the second time in recent weeks he has made a false allegation about the Labour party under my leadership (last time about an invented financial bankruptcy) to bolster his own dismal record.
Misrepresentations and broken undertakings are unfortunately part of a pattern under his leadership, leading to the collapse of public support that has brought his premiership to an end.
He is now heading for the exit, but I will continue to campaign for social justice, human rights and peace. That includes uncovering the true scale of this government’s institutional complicity in genocide.
Farage said he would need ‘a million a year’ to stand as MP in 2024
Nigel Farage told senior figures in Reform UK he would need “a million a year” to cover lost earnings if he stood for parliament in the 2024 general election, sources have told the Guardian, raising further questions about why he was given £5m by a crypto billionaire. Anna Isaac has the story.
Burnham plays down prospect of introducing wealth tax soon after becoming PM
Andy Burnham has played down the prospect of his introducing a wealth tax soon after he become PM next week.
But he has also said that he might have to ask taxpayers for “a little more” given the state of the national finances.
Burnham made his comments in an interview with Gary Lineker in which he also discussed the cost of living, Donald Trump and the World Cup.
The idea of a wealth tax is popular in the Labour party, even though there is no agreement was to what the term actually means. The Greens want an annual tax on assets worth more than £10m. Labour MPs tend to be more sceptical about this, but leftwingers, including some people close to Burnham, have called for capital gains tax to be raised to the level of income tax, a policy backed by Wes Streeting when he considering a run for the Labour leadership recently. Streeting called that “a wealth tax that works”.
Rachel Reeves, the outgoing chancellor, claims she has already in effect introduced wealth taxes because she has introduced various measures that will raise taxes for the rich.
Asked if he would introduce a wealth tax, Burnham told Lineker:
I’m going to obviously take my time to properly look at the state of things, particularly the state of finances. And I just said a moment ago, Gary, about bringing people together. You know, I don’t want to come in and, if you like, create new divisions and pitch people one against another.
I’m not going rule things out right now. I do believe we need a greater sense of fairness and people feeling that things are being done in the right way and a fair way.
But at the same time, I don’t want to sort of be perceived as somebody who’s coming in with grudges and agendas and going to just immediately find or demonise one group or create a new way of dividing people.
But some sort of tax rises were possible, Burnham suggested.
Decisions to be taken in time, they’re going to be difficult. I’m not going to shy away from that. You know, we are going to have to work quite hard to make sure we can pay our way.
And at some point that might be having to ask for a little more.
But those decisions are not for now. They’re for another day.
Burnham said helping people with the cost of living would be a “key thing” for him.
People are paying too much for the basic things in life. And we’ve got to find ways of taking that pressure off them.
I heard on the doorsteps in Makerfield, ‘You know what, Andy, I can’t go out for a few pints anymore. I can’t take the kids out. I can’t go on holiday.’ Some of the things that just brought that bit of extra joy to people’s lives have kind of disappeared.
And we just need to try and bring a bit of a lift to people, a greater sense of hope back and a feeling that the country, if not everything being right now, is on a path to a better place.
And I will do whatever I can, I’ll give it my all to see if I can bring that about.
Asked about dealing with Donald Trump, Burnham said that “being yourself” and “respecting the office” woud be important. He said:
I’ll just meet him where he’s at. And I like to think I’ve got some personality myself and I’ll deal with him very upfront in the same way I think he likes people to deal with him …
Where you disagree, do it, but do it in a way that is kind of meeting him where he’s at.
Asked about England’s chances in the World Cup, Burnham said:
There’s more positivity and belief around England, I think, than any time I can remember …
I don’t want to jinx it here, but it does feel as though there is just that little bit extra there, and let’s hope it comes through.
Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, has said that today’s reports claiming that Andy Burnham is not going to pick Ed Miliband as chancellor (see 11.14am) reflect badly on Labour. He said:
The Green party will tax millionaires and billionaires through a wealth tax. It is reported today that Labour by contrast are choosing to let millionaires and billionaires pick who their chancellor is. That is why we are here to replace Labour.
Welsh Labour's new leader Ken Skates says he shares Burnham's commitment to devolution and decentralisation
Steven Morris is a Guardian reporter covering Wales.
The new leader of Welsh Labour, Ken Skates, has told the Guardian that steering his party’s fightback following disastrous results in the Senedd elections will be a “big task” and is starting immediately.
He said he needed to convince voters that Welsh Labour was a party focused on “health and wealth for all”, adding: “We need to escape navel gazing and we need to be bold and ambitious in looking to the future based on our core principles.”
Skates said his party would work with Plaid Cymru, which leads the Welsh government, in the interest of the people of Wales – but would challenge them when it felt they weren’t doing the right thing. “We will hold them to account where and when they fail to demonstrate progressive policy.”
Skates is the first Welsh Labour leader from north Wales, which he said would bring a fresh set of eyes to the job. He said:
It is helpful to have a fresh perspective and fresh ideas, and hopefully that’s what I’ll be able to bring to the job. My background is somewhat different to previous leaders. I’m not from a traditional political family. I’m from a family of steel workers.
He said he had similarities with Andy Burnham, including supporting Everton and attending Cambridge University. Plus: “We both share poor taste in running shorts.”
He added:
I think most importantly, though, for the Labour movement in Wales, we are both fully committed to a devolution revolution, to decentralising and de-concentrating power. Whether that be Westminster to the rest of the UK or Cardiff Bay to the rest of Wales. We need deeper devolution and we’ll be committed to that.
Zia Yusuf's press conference about protecting politicians from violence - summary and analysis
Earlier today Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, gave a speech and held a press conference about protecting politicians from violence. There have been some claims that Reform UK are only, or mainly, talking up this issue as a means of trying to justify Nigel Farage’s decision to take an undeclared gift of £5m from Christopher Harbone (which he says will pay for his security). The murder of Ann Widdecombe has probably shut down that line of criticism for good. Yusuf was talking about a genuine, very serious problem, and he spoke with sincerity about how, when he was party chair, he worried about the safety of activists, like those “chased down the street with an axe”.
But, nevertheless, the speech still came across as a rant – partly because of the total lack of curiosity as to what are the reasons for the rise in violence against politicians, and partly because of his wholesale refusal to accept that Reform UK’s own MPs have played a role in creating a toxic online culture that exacerbates the problem. It is obvious that a large part of this is driven by the social media hate economy, and at least three Reform UK MPs actually get paid by Elon Musk’s X platform for tweets that drive engagement. You can guess what type of posts these might be; they are not cat videos, or wholesome quotes about mindfulness.
There was also an implicit threat in the speech, directed at the media. Farage is the only party leader who in effect has his own TV station (GB News), but that does not stop the party claiming that it has been victimised by newspapers and broadcasters. After the speech was over, Farage posted a clip of it on X with the caption: “I will not forget what The Times have done.” (That is a reference to the Times printing a picture of the home owned by Farage where his daughter lives.)
Here are the main points from the speech and Q&A.
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Yusuf said that Farage has received 1,577 threats since February, including 597 death threats. He said:
The leader of our party lives his life under the ever present threat of mortal danger …
Many politicians and members of the media are effectively stopping the function of democracy by creating an environment of such hostility for Reform and making it unpalatably dangerous to air perfectly reasonable views.
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Yusuf implied that politicians who have strongly criticised Reform UK were guilty of inciting violence. He made this argument in a post on social media yesterday and in his opening statement, he said:
I can tell you about the climate in which [Widdecombe] was killed: a relentless narrative from politicians and the media that Reform UK is a threat.
A threat to be urgently stopped.
A narrative so relentless it constitutes incitement
But, during the Q&A, he was asked twice (by the Telegraph and then the Mail) if he was accusing other MPs of the sort of incitement that would count as a criminal offence. He ignored the question the first time, but in response to the second question he said he was not accusing politicians of incitement to a criminal threshold.
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Yusuf defended calling Tories “traitors” – and claimed that was different from the sort of extreme things Labour MPs have said about Reform UK. But Yusuf’s definition of traitors (see 11.03am) seemed to be so wide it just meant politicians doing something he did not think was in the national interest. Yusuf did not address the point that Reform UK’s former leader in Wales has been jailed for more than 10 years for taking bribes to deliver pro-Russian speeches – something that would fit the “traitor” description more accurately.
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Yusuf criticised the many politicians who have described Reform UK as racist or extremist. He said:
Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, made the inflammatory declaration that “the greatest threat to the Britain we love doesn’t come from Tehran or Moscow. It comes from within. I’m talking about Nigel Farage and Reform”.
Vladimir Putin has murdered people with poison on British soil.
The Iranian regime has attempted multiple terrorist attacks on British soil.
Is it any wonder, with such rhetoric relentlessly levelled at Reform, that some may be moved to try to eliminate that supposed threat through lethal violence?
Lisa Nandy, Labour’s culture secretary was asked whether Reform were fascists. She responded: “If it walks like a duck…”
The chairman of the Conservative party likened Reform to Nazis. Instead of sacking him, the leader of the Conservative Party said he was “being funny”.
Ms Badenoch. Nothing about comparing anyone at Reform to Nazis is “funny”.
Keir Starmer described Reform policies as “racist” and “immoral”.
Wes Streeting insisted that Reform was “dangerous”, “nationalistic”, and “using propaganda reminiscent of the 1930s” and Lucy Powell described Mr Farage as a “threat to democracy”.
But, while some of this language might be intemperate, Reform UK is more tolerant of racism, and more extreme on issues like migration, than any other party in recent history with a chance of winning an election. That is a legitimate subject for comment and debate. Yusuf did not acknowledge that.
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Yusuf was particularly critical of David Lammy, the deputy PM, for once claiming Nigel Farage “flirted with Hitler Youth when he was younger”. But Yusuf also ignored the fact that, while Farage clearly was not in the Hitler Youth, because he was born long after the war, as a schoolboy he did reportedly sing Hitler Youth songs. Lammy’s comment may have been ill-phrased, but it was based on strong evidence about what Farage was like as a teenager. (Farage has denied almost all the reports about racist or pro-Nazi things he said or did when he was at school, but the evidence against him is compelling.)
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Yusuf said Reform UK would provide round-the-clock protection for all MPs. (See 10.56am.)
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He claimed the round-the-clock protection policy for MPs would cost about £100m. When it was pointed out to him that this would only amount to £150,000 per MP, he conceded that the actual cost might turn out to be “materially more”. But he said that this was nothing compared to the £40bn the government is planning to spend refurbishing parliament. (In fact, the government has not committed to this project, in part because the bill is so high.). He also said spending money to ensure the safety of politicians was worth it. He explained:
We do not have a democracy if our MPs are fearful for their lives or feel like they cannot talk about some of the most urgent issues in this country.
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He also said Reform UK would “allocate significant new resources to protect former politicians still active in public life”. He accepted that this would cost even more money. The threshold at which people would get security would be “much, much lower than it is currently”, he said.
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He claimed that government rules restricting the amount of money parties can receive from donors living abroad would stop Reform UK raising money which they could use to provide security for their MPs.
Yusuf did not take questions about the Clacton byelection, saying that he wanted to focus today on the security issue.
Starmer praised as 'giant of Labour movement' at final cabinet meeting
Keir Starmer was told he would be remembered as a “giant of the Labour movement” as he marked the final meeting of his top team of ministers, the Press Association reports. PA says:
His cabinet gave him gifts of a carriage clock and two bottles of wine – one an English sparkling wine that was served at the French state visit last summer, and the other a pinot grigio.
Starmer opened the cabinet meeting paying tribute to Ann Widdecombe as a “highly distinguished, forthright politician” and said the murder of the former Tory minister and latterly Reform UK spokeswoman showed there were “wider questions to address about the safety of politicians”.
He then turned to what he considers his proudest achievements while in government, pointing to the UK economy, improvements to the NHS and investment in tackling child poverty.
He said his administration had “transformed our international standing” as he hailed his efforts to reset ties with the European Union and take a leading role in the coalition of the willing on Ukraine and a future mission to secure the Strait of Hormuz.
Deputy PM David Lammy paid tribute to Starmer’s legacy to mark the end of meeting, praising his work ethic and resilience.
He said: “You prioritised the people of this country. Not many politicians at this level can say that.
“Second, your incredible energy and work ethic: I’ve never known a politician put in the hours that you do. Again and again, day after day, always trying to do more for the people that we serve, and third, your sheer resilience.
“All of us around this table have thick skins. We’ve got to, to do this job but the nature of politics now is that leaders are not treated kindly in the moment.
“But what you’ve done in government for our party means that the history books will write you up as a giant of the Labour movement, and for that we thank you very much.”
He was given a standing ovation at the end of the final weekly meeting.
Farage welcomes news police have arrested man for threatening to kill him
A man has been arrested for threatening to kill Nigel Farage, the Daily Telegraph is reporting.
In a statement to the paper, the Reform UK leader welcomed the news – and said it was the first time the police had proactively acted in response to a social media post about him. Farage said:
This is the first time the police have ever proactively acted on a social media post, and I hope they are looking at the other three or four hundred similar posts from this year alone.
This has been going on for years – not just words but videos of people firing guns and so on, and in the past we have put multiple reports in to the police, always to be told that these social media posts don’t meet the threshold, which is extraordinary.
According to the Telegraph, the suspect posted a message on social media a day after the May local elections telling Farage: “I am going to shoot you in the head if you win.”
The paper says he was arrested in London yesterday on suspicion of sending a threatening communication. He has been released on bail pending further inquiries.
The Telegraph says the message was identified by parliament’s security information and risk analysis service and reported to the police by the parliamentary liaison and investigations team.
Farage has repeatedly complained that the police have not done enough to deal with online threats made against him.
Last year a man was jailed for five years for threatening to kill Farage on TikTok.
PMQs - snap verdict
While it is undoubtedly the case that politics, in the UK and elsewhere, has become more polarised and aggressive and unpleasant in the past decade or so, it is not a total lost cause. It is still the case that most people who stand for parliament want to do some good, and most of them are reasonably decent. And occasionally it shows – which is why today’s proceedings were uplifting, even if they won’t change anything and will soon be forgotten.
At the start of her questions, Kemi Badenoch talked about wanting to get the tone right – proof that she does, in fact, read John Crace’s sketches, like this one. Today she pitched it perfectly – a nice joke about Clacton, a moving tribute to Starmer for the way he supported President Zelenskyy, some understated party politics, and warm remarks about Starmer’s family. Starmer got it just right too – graceful and reflective and appreciative. After Starmer finished his final answer, Labour MPs gave him a standing ovation and many opposition MPs did too (even some of the Reform UK ones). But Badenoch stayed seated, and the Tory benches did not join in.
Normal service will resume very quickly (talking of which, I’ll have more to say about Zia Yusuf’s peculiar press conference shortly). But today’s brief interval of warmth and niceness was good while it lasted. Some MPs were close to tears.
Starmer delivers farewell to MPs, saying he's proud to 'leave country in better shape than I found it'
Carolyn Harris (Lab), a close friend of Starmer’s, gets the final question.
She says few believed he could make the changes needed when he became leader.
But today, because of his service and his leadership, children are growing up in a fairer Britain. We stand tall on the world stage.
And every day we’ve seen his decency and his courage shine through.
Starmer thanks Harris for her comments and her friendship.
He goes on:
This will be my last answer from this despatch box.
Every prime minister knows when they take up the torch that the day will come when they have to pass it on. That day has come for me.
This is the end of my political journey.
In six years, we went from historic defeat in 2019 to historic victory in 2024, and in two years in government I leave the country in better shape than I found it.
I’m proud of everything that we have achieved.
Can I just take time to say to you, Mr Speaker, and all those who work for the house and in our constituency offices, thank you for all your hard work.
To our civil service, thank you also for all your hard work.
To my political team, many of them here today, who came on this journey with me, thank you so much for everything you have done, and being prepared to walk through fire for me.
To my colleagues on these benches, I am proud of all we have achieved together and proud of each and every one of you.
To my successor, and each of you, I will give my full support.
To all colleagues across the house, can I wish you good health and happiness.
To all those in the gallery, whose lives have been changed or improved by this Labour government, and all across the country who struggle to be seen or heard, you’re the reason I came into politics.
To my wife and children, I love you.
Goodbye.
Will Forster (Lib Dem) asks if there will be a bank holiday if England win the World Cup.
Starmer says he does not want to jink tonight’s match. He says Forster should ask on Sunday.
Rupa Huq (Lab) praises the accountability bill (the Hillsborough law) passed yesterday. But she asks if the PM also backs the idea of an accountablity law for “the gutter press”.
Starmer says the bill will stop other injustices like Hillborough. He does not address the press point.
Perran Moon (Lab) says even GB News is now admitted that the PM’s strategy to stop small boats is working. Does the PM support setting up a safe and legal asylum route between Sigma 9 [Count Binface’s planet} and Clacton?
Starmer says migration is down 82%, and small boat crossings are down 40%.
Alison Bennett (Lib Dem) says 1,200 pupils were sent home from school last week in her constituency because South East Water could not provide proper water.
Starmer says that was completely unacceptable.
Danny Kruger (Reform UK) thanks the PM for his service, calling him a “good man”.
But he says Reform UK is the only party putting forward a proper candidate in the Clacton byelection.
He asks who the PM wants to win.
Starmer says Reform believes in recycling politicians. But he says he does not think Kruger expected to spend his time arguing with a bin when he defected.
Alistair Carmichael (Lib Dem) asks if the government will ensure coastguards get proper pay.
Starmer says this is an important issue, and he hopes the government finds a proper solution.
Lola McEvoy (Lab) mentions a constituent who was instrument in persuading the government to stop stranger contact for under-16s on social media. Will the PM any social media moments that have had cut-throught in his household?
Starmer says he got into trouble on a school visit for doing the 6-7 thing. The head told him afterwards this was banned. He says he was '“pathetic” in his response, and just said he did not start it.
Julia Buckley (Lab) asks if the PM will agree funds for a new construction centre at a college in her Shrewsbury constituency.
Starmer says he wants more rebalancing, with more focus on further education.
Richard Tice, the Reform UK deputy leader, says 76% of England matches have been won while Starmer has been PM – the best record for any PM.
Starmer says England have won 22 out of 29 matches while he has been PM. They have to get that to 24 out of 31, he says. It is only under Labour governments England wins the World Cup, he says.
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, says he would recommend the new Toy Story movie to Keir Starmer now he has got more time on his hands.
For those of you who don’t know, Toy Story, its main character, used to be in law enforcement, but was mainly known for being little wooden.
So it was replaced by shiny new action figure from far away who thinks he can fly, and the name Andy’s on everyone’s lips.
He asks if Starmer agrees that, on debt, Andy Burnham’s plan is “To Infinity and Beyond”.
Starmer points out that Chessington world of adventure is in Davey’s constitutency, and he says Davey and his family could save nearly £20 when they visit this summer under the government’s discount scheme.
Davey says, while they have not always agreed, he has admired the way Starmer has led his party. And he particularly admires him for his experience as a carer.
Starmer jokes about being free to visit with Chessington at noon on the first Wednesday of September.
Badenoch says it is a tribute to Starmer that no sitting MPs was able to beat him – not Angela Rayner, or Louise Haigh or Wes Streeting.
She says she knows Starmer’s family are in the gallery.
He says:
I know how much his wife and children mean to him, and that they are in the gallery today.
As everyone here knows, all families make a huge sacrifice for our choice to enter public life.
So I hope he will allow me to draw our time together to a close by thanking them for the love and support they have given him throughout his time in office.
Starmer seems genuinely moved by this. He thanks Badenoch for what she said.
We have had robust exchanges across this despatch box. but she has extended kindness to me privately at very difficult times, including when there was an attempt to burn down our family home, which deeply affected my family. She reached out to me.
And when my brother died of cancer, she reached out to me privately, not across this despatch box.
And I thank her for that and the tribute that she’s just made to my wife and children who mean the world to me, I do thank her for that.
She knows this is robust and it has to be robust. And that’s the way politics is done.
But the kindness is that sit behind it privately are often just as powerful, if not more powerful, and I thank her for that.
Starmer goes on to sum up his time in office.
I also stood at that despatch box for four years as leader of the opposition,
I know first hand it’s the most difficult job in politics and that is what she is doing.
When I did so, we had just lost the 2019, election, which nearly broke my party. It was the worst result since 1935 and we were found to be institutionally antisemitic and I picked up our party. I turned it round. I made a promise to antisemitism out of my party, and I did.
I turned my party to face the country, and we won a landslide, Labour general election.
And after two years, we’ve stabilised the economy. We have invested heavily in our public services. We put better protections in for children, particularly on child poverty. We strengthened our defence and we’ve enhanced our international reputation.
I’m proud to leave this country in a better shape than I found it.
Badenoch says the Tories are in a position to tell Labour that changing your leader does not always solve your problems.
She says Starmer once said nothing happened when he pulled levers. Why was that?
Starmer says there are plenty of areas where he has pulled levers and things have happened.
I’ll be pulled the levers to strengthen our public services and NHS waiting lists are coming down at the fastest rate for 17 years. We pulled a big lever on child poverty. And this government will be doing more on child poverty than any government ever, including previous Labour government.
Updated
Badenoch says Starmer used to say she would not last the year. “Life comes at you fast,” she says. She says he should have paid more attention to his party, not hers.
She asks if he has any advice for his successor.
Starmer says he will give any advice to Burnham in private.
He mentions another person in the gallery, a mother who campaigned for restrictions on knife sales by post after her son was murdered.
Badenoch jokes about how much Starmer enjoys her contributions. It is important to respect parliament. Does the PM agree that Andy Burnham should come to the Commons and answer question.
Starmer says he has attended 60 PMQs. And he has “answered, or given answers” on 2,800 times.
Turning again to the gallery, he mentions a teacher who had breast cancer, who advocated for the cancer plan the government introduced. He is pleased to say her cancer is in remission.
Badenoch says Starmer won’t emulate Harold Wilson by winning many elections. But he may copy him by being PM when England wins the World Cup. He says all MPs should get behind that – including the SNP.
She says she wants to lead her party to a landslide victory too.
She says any politician who wants to lead the country should set out their views.
So does the PM agree that the country needs a debate between Nigel Farage and Count Binface.
Starmer says his advice to the people of Claction is – “put your vote in the bin”.
He says there are people in the public gallery watching today who are important to him. He mentions two workers from JLF, whose jobs were protected by the trade deal with the US.
Kemi Badenoch starts by thanking the PM for the way he commemorated.
She says this is her first chance in the chamber to pay her own tribute.
While a lot has been said about how Widdecombe died, Badenoch says she wants to focus on how she lived.
She was a woman of high principle, profound beliefs with a wicked sense of humour, a wonderful combination of being a serious person who did not take herself too seriously.
She changed her faith from Anglican to Catholic, and from the Conservative Party to the Brexit Party, but she always remained part of the conservative family.
You may not always have agreed with her, but Ann Widdecombe was a woman who said what she meant and meant what she said.
Hers was an honesty that made our politics better. Her wit and forthrightness served alongside a deep humanity and decency.
Turning to the PM’s final PMQs, she says she wants to get the tone right.
So she looked up what Starmer said when Boris Johnson was leaving. She will be more positive, she says.
She pays tribute to Starmer in particular for the way he invited President Zelenskyy to No 10 after his confrontation in the Oval Office to show solidarity.
Starmer thanks Badenoch.
He recalls the meeting with Zelenskyy. He says he made a point of showing Zelenskyy the crowds outside cheering, showing him what people in Britain felt about how he had been treated.
Graham Stuart (Con) starts with a football joke, saying Starmer has had the red card from his MPs. He asks if he has advice for his successor.
Starmer says he won’t be giving advice to his successor, or to the England team.
He ends saying:
I don’t care what the score is tonight. As long as we win.
Starmer reads out the usual spiel about appointments, and ends with a joke about an important appoinment he has tonight at 8pm with his TV.
Starmer suggests MPs should place shield in Commons chamber in honour of Widdecombe, as for Jo Cox and David Amess
Keir Starmer thanks the speaker, but says he must start by saying how horrified he is by the murder of Ann Widdecombe.
It is chilling that three MPs or former MPs have been killed since he became an MP 11 years ago.
He says he can see the shields in honour of Jo Cox and David Amess in the chamber. He says it would be fitting to have one for Widdecombe.
And he says he has urged officials to look at the best ways of taking forward work on defending democracy.
Lindsay Hoyle, the speaker, introduces this session as the final PMQs of this parliamentary session, and Keir Starmer’s final PMQs. He thanks Starmer for his leadership, particularly in regard to “his steadfast support for Ukraine”. And he says he hopes the PM brings home a World Cup victory.
Andrew McDonald and Noah Keate have a good round-up of what happened when other PMs took their final PMQs in their London Playbook briefing. Here is what they say about Margaret Thatcher’s and David Cameron’s.
November 27, 1990: Margaret Thatcher was serenaded by a legion of Tory backbenchers for her “unique vision,” “hallowed place in the history books” and much more as she took their questions for the final time after announcing her resignation … before Labour MP David Winnick made it awkward by reminding her that “last week, 152 of them stabbed her in the back.” Labour’s Neil Kinnock wasn’t up for pleasantries either. He asked Thatcher why those competing for her job were “wriggling around trying to find a way out of the poll tax trap.” Britain’s first female PM, correcting herself, said she thought “they were keeping the poll … the community charge.” John Major abolished it the following year.
June 27, 2007: Tory leader David Cameron opted to keep things friendly for Tony Blair’s finale, following up questions on flooding and the Middle East with congratulations for his 10 years in office and “considerable achievements to his credit.” Cameron even urged his MPs to join in the cross-party standing ovation for Blair as he left — and didn’t even bring back his “he was the future once” jibe. In a preview of battles to come, Blair responded to Euroskeptic Tory MP Nicholas Winterton’s tirade against Brussels by saying if he were Tory leader he’d be worried by the “guttural roar” in response to criticism of the EU. “May I say to him au revoir, auf Wiedersehen and arrivederci?” Blair signed off.
Here is the list of people down to ask a question at what will be Keir Starmer’s last PMQs.
At the Guardian we would like to hear what you expect from Andy Burnham as the next PM. You can contribute on a form here.
As mentioned earlier, today’s papers are full of reports about Andy Burnham’s plans for cabinet appointments. Here is a round-up of some of the stories.
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Steven Swinford and Patrick Maguire in the Times say “senior allies of Andy Burnham believe that they have succeeded in preventing Ed Miliband from becoming chancellor over concerns he would become a lightning rod for criticism of the government”. They report:
Shabana Mahmood, the home secretary, spoke to Burnham about the economy during a meeting last week, although the bulk of their discussion focused on home affairs.
She is said to be the frontrunner for the role, but a source close to Burnham insisted that no final decision had been taken …
One ally of Burnham said that “the tide has turned against Ed”, while another said that “it looks like the right outcome has been reached”. A third said: “Ed would have been a lightning rod for criticism. He is out of the running.”
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George Parker and Jim Pickard have a similar story in the Financial Times. They say:
Burnham’s team has refused to comment on a growing view at Westminster that Miliband, energy secretary, will be passed over for the Treasury role, with some MPs claiming he could become foreign secretary instead …
Labour whips, whose job it is to gather political intelligence, have told colleagues that they expect Mahmood to become chancellor and Miliband to go to the Foreign Office, where he would be sidelined from his current economic role overseeing the government’s net zero plans.
One Miliband ally said: “He’s close to Burnham, stuck his neck on the line, supplied some of his support team and is well aligned with the key figures. So we’re all expecting him to be chancellor for myriad reasons. But he doesn’t know for sure — or if he does, he’s not telling.”
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Alex Wickham and Chloe Chaplain at Bloomberg say Burnham has not yet decided what to do. They report:
The conversations were still taking place as late as yesterday, sources say, suggesting Burnham has been unable to make this fundamental decision about the direction of his government. He becomes PM in five days and no one knows who his chancellor will be including apparently him. It will fuel criticisms he has no plan.
Burnham’s approach of holding off from making appointments until this late stage has stoked uncertainty and infighting among his allies already, several of them told Bloomberg. Many long-standing allies who helped his rise to power have yet to be told whether they’ll be given jobs in the cabinet or No10, they said.
A Miliband supporter warns Burnham will face outcry from the Labour left and soft-left if he bottles the appointment, expressing disappointment he hasn’t already been confirmed. Another points out it was Miliband who led the charge against Starmer on Burnham’s behalf for the last year, and Miliband who advised Burnham to commit to the existing fiscal rules.
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Caroline Wheeler and Will Hazell in the i say that Yvette Cooper “has emerged as a surprise contender to replace Rachel Reeves as chancellor”. They say:
Burnham is also said to be under pressure from senior Labour women to ensure that women occupy at least half of the most senior positions in his new administration.
Keeping a woman at the Treasury would therefore carry both political and symbolic significance, allowing Burnham to argue he is building on rather than rolling back Labour’s recent progress on female representation at the top of government.
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Darren Jones, chief secretary to the PM, has told LBC that he has already been writing a handover note because he expects to lose his job in next week’s reshuffle.
Yusuf defends calling Tories 'traitors', claiming that is different from extreme insults directed at Reform UK
Q: [From the BBC] You have criticised other parties for the language they have used about Reform UK. But you have called the PM sick and depraved, and you have called the Tories open borders lunatics and accused them of being traitors. Will you reconsider the language your own party is using?
Yusuf defended calling his opponents traitors.
The definition of traitor is somebody who is engaged in betrayal. And as far as I’m concerned, it is demonstrable that, for example, the Conservative Party has acted in betrayal of the people who voted for them. And I’m not going to make this an attack on the Conservative Party right now in this answer. But that is demonstrable.
Yusuf said this was not the same as calling Reform UK Nazis or fascists, which amounted to comparing them to “regimes that are clearly the most brutal and horrific in history”.
Yusuf says a Reform UK government would pay for round-the-clock protection for all MPs
Zia Yusuf wrapped up his long speech at the start of his press conference (a long complaint about what he described as the demonisation of Reform UK by the media and political opponents, with a renewed complaint about the government for allegedly downgrading Nigel Farage’s security) with a policy announcement.
He said:
If Reform win the next general election as home secretary, I will ensure that all members of parliament of all parties are provided with round-the-clock protection.
We will also allocate significant new resources to protect former politicians still active in public life.
Yusuf is now taking questions. The first was from GB News, who asked if Yusuf thought the police were biased against the police. Yusuf said he had no evidence to support that.
Reform UK's Zia Yusuf claims extreme criticism of his party amounts to incitement to violence
Zia Yusuf, the Reform UK home affairs spokesperson, is holding a press conference.
He is claiming that the extreme criticism that Reform UK politicians face amounts to incitement to violence.
He set out a version of this argument in a post on social media yesterday.
(Yusuf does not seem to have said anything yet about the extreme language used by him, and others in his party, about their opponents.)
Labour should ditch triple-lock pensions promise, says OECD
Labour should ditch the triple-lock pensions promise to help tackle the UK’s straitened public finances, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development has urged. Heather Stewart has the story.
I’m afraid we are not going to be able to open comments today for staffing reasons. If you want to contact me directly, it is probably best to get me on on Bluesky at @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social.
Cabinet ministers have bought Keir Starmer a carriage clock as a leaving present, Patrick Maguire reports in the Times. He says:
David Lammy, the deputy prime minister, has organised a ministerial whip-round for Labour’s departing leader, who will receive a bespoke timepiece at his final cabinet meeting.
The gift, engraved with a tribute from his cabinet, has been crafted especially for his departure by Dent London, the clockmakers who furnished the Elizabeth Tower, which houses Big Ben.
Ken Skates confirmed as Welsh Labour's new leader
Ken Skates has been confirmed as the new leader of Welsh Labour after the party’s historic Senedd election defeat, the Press Association reports.
Skates, a former journalist for the Wrexham Leader newspaper and BBC Wales, had been interim leader since the resignation of Eluned Morgan in May after the election.
Labour had led Wales since the Senedd was established as the National Assembly for Wales in 1999, and was the largest party in the country for more than a century, PA says. But in May it won just nine Senedd seats, making it the third largest party in the parliament.
Nominations opened for a permanent replacement last week and Skates was confirmed as leader after receiving the unanimous backing of Labour MSPs.
Skates said:
I am deeply honoured to have the unanimous backing of my colleagues in the Senedd in seeking the leadership of Welsh Labour.
I joined the party as a 14-year-old, and my belief still stands that no child’s future should be determined by their background.
That no young person should be judged on anything other than the efforts they make and the decency they show to others.
The Labour movement for me is a movement for fairness, justice, security and liberty.
It is a movement that seeks to empower people and communities, to fight against injustice, intolerance, nepotism and cruelty.
Skates, who was first elected in 2011, held several Welsh government roles including transport secretary and economy and infrastructure secretary.
Britain now 'safest place' for young people online, minister claims
In his media interviews this morning, Kanishka Narayan, the online safety minister, also claimed that Britain is now the safest place for young people online as a result of government policies. He explained:
The big thing I’d say is this is part of an overall package that means Britain is now the safest place for young people in their experiences online.
[We’ve] banned it for under-16s, the first country in the world to ban romantic and explicit content on chatbots for young people.
Now the first country in the world to do mandatory breaks on AI chatbots as well, limiting harmful features on gaming. And today, yes, support for 16 and 17-year-olds as well.
So this is but one part of an overall package, which means Britain is now firmly on the side in terms of regulation of families and parents, not tech platforms.
Here are pictures of cabinet ministers arriving for Keir Starmer’s final cabinet this morning.
Some of them will probably be back doing this walk on Monday, when Andy Burnham will be appointing his cabinet. And some (those not being kept on) will probably be sacked off camera, either in a meeting on the parliamentary estate or by phone.
Minister rejects claim social media curfew for 16 and 17-year-olds pointless if just voluntary
Sixteen and 17-year-olds are to be encouraged to observe a midnight social media curfew, in the latest stage of Labour’s bid “to protect the next generation” from online harms, including poor sleep caused by night-time scrolling.
As Robert Booth explains in his story on this, critics have argued that a voluntary curfew of this kind, imposed via a default setting that can easily be switched off, is of little use.
This morning Kanishka Narayan, the online safety minister, was doing an interview round, and he rejected this argument. He told Sky News:
I wouldn’t belittle that because when we have seen evidence on this sort of stuff. In October, for example, some platforms introduced these defaults of this sort – 90%-plus teenagers said to us that they’ve maintained those defaults as well.
And so the evidence base is clear, the motivation is very clear and I wouldn’t do the disservice to teenagers of saying they’re all going to switch it off.
Andy Burnham urged to overhaul ‘timid and limited’ elections bill
The government was “timid” and “incremental” when deciding what to include in its elections bill, Rushana Ali, a former minister who helped write it, has said. She urged the incoming prime minister, Andy Burnham, to go further.
Kiran Stacey has the story.
Starmer faces final Cabinet and PMQs as Burnham nears Labour leadership finish line
Good morning. Everyone likes a leaving do and today it’s Keir Starmer’s, or at least his parliamentary one. If the colleague who is going is someone you like and admire, then the chance to see them thanked and celebrated is welcome. And if the colleague who is going is someone that you don’t like, or who has stayed too long, then that’s even better. At a good leaving do, there are also decent jokes. And, in politics, a final PMQs is one of the rare moments when even opponents tend to be polite and respectful (which is something people watching from outside the circus tend to like).
Starmer is chairing his last cabinet meeting this morning, and taking his final PMQs at noon. Doubtless he has had a chance to study how his predecessors handled this challenge, and he may have read what Tony Blair said on the day he left the Commons – worth quoting again because it is a good summary for those of us who think politics is still a worthy calling.
Some may belittle politics but we who are engaged in it know that it is where people stand tall. Although I know that it has many harsh contentions, it is still the arena that sets the heart beating a little faster. If it is, on occasions, the place of low skulduggery, it is more often the place for the pursuit of noble causes. I wish everyone, friend or foe, well. That is that. The end.
In his memoirs, writing about his final PMQs, Blair also said he felt this was a day when there was “no point in my trying to advance things; no point in the opposition trying to criticise things”. At that point he clearly hadn’t met Kemi Badenoch, and it will be surprising if she can get through six questions without lashing out at least some of the time. The Tories wanted to use an opposition day debate today to force a vote on their (entirely reasonable) call for the recess to be delayed so that Andy Burnham could address MPs before they all disappear for a six-week summer break. Yesterday, in an act of “low skulduggery” of the kind described by Blair, the government changed Commons business to stop that vote taking place. A minister claimed it was vital for MPs to debate Iran instead. But it is hard not to conclude that No 10 just wanted to silence the Tories on this issue, and Burnham is happy with the Commons recess starting tomorrow.
The papers are full of speculation about who will be doing what jobs in Burnham’s cabinet when he announces it on Monday. More on that soon.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer chairs cabinet.
10.30am: Zia Yusuf, Reform UK’s home affairs spokesperson, holds a press conference.
11.30am: Matt Brittin, the BBC director general, and Samir Shah, the BBC chair, give evidence to the Lords communications committee about BBC charter renewal.
Noon: Starmer takes PMQs.
2pm: Bev Craig, Labour’s candidate for Greater Manchester mayor, launches her manifesto.
Afternoon: Dan Jarvis, the defence secretary, is on a visit in Yorkshire.
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