Closing summary …
Keir Starmer has boasted that his government’s new trade deal with India will deliver an economic boost today, including an increased amount of production of “Bollywood blockbuster” in the UK
The prime minister joined many other senior political figures in the UK welcoming the prospect of a ceasefire deal in Gaza. Starmer said it was a significant moment and praised the contribution of Donald Trump in securing a deal, although when asked the PM stopped short of recommending the US president for the Nobel Peace prize
Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper is heading to France on Thursday evening to discuss with partner countries the next steps in implementing a peace deal in the Middle East
Starmer said no ministers were involved in the decision not to provide evidence in the collapsed prosecution of two men accused of spying for China
The Liberal Democrats have repeated their call for the government to abolish and replace Ofwat in the wake of the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) allowing five water companies to increase bills by a higher amount than the regulator had originally allowed. Environment minister Emma Hardy said she understood the public’s anger over the price rises
Andy McDonald, a senior Labour MP and a solicitor, has written to the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, urging her to abandon plans to expand police powers in England and Wales by allowing them to restrict protests on the basis of their “cumulative impact”
First minister John Swinney has claimed that Starmer’s time in Downing Street would be ended by an SNP victory in next year’s Holyrood elections
Swinney said that “Scotland is on a pathway to independence”, in response to criticism at FMQs of yesterday’s published paper A Fresh Start with Independence
Northern Ireland’s justice minister Naomi Long has made a statement after a protest demonstration outside her home last night, which she described as crossing a line
Compensation schemes for victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal will be improved, with a new appeals process and funded legal advice for post office operators, the government has announced
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Keir Starmer says 'no ministers involved' in China spy case collapse
Keir Starmer has said no ministers were involved in the decision not to provide evidence in the collapsed prosecution of two men accused of spying for China.
Speaking at a press conference in Mumbai, the prime minister said: “I can be absolutely clear, no ministers were involved in any of the decisions since this government’s been in, in relation to the evidence that’s put before the court on this issue.”
The case was dropped after prosecutors were reportedly not given evidence that China posed a national security threat at the time of the alleged offences.
Starmer said: “The evidence in this case was drawn up at the time and reflected the position as it was at the time. And that has remained the situation from start to finish. That is inevitably the case, because in the UK you can only try people on the basis of the situation as it was at the time.”
He also argued the evidence should focus on the Conservative government’s own foreign policy toward China between December 2021 and February 2023, when the alleged offences took place.
