Afternoon summary
For a full list of all the stories covered on the blog today, do scroll through the list of key event headlines near the top of the blog.
Updated
Corbyn renews call for meeting about Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers, saying they are 'at serious risk of death'
Jeremy Corbyn has renewed his call for a meeting with ministers to discuss the treatment of the Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers. He did not get very far raising the issue at PMQs (see 12.45pm), but he has now written another letter to David Lammy, the justice secretary. In it he says the eight hunger strikers are “at serious risk of death”.
Updated
Tories and Reform UK claim council funding settlement biased in favour of Labour areas
The Conservatives have criticised the local government settlement as biased in favour of Labour-voting areas. The party issued a statement from James Cleverly, the shadow housing secretary, saying:
Labour say they want to make local government funding ‘fair’, but are instead launching a nakedly political power grab. The government is fiddling the funding model to punish councils that keep council tax low and moving funding to badly-run Labour councils that spend irresponsibly. Inevitably, councils that lose out will be forced to cut services or raise tax – and with referendum principles scrapped, those hikes will be big.
This is part of Labour’s mission to hike council tax across the board. Hidden behind their rhetoric about supporting local government is a council tax bombshell, with the average family in a band D home facing a cumulative £1,143 council tax increase across this parliament.
And Reform UK has claimed the settlement is biased against rural areas. Stephen Atkinson, the Lancashire county council leader and chair of the Reform UK group on the Local Government Association, said:
At its core, this is a settlement that leaves behind rural communities, funnelling money towards Labour-dominated London and city councils. It is a cynical settlement driven by Labour’s fear of Reform rather than what’s good for ordinary people.
Cities are already prioritised above counties and shires for investment. We were promised mayors to drive investment in our towns and villages, but Labour chose to cancel these elections. Left behind Britain is being forgotten again as a result of this Government’s political games.
Six councils with very low council bills to be given complete freedom to raise bills about 5%
Under the local government settlement, six councils in England will be given total freedom to raise their council tax by as much as they want. They won’t have to ask permission if they want to put up bills by more than 5%. (See 4.18pm.)
The government says:
Six councils with historically very low bills will be given flexibility for 2 years with local leaders given the choice to use the flexibility: Wandsworth, Westminster, Hammersmith and Fulham, City of London, Kensington and Chelsea, and Windsor and Maidenhead.
Around 500,000 households in these areas already have very low bills, with Band D households paying between £450 and £1,280 less in council tax than the average English household.
This temporary measure gives them the option of bringing their bills more in line with the rest of the country – making the system fairer.
Of the six councils, three off them are Labour-run (Hammersmith and Fulham, Wandsworth and Westminster – although the latter two have only been Labour since 2022), one is Tory (Kensington and Chelsea), one is Lib Dem (Windsor and Maidenhead, but only since 2023), and one is run by independents (the City of London Corporation, which is an odd authority in lots of ways).
Poorest councils in England will get 24% spending boost per person under new council funding formula, minister says
Alison McGovern, the local government minister, is making a statement to MPs about funding for English councils.
It is a three-year settlement, covering 2026-27, 2027-28 and 2028-29. It is the first multi-year settlement in a decade.
McGovern said that the 10% most deprived councils would get 24% spending boost per head as a result of a change to the funding formula.
She confirmed that the government is maintain the cap on council tax increases that are allowed – 3%, or 5% (an extra 2%) for authorities that have to fund adult social care.
And she said some councils will be allowed to apply for permission to raise council tax by more than that amount. But that will only apply to authorities with below-average bills, she said.
Here is the news release about the statement.
Here is the government document with details of how the settlement was decided.
Here is the draft of the document that needs to be approved by MPs.
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has also published a raft of other documents relating to this process. You can find them all here.
Northern Ireland executive sets aside £120m to fund PSNA data breach payouts
The Stormont executive has agreed to set aside almost £120m for a Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) data breach payouts, PA Media reports. PA says:
It is understood that ministers are also continuing their discussions on a multi-year budget, which would be the first in Northern Ireland in more than a decade.
This afternoon Naomi Long welcomed agreement to commit to set aside £119m to fund the costs of the PSNI data breach.
The PSNI breach occurred in August 2023 when a spreadsheet released as part of a freedom of information request held hidden data with the initials, surname, rank and role of all PSNI officers and staff.
The information later got into the hands of dissident republicans.
The PSNI accepted liability for the data breach and a test case over potential compensation has begun in the courts.
The Treasury previously refused two requests by the executive to fund the compensation payments.
Long said she hopes the move by the executive will reassure those affected.
“This will enable the PSNI to advance negotiations with police officers and police staff in a timely manner, to bring about an early settlement of the ongoing legal proceedings and ensure that significant additional costs to the public purse are not incurred,” she said.
“I am also mindful of the distress experienced by those affected and I hope that today’s decision will bring reassurance to staff and their families.”
Deputy first minister Emma Little-Pengelly also welcomed the executive’s decision.
She said: “The PSNI data breach was a costly mistake within the PSNI.
“The Treasury has refused to meet the cost of this error. We have stepped in to secure funding, in acknowledgment that the PSNI does not have the resources to settle the cases and that this was the right thing to do. The sooner these cases are settled the better, before legal costs ramp up any further.
“The loss of £120m to fund public services however is significant. This was a very costly error.
“Whilst this is good news for the PSNI, it will have significant impact for next year’s overall budget for public services which is far from ideal.”
Labour will be pushed 'even further to left' with Andrea Egan as new Unison general secretary, Tories claim
Labour is going to be pushed “even further to the left” following the election of Andrea Egan as the new Unison general secretary, the Conservatives are saying.
In a statement, Kevin Hollinrake, claimed:
This is another blow to Keir Starmer’s already damaged authority.
Having already bent over backwards for the unions in their disastrous Unemployment bill, it is clear that Starmer is now set to be pushed even further to the left by his union paymasters.
A reader asks:
Does anyone understand why it’s Your Party and Ulster Unionist Party, but Scottish National party and Democratic Unionist party?
Andrew tried to explain but it made no sense.
I’ll try again. It’s Guardian house style. The questioner is wrong about the UUP – it should be Ulster Unionist party in Guardian copy – but they are right to say it is lower case p for all parties, except for Your Party. For some reason, this particularly annoys SNP supporters.
Most news organisation have their own style guides, and this is what ours says about this.
party
lc in name of organisation, eg Conservative party, Monster Raving Loony party. Your Party is an exception
As for why we don’t capitalise party, it’s a reflection of the fact the Guardian tends to keep the use of capitals to a minimum. In our style guide, in an entry on the c page, there is a longer explanation why. Other papers, like the Telegraph, tend to use capitals more enthusiastically. You might argue that that is because they like hierarchy, and we don’t, but maybe it’s just habit, or coincidence.
As for why Your Party gets an exception, there is a simple explanation, and it is the fallback one for all rules about style and grammar; Your party would just look silly.
Ulster Unionist party looks fine, because people talk about the Ulster Unionists. But no one talks about “Your”. It needs the capital P to look proper.
Updated
Minister defends £570m cost of UK rejoining Erasmus student exchange scheme, saying it's money 'coming back' to UK
Rejoining Erasmus will cost the UK £570m. In an interview this morning, Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister who is in charge of post-Brexit relations with the EU, defended this on the grounds that the money would be “coming back” to the UK.
He said:
We’ve agreed that there will be a 30% discount for the UK’s participation. And that is, of course, money that is then, as it were, coming back.
It’s making sure that there are students and young people, indeed people of other ages across the UK, who are benefiting from it.
Thomas-Symonds also said that, after 10 months, there would be a review to consider who many people are using the scheme.
He is now making a statement about the announcement to MPs.
Updated
Tories claim rejoining Erasmus is sign of 'pro-EU ideology' and accuse Labour of 'worrying disregard' for Brexit vote
The Conservative party has now issued a response to the news that the UK is rejoining the Erasmus scheme. (See 8.51am.) In a statement Alex Burghart, the shadow Cabinet Office minister, said:
The UK re-joining Erasmus was a big Brussels demand, and Keir Starmer has seemingly caved in to the EU without getting anything in return for our £500m – just like he did over our fishing rights.
The Erasmus scheme is drastically more expensive than the Turing Scheme introduced after Brexit, which benefited more British people. Turing was a global programme rather than a scheme based on a blank cheque for Brussels. Scrapping it in favour of Erasmus poses serious questions about whether this government is really focused on opportunities for young Brits, or instead on re-entangling Britain with EU programmes at any price.
Rejoining Erasmus, reopening costly energy integration, and edging back into EU regulatory frameworks looks less like pragmatism and more like pro-EU ideology. The British people voted in 2016 to take back control, and Labour’s approach shows a worrying disregard for that democratic decision.
Net migration to UK could rise to 300,000 by end of decade, says government adviser
Net migration to the UK could rise to around 300,000 by the end of the decade, a leading government adviser has said. Prof Brian Bell, the chair of the migration advisory committee, said the overall migration figure will jump “in the medium term” from the current level of 204,000 as the numbers of overseas students and workers rise again. As Rajeev Syal reports, Keir Starmer’s election manifesto pledge is to reduce net migration, as Labour heads towards a general election campaign where immigration is expected to be a major issue.
The Treasury has put out a news release about the issuing a licence to get the £2.5bn that has been frozen since the sale of Chelsea FC to be released for the people of Ukraine.
Explaining what will happen now, the Treasury says:
Since the sale of the club in 2022, the UK Government has tried to agree a way forward with Abramovich and his company, Fordstam Ltd. The government will consider any proposal from Abramovich to voluntarily donate the multi-billion-pound proceeds to Ukraine.
Under the terms of the licence, proceeds must go to humanitarian causes in the country while any future gains can be spent more broadly on victims of conflict worldwide. In neither case can the funds benefit Abramovich or other sanctioned individuals.
It is now time for Roman Abramovich to act. Once a charitable foundation is established, the proceeds from the sale can be transferred in accordance with the terms authorised by today’s OFSI [Office of Financial Sanctions Implementation] licence. However, should he fail to act, the money will remain frozen and the government will consider all options, including pursuing the matter in court.
Starmer rejects Labour MP's claim that changing settlement rules for health workers 'profoundly un-British'
During PMQs the Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan said that changing settlement rules for health workers from overseas was “profoundly un-British”.
He said:
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been contacted by a number of constituents who work in the health and care sector because they are concerned about the proposed changes to the rules surrounding indefinite leave to remain.
These individuals came to this country to do a job we asked them to do, and then we decided to change the rules halfway through the process.
Does the prime minister agree that if we are to be a proud, rules-based nation, going back on our word to people who are contributing to our society and building lives here is not only just unfair, it’s also profoundly un-British?
At the moment people who come to the UK to work can normally applied for settled status – the right to stay for good – after five years. But instead the government is increasing the baseline waiting period to 10 years, with individuals having to wait longer or shorter depending on a range of factors, such as the salary they get, or the benefits they have received.
And Starmer replied:
We’re replacing a failed settlement system with one that is fair and recognises contribution. It is right to apply more stringent controls, and we’re currently consulting on the right approach.
I do recognise the huge contribution of those working in our NHS, and will not change the rules for those who already have settled status.
PMQs - snap verdict
That felt like a going-through-the-motions PMQs. Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch engaged in a relatively wide-ranging ding-dong, covering a range of topics, but there was no real bite to any of it, and it felt as if both leaders, and their teams, had spent a bit more time than necessary dreaming up Christmas jokes. By the end, a lot of MPs were probably in Grinch mode – fed up with it all. One problem was that there was only one gag that was excellent – Starmer’s about Reform UK – and it came right at the start.
"If mysterious men from the East appear bearing gifts, this time, report it to the police!"
— Sky News (@SkyNews) December 17, 2025
The PM cracks a Christmas joke at Reform's expense.https://t.co/vZzJ64A56k
📺 Sky 501 and YouTube pic.twitter.com/YQkMXjIh5d
You can tell it was a good joke, because it is still funny the second or third time you hear it.
This line – and the various other anti-Farage, anti-Reform UK jibes shoehorned in by the PM at almost any opportunity – do confirm that Starmer is now much more focused on Reform as the threat, not the Conservative party. But we all knew that. In Downing Street they read the polls too.
Newswise, the main announcement was the one about Roman Abramovich and his £2.5bn, which the government wants to appropriate for humanitarian causes in Ukraine. But the details are murky, and it is not entirely clear if the money will actually be released, or why the government did not intervene earlier. No 10 are holding their post-PMQs briefing, and we might get a clearer picture once that is over.
Updated
Starmer rejects call from Corbyn for meeting to discuss Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers
Jeremy Corbyn, the former Labour leader, says in the Commons yesterday a justice minister refused his request for a meeting about the eight Palestine Action-linked hunger strikers. They are all remand prisoners, he says.
Since then a further prisoner has been taken to hospital. He asks again for a meeting to discuss what he says are the regular breaches of the conditions that should apply to hunger strikers.
Starmer says there are laws and procedures in place for dealing with hunger strikes in prison, and he says the government is following them.
John Whittingdale (Con) asks Starmer to cancel his proposed trip to China if Jimmy Lai is not released.
Stamer condemns the conviction of Lai, but does not comment on the proposed trip.
Starmer joins those saying Farage should apologise to fellow pupils who recall him being racist to them at school
Starmer says he has a message for Nigel Farage in the lounge.
Christmas is a time for forgiveness. It’s never too late to apologise to people.
That is a reference to this story.
Andrew Snowden (Con) uses his question to make a series of Christmas-themed jokes about Labour’s performance.
Starmer says Snowden asked people for ideas for a question. He says he submitted a suggestion. He wanted Snowden to ask about the 6,000 jobs safeguarded by Labour in his Fylde constituency.
He seemed to be referring to this announcement.
Updated
Antonia Bance (Lab) makes a point about Nigel Farage not being there. Some MPs point out that he is watching from the gallery. (See 12.03pm.)
Starmer says Farage is in the lounge. He says the Reform UK leader likes to get away early to his home in France. He says Farage went to the US and actively called for sanctions against the UK.
Updated
Ben Maguire (Lib Dem) says residents in Cornwall were poisoned by water in the 1980s, and he says South West Water poisons his constituents with their sewage dumping. He asks for a meeting to discuss all water poisoning cases.
Starmer says the 1980s case was a terrible scandal, and he agrees to set up a meeting.
Stephen Flynn, the SNP leader at Westminster, urges Starmer to enjoy his Christmas, because it will be his last in No 10.
Starmer says Scotland would be better of being led by Anas Sarwar, not by the SNP.
UK will transfer £2.5bn of Abramovich cash to Ukraine fund, Starmer says
Jessica Elgot has more details of the announcement from Starmer about £2.5bn being set aside from the sale of Chelsea FC for Ukrainian causes. She says:
The Russian billionaire sold Chelsea in 2022 under pressure from the British government after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Abramovich was granted a licence from the UK government to sell Chelsea as long as the money was spent supporting the victims of the Ukraine war. The proceeds were placed in a UK bank account controlled by Abramovich’s company Fordstam.
Since then, the money has been frozen amid deadlock in negotiations with Abramovich over whether the money should be spent exclusively in Ukraine or whether it can go outside the country as well.
The government has promised to establish a foundation to disburse the money, headed by Mike Penrose, the former head of Unicef UK.
Ministers have stressed that they have tried for many years to agree terms with Abramovich and seek his cooperation in the transfer of the funds. Starmer said the government was prepared to take Abramovich to court in order to access the money.
And here is the story.
Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, asks the government to commit to a comprehensive strategy to protect Jewish people in Britain.
Starmer says up to £28m has been set aside to protect Jewish places. He is proud to do that, but sad that it is needed. The government is looking at giving the police new powers. And it is tackling antisemitism in the NHS.
Davey says the patients were facing a winter crisis before today’s strike. Patients are being left on trolleys. Some people have died on trolleys. Will the PM approve a mass vaccination programme to stop people going to hospital with flu, and will he address the care crisis.
Starmer says more than 17 million patients have been vaccinated this year. But he wants to drive that up.
Jessica Morden (Lab) asks for an update on Ukraine.
Starmer says he can announce that the government is issue a licence to transfer £2.5bn from the sale of Chelsea FC. He challenges Roman Abramovich to approve that, so the funds can be released for Ukraine, as originally promised.
Badenoch says Starmer is not going to ban strikes because he “doesn’t have the baubles”. She says the unions bought him, not just for Christmas, but for life.
All Labour MPs want for Christmas is a new leader.
Starmer says we have the Muppets Christmas carol here. And all the Reform UK MP Sarah Pochin wants is a “white Christmas”, he says.
Badenoch jokes about Labour MPs being banned from pubs.
She says the doctors have gone back on strike despite Labour giving them a pay rise. She urges the government to ban doctors from going on strike.
Starmer says the strike is dangerous and irresponsible.
More days were lost to strikes under the Tories than in any year since the 1980s.
Badenoch says the government is full of turkeys.
She asks Starmer to admit pubs will close because of the budget.
Starmer says the temporary business rates relief for hospitality was always going to end.
Badenoch says Starmer promised not to put up taxes for working people. Will he admit he did not keep that promise.
Starmer says he is proud of budget.
But Badenoch has broken her own record, he says. Last week 21 former Tory MPs had joined Reform UK. Now it is 22. He quotes a shadow minister says the shadow cabinet is full of “non-entitites”. “That’s you lot,” he tells them.
Badenoch says Starmer promised growth, but the only thing that has grown is the list of broken promises. Why has unemployment gone up?
Starmer says under the Tories it averaged 5.4% – higher than it is today.
Kemi Badenoch says, with reference to the Bondi beach attack, Islamic extremism is incompatible with British values. She says it must be driven out of the country.
She says Starmer has admitted he is not in control. He says nothing happens when he pulls the levers. Does he blame himself, or the levers?
Starmer says he is announcing the violence against women and girls plan, coming out tomorrow. That is one lever. Other levers are Ineos, Erasmus, the employment rights bill. He could go on, he says.
Melanie Ward (Lab) asks if the government will extend the scheme allowing students from Gaza to come to the UK.
Starmer says he wants this to continue.
Keir Starmer starts by saying antisemitism attacks, like the one at Bondi beach, “are not isolated”.
He says he held a Hanukah reception at No 10 yesterday. He will do everything to ensure Jewish communities are safe and secure.
He wishes the speaker, and everyone in the Commons, a happy Christmas.
And he says he has some advice for Reform UK.
If mysterious men from the east appear bearing gifts, this time report it to the police.
Nigel Farage says on social media he is boycotting PMQs again.
PMQs today will be rigged again by the Labour party. I will sit in the gallery.
Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs
PMQs is starting soon. It’s the final one of the year.
Here is the list of MPs down to ask a question.
Lisa O’Carroll is a senior Guardian correspondent covering trade.
Exploratory talks between the UK and the EU on giving Great Britain access to the EU’s single electricity market have “concluded”, ministers have said.
The deal, which has now to be worked out in detail, could see reduced prices for access to electricity from France or other member states.
The UK was part of the EU’s single electricity market before Brexit but GB now has to trade like any other third country to buy supplies from the continent.
Northern Ireland is an exception as it remains part of the all-island of Ireland electricity market through a separate Brexit agreement.
In a joint statement, the EU’s trade commissioner, Maroš Šefčovič, and the Cabinet Office minister, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said:
The United Kingdom and the European Commission have … concluded exploratory talks on the United Kingdom’s participation in the European Union’s internal electricity market, with the details set out in letters to be published in the coming days. The European Commission and the United Kingdom will now work towards negotiating the United Kingdom’s participation in the internal electricity market of the European Union and set out the necessary framework for that participation.
There will be two urgent questions and three ministerial statements after PMQs. Here they are, with rough timings.
12.30pm: A Northern Ireland minister responds to a Tory UQ on the draft Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Act 2023 (remedial) order 2025.
After 1pm: A health minister responds to a Tory UQ on the puberty blockers trial.
After 1.30pm: Nick Thomas-Symonds, the Cabinet Office minister, gives a statement on “UK-EU common understanding negotiations”.
Around 2.30pm: Alison McGovern, the local government minister, gives a statement on the local goverment settlement for 2026-27.
Around 3.30pm: Chris McDonald, the industry minister, gives a statement on the Ineos settlement.
Former Labour North of Tyne mayor Jamie Driscoll joins Greens
The Green party has confirmed that Jamie Driscoll, the former Labour North of Tyne mayor, has joined.
In a statement, Driscoll said that he was switching to the Greens because “British politics is a mess” and because he viewed the Green party as see “an organisation that’s serious about running our country in the long-term interests of all our people.”
Driscoll served for five years as the North of Tyne mayor, from 2019 to 2024, and he was generally well regarded as a pragmatic leftwinger. But he fell out with Labour after being blocked from standing to be the party’s candidate for the North East mayor (a new post, taking in the North of Tyne mayoralty).
In what was widely seen as a stitch-up, Driscoll was excluded from the shortlist on the grounds that, because he had appeared on stage at an arts event to discuss film with Ken Loach, that meant he was endorsing Loach’s criticism of Keir Starmer’s stance on antisemitism in the party. Kim McGuinness, a Starmer supporter, became North East mayor instead.
Driscoll had until recently been involved in helping to set up Your Party, the new party launched by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.
Commenting on his defection, Zack Polanski, the Green party leader, said:
This is another example of the Green surge sweeping across the country. Jamie is a well-known political figure with a proven track record of delivering real change to people’s lives. People are looking for bold politics that offers hope rather than fear, and solutions rather than division.
Newcastle Greens are growing fast because they’re delivering for their communities. It’s great to see Jamie Driscoll choosing to be part of a party that’s building real momentum from the ground up.
Peter Walker has more on the story here.
Andrea Egan, leftwinger expelled from Labour who now favours Your Party, elected to lead UK's biggest union, Unison
Andrea Egan has been elected general secretary of the country’s biggest trade union, PA Media reports. PA says:
In a surprise result, she beat Christina McAnea, who has been leader of Unison since 2021.
She will begin her five-year term of office representing public service workers next month.
She won 58,579 votes compared with 39,353 for McAnea.
The winner is on the left of the Labour movement and has been critical of the government since it came to office last year.
Egan said:
This result means ordinary Unison members are at long last taking charge of our union.
We will put faith in members’ decisions and stand up to any employer, politician or cabinet minister who acts against our interests.
Together, we will turn Unison into the remarkable force for change it should be. That journey has begun today.
And Keir Starmer said:
Congratulations to Andrea Egan on her election as general secretary of Unison. I look forward to working with her.
A huge thank you to Christina McAnea for her outstanding contribution to the Labour and trade union movement.
She played an important role in securing the landmark Employment Rights Bill and her work has ensured this Labour government will bring in a fair pay agreement to boost the wages of social care workers.
The result means that the two biggest unions affiliated to Labour – Unison and Unite – are now both run by leftwingers (Egan, and Sharon Graham) who have been very critical of Starmer, whose loyalty to the Labour government is limited, and who would support confrontational tactics to get more pro-worker policies from Labour.
In a mini-profile of Egan, the Financial Times says:
Egan describes herself as a “social worker and straight-talking working-class trade unionist”. She has been a union steward for 30 years and is secretary of Unison’s Bolton local government branch as well as having been president of the national union for the past three years.
She has accused the union of having “a subservient approach to the Labour government, allowing the factional priorities of the Labour leadership to take precedence over the interests of Unison members”.
Labour said it had terminated her membership because she shared two articles from Socialist Appeal, a Marxist group within the party, on social media. Labour had proscribed Socialist Appeal a year earlier, saying it was not compatible with its rules or aims or values.
In a recent interview with The House magazine, Egan said that, although she is not a member of any party, she does feel enthusiastic about Your Party, the new party set up by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana. “I do feel that it gives people hope again,” he said
Streeting refuses to tell MPs it's safe to pass assisted dying bill, highlighting concerns palliative care not good enough
Streeting is now being asked about the assisted dying bill.
Q: Is it is good idea to pass the assisted dying bill, with auto-commencement after four years, when the health service is in the state it is now? If proper palliative care is not available, people could be incentivised to take their own lives.
There is a pause. Then Streeting says that is a matter for parliament. He says the government is neutral.
(Streeting himself voted against the bill at second reading.)
Q: Do you have safety concerns about the legislation?
There is another pause.
Then Streeting says, if parliament does pass the bill, he would like to ensure high-quality palliative services are in place by the time its provisions come into force. “That is not where we are at present.”
I would like to make sure, were parliament minded to proceed with the bill and see through its completion on the statute books, I would like to make sure that we have high-quality palliative, end-of-life care services so that there is a real choice and no one feels compelled to take up an assisted death through the absence of palliative and end-of-life care services. That is not where we are as a country at present.
Q; Do you think auto-commencement puts that at risk?
Streeting says:
Please, permanent secretary, save me from this line of questioning.
Samantha Jones, the permanent secretary, says the legislation is still going through parliament, there have been lots of amendments, and it would not be appropriate to comment.
Updated
Streeting says hospices should be 'essential part' of health service, and not so reliant on voluntary donations
Josh Fenton-Glynn (Lab) asked Streeting about funding for hospices.
Streeting said he was “uncomfortable” about the extent to which hospices are reliant on voluntary donations.
He said that members of his family had benefited from hospice care.
He said the hospice sector felt more like an “essential part” of a health service, not an extra funded by the charity sector.
Updated
Gregory Stafford (Con) asked how much money central government had given the NHS to cover the costs of the strike.
Streeting said NHS England had been able to keep costs under control. He went on:
We have managed to absorb pressures of strikes and costs of strikes without directly impacting on frontline services.
But he accepted that strikes had an opportunity cost of £500m. That was money that could have been spent elsewhere if it had not been spent on dealing with the impact of strikes.
Streeting pays tribute to Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctor’s committee. He says he thinks Fletcher is a decent person, and he says he and Streeting do agree on “so many things”.
Streeting says, even though staff are on strike, people should still go to hospital if they need emergency help
Streeting says he does not want people to stay away from hospitals today if they need emergency medical help.
The most important message that I want us all to convey collectively as, as parliament and the NHS, is to the public’ I do not want people who need to access health care to think [they’d] better not try.
So if it’s an accident or an emergency, people should have access.
Streeting says he is in 'violent agreement' with BMA on need for action on resident doctors' jobs
McIntyre moves on to the resident doctors’ strike.
Streeting say he won’t go over all he has said already about the BMA.
He explains what the government has done for resident doctors on pay and on jobs.
On jobs, he says the government is in “violent agreement” with the BMA.
He says the government has proposed legislation that would make it easier for resident doctors to get jobs.
At the health committee Wes Streeting is now being asked about strikes.
Alex McIntyre (Lab) starts by asking about what he says is the longest running strike in the NHS – the strike by phlebotomists in Gloucestershire.
Streeting says no one has covered themselves in glory in this dispute. He says Unison and the NHS are involved in a “constructive” period of dialogue at the moment. He says he hopes it will be over soon.
He also declares an interest, saying he is a Unison member.
Streeting says apologises to patients for disruption, saying government did 'everything we could' to avert resident doctors' strike
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has apologised to patients over the strike by resident doctors in England today.
Speaking to broadcasters before he started giving evidence to the Commons health committee, he said:
We did everything we could to avert these strikes and to stop strike action from taking place.
When we came into government, we recognised what resident doctors were saying about pay, and that’s why they received a 28.9% pay rise from this government.
Of course, we’re willing to talk to them about what we do in future years.
I think people can see that I’ve tried my absolute best to avoid these strikes on what is the worst time for the NHS.
I’m really sorry to patients for the disruption that is happening as a result.
UK inflation falls sharply to 3.2% amid slowdown in food price rises
UK inflation fell by more than expected in November amid a slowdown in food prices, official figures show, strengthening the case for the Bank of England to cut interest rates on Thursday, Richard Partington reports.
Streeting gives evidence to Commons health committee
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, is giving evidence to the Commons health committee. There is a live feed here.
At the start of the hearing Layla Moran, the chair, said they would cover the resident doctors’ strike in the hearing, but she said she wanted to start with other topics.
Labour support on course to fall to 10% in Senedd elections, poll suggests, with Plaid Cymru set to win most seats
Steven Morris is a Guardian reporter who covers Wales.
Labour is on course to be crushed in next year’s elections for the Senedd, a new YouGov poll implies.
Previous polls have shown Plaid Cymru and Reform UK on course to be the two largest parties in the Senedd, with Labour and the Conservatives far behind, but the new poll, conducted by YouGov for Cardiff University, shows Labour’s support falling even further, to 10%.
According to Jac Larner from Cardiff University, these results would result in the following seat distribution.
Plaid Cymru – 39
Reform UK – 34
Labour – 10
Conservatives – 6
Green – 4
Lib Dem – 3
Labour has been in power continuously in Cardiff since the first elections to what was then called the Welsh assembly in 1999 and a result like this – even though it is in line with that polls have been suggesting for months – would be devastating for the party.
Commenting on the poll in a post on his Substack newsletter, Will Hayward, the Welsh political commentator, says:
The magic number under the new Senedd system is 49. You need 49 seats to get a majority. As it is highly unlikely that one party will get that alone, parties will need to work together.
With that in mind here are some key takeaways from the polling:
-Plaid and Labour together have exactly 49.
-Plaid alongside the Greens and Lib Dems are on 46 - three short of a majority.
-Together Reform and the Tories are nine short of a majority.
Once we start getting into the realms of Plaid potentially being able to form a government without Labour we are truly in uncharted waters.
In a joint blog on the poll for Cardiff University, Larner and fellow academic James Griffiths say “while Reform UK’s growth reflects broader British patterns, Plaid Cymru’s consolidation of progressive votes represents a Wales-specific political development”. They explain:
England’s disaffected Labour voters are increasingly drifting to the Greens or Liberal Democrats. Wales’ progressive voters have a credible alternative in Plaid Cymru, but specifically in devolved electoral competition, where the choice is about Welsh governance and Plaid can credibly claim to fight for Welsh interests within Wales.
This creates a bifurcated realignment with different mechanisms on each side. Reform’s consolidation of the British-identifying right reflects British politics playing out in Wales. Plaid’s consolidation of the Welsh-identified left reflects Welsh politics asserting autonomy within the devolved electoral context.
For the first time in a century, Welsh Labour faces the prospect of opposition or junior coalition partnership. That prospect, more than any survey, signals how profound this realignment truly is. The bloc structure that has organised Welsh politics for decades persists, but the hierarchy within those blocs has been overturned.
Commenting on the poll, a Plaid Cymru spokesperson said:
Something big is truly happening in Wales.
Coming so soon after our Caerphilly by-election win, this poll shows the momentum is firmly with Plaid Cymru and that next year’s election is shaping up to be a straight choice for Wales’ future.
After years in power, Labour have given up on Wales. People are tired of broken promises and being taken for granted and yearning for something new: fairness, ambition, and a government that finally puts Wales first.
And a Welsh Labour source told ITV:
There will be many polls before May. This doesn’t mean this is where we’ll be by election day. Welsh Labour is focused on protecting jobs, bringing down waiting lists, supporting our communities. This is what makes a difference to everyone’s everyday lives. We know we’ve got work to do, but we’re determined to earn back the trust that voters have put in us before.
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Labour says Farage's refusal to apologise over racism allegations shows he's 'unfit for high office'
Nigel Farage has been told to apologise for his alleged teenage racism by 26 school contemporaries who have written an open letter telling of their “dismay and anger” at his response in recent weeks. Daniel Boffey, Henry Dyer and Mark Blacklock have the story.
This morning Anna Turley, the Labour party chair, said in a statement that Farage’s refusal to apologise, and to even fully account for what happened, shows that he is “unfit for high office”.
It’s shameful that Nigel Farage’s refusal to have a proper answer as to whether he racially abused people at school has led to this. He should finally do the right thing now and apologise fully to those who have bravely come forward.
His inability to answer basic questions about his past behaviour leaves the impression he may have something to hide. It really shouldn’t be that difficult for him to explain his actions, or to take responsibility for them. Once again, Nigel Farage has proven he’s unfit for high office.
In his various comments on these stories, Farage has veered between denying the allegations in their entirety, suggesting people misremembered what happened, and dismissing the comments alluded to as banter that was not intended to cause offence.
Starmer urged by Lib Dems to ensure rejoining Erasmus is ‘first step to closer relationship’ with EU
Good morning. As Pippa Crerar revealed for the Guardian yesterday, the government will today announce that the UK is rejoining the EU’s Erasmus student exchange programme.
The move has been welcomed by pro-EU parties. The Liberal Democrats released this comment from their universities spokesperson, Ian Sollom.
After years of campaigning by the Liberal Democrats, we welcome the news that the UK is finally set to rejoin the vital Erasmus+ student exchange scheme from 2027.
This is a moment of real opportunity and a clear step towards repairing the disastrous Conservative Brexit deal.
However, while this is a welcome breakthrough, it must be viewed as a crucial first step on a clear roadmap to a closer relationship with Europe. Starting with negotiating a bespoke UK-EU customs union, and committing to a youth mobility scheme for benefit of the next generation.
The SNP has also been calling for the UK to rejoin Erasmus, and it issued this statement from Joe FitzPatrick MSP.
Scotland did not vote for Brexit. Our young people, our universities, and our communities have already been paying the price of Farage’s campaign to leave for years while Starmer refuses to admit that the whole thing was a mistake.
The SNP has campaigned tirelessly for Scotland’s access to Erasmus, while Labour and the Tories ignored the voices of the young people most affected by Brexit.
It is baffling how Labour is only now realising what Scots figured out a long time ago. This isn’t leadership, it’s a desperate scramble to fix a mess they helped create. Scottish students shouldn’t be used as pawns in Westminster’s Brexit blunders.
But from the Conservative party and Reform UK – so far, we’ve just had silence. It is not hard to see why. Do they defend Boris Johnson’s decision not to join Erasmus, and the replacement scheme, Turing, that he set up as an alternative (which is not reciprocal, and which is less generous)? And, if they are going to criticise the decision, do they commit to pulling out again if they win the next election – a pledge that would be unpopular with young people, and the university sector?
We may find out later today, although the Tories will probably want to say as little as possible on this topic.
And it is not as if there are not other issues to discuss. Here is our story about the strike by resident doctors in England starting this morning.
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, will be speaking to MPs about this within the hour.
Here is the agenda for the day.
9.30am: Wes Streeting, the health secretary, gives evidence to the Commons health committee.
Morning: The government is due to confirm that the UK is joining the EU’s Erasmus programme.
10am: Unison is due to announce the results of its leadership election. Christina McAnea, the incumbent who is seen as one of Keir Starmer’s main union allies, is being challenged by a leftwinger, Andrea Egan.
11am: The Green party is due to announce what it calls a “significant” defection. Politico says it’s Jamie Driscoll, the former Labour North of Tyne mayor.
Noon: Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs.
With recess starting tomorrow afternoon, the government is also making 14 announcements in the form of written ministerial statements, including ones covering the local government settlement for 2026-27, the bid to buy the Telegraph, and progress on the Grenfell Tower inquiry recommendations.
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