During a press conference in India, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the new Gaza ceasefire deal marks “a moment of profound relief that will be felt around the world”.
Published On 9 Oct 20259 Oct 2025
Share
ROBERT Jenrick should stop lecturing the public on integration, Sir Keir Starmer has blasted.
The PM hit out at the Shadow Justice Secretary after he claimed he “didn’t see another white face” during a visit to Birmingham.
3
3
Sir Keir slammed the comment on Thursday night, saying “it’s quite hard to take anything that Robert Jenrick says seriously.”
He accused the senior Tory of “running a leadership campaign” instead of making serious political arguments.
Speaking on a flight to Mumbai, where he will meet Indian President Narendra Modi, Sir Keir said: “We’re working hard on questions of integration, but we need no lessons or lectures from Robert Jenrick on any of this.
“He’s clearly just engaging in a leadership campaign.”
The row erupted after senior Conservatives rallied behind Mr Jenrick’s claim that Britain must confront “ghettoised communities” and a “dangerous” lack of social cohesion.
Labour figures branded the comments “racist”, but Tory leader Kemi Badenoch defended her colleague, saying there was “nothing wrong with making observations.”
Shadow Cabinet Minister Claire Coutinho also backed him, saying: “If you walk through an area and don’t see a single white face, it is a sign that integration has failed.”
The controversy broke out during the Tory party conference in Manchester after The Guardian obtained a secret recording of Mr Jenrick describing a 90-minute visit to Handsworth earlier this year.
He told members at an Aldridge-Brownhills dinner: “I went to Handsworth in Birmingham the other day to do a video on Twitter and it was absolutely appalling.
“It’s as close as I’ve come to a slum in this country.
“But the other thing I noticed there was that it was one of the worst integrated places I’ve ever been to.
“In fact, in the hour and a half I was filming news there I didn’t see another white face.”
Just nine per cent of Handsworth’s population is white, with most residents of Pakistani, Indian, and Bangladeshi heritage, official data shows.
Asked if he regretted his comments, Mr Jenrick told the BBC: “No, not at all and I won’t shy away from these issues.”
3
He said he mentioned skin colour “because it’s incredibly important that we have a fully integrated society regardless of the colour of their skin or the faith that they abide by.”
He also linked the terror attack in north Manchester last week to a lack of integration.
Ms Badenoch again backed her shadow minister, saying she would take The Guardian report “with a pinch of salt.”
The Tory leader said: “What he and I both agree with is that there are not enough people integrating.
“There are many people who are creating separate communities.”
Labour last night pounced on the remarks, saying Mr Jenrick had “crossed a red line.”
Labour PM’s conference speech comes amid right-wing surge and the left’s plunge in ratings.
A year after his huge election win, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Wednesday faced the daunting task of trying to rally his party amid dismal ratings.
His most serious challenge comes from the right-wing Reform UK Party, helmed by Nigel Farage. Its hardline stance on immigration is adding pressure for more border security from Labour.
Starmer’s address at the Labour Party conference showed energy and passion — things he’s been criticized for lacking in recent months.
But will it be enough to help Starmer overcome his challenges, or are his days in office numbered?
Presenter: Nick Clark
Guests:
Patrick Diamond – Professor in public policy at Queen Mary University of London, former policy adviser to Labour governments led by Tony Blair and Gordon Brown
Jennifer Nadel – Political communications strategist and co-founder of Compassion in Politics, a cross-party think tank that works towards legislative change and ethical governance
Michael Walker – Contributing editor at Novara Media, an independent outlet, a former Labour Party member who left in 2020
Published On 1 Oct 20251 Oct 2025
Share
PA MediaSir Keir Starmer sought to rally his party and set out his vision for the country in his keynote speech at Labour’s conference in Liverpool.
So, what were the standout moments? Let’s look at five of them.
The central theme of the Labour conference is taking the fight to Reform UK, which is leading in UK-wide opinion polls.
Throughout the conference, Labour ministers and MPs have attacked Reform and framed its fight with the party in existential terms.
In his speech, the prime minister reinforced that message, telling the party faithful the country faced a stark choice between “renewal or decline”.
“It is a test,” Sir Keir said. “A fight for the soul of our country, every bit as big as rebuilding Britain after the war, and we must all rise to this challenge.”
Calling out the Reform UK leader by name, Sir Keir asked: “When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage say anything positive about Britain’s future?
“He can’t. He doesn’t like Britain. Doesn’t believe in Britain.”
In these spiky comments, Sir Keir was pointedly naming Farage as the principal opponent in the “fight”, rather than Labour’s traditional competitor for power, the Conservatives.
The Tories were barely mentioned, and there was a chorus of laughter when Sir Keir quipped: “The Tories – remember them?”
PA MediaThere has been some discomfort among Labour MPs over the home secretary’s plans to make it harder for migrants to gain permanent settlement status in the UK.
Sir Keir acknowledged this in his speech, but argued the government would have to take “decisions that will not always be comfortable for our party”.
In a departure from the New Labour years, he said the party had placed too much faith in globalisation and the idea that “immigration is all we need to give us the workers”.
He talked about meeting a woman in Oldham, shortly after becoming an MP in 2015.
Sir Keir said the woman complained about “a group of men from Eastern Europe” who had recently moved into her street, “didn’t put the rubbish out at the right time and spat on the ground”.
The prime minister said the woman “felt she had to prove to a Labour politician that she wasn’t racist”.
Sir Keir said at that time, Labour “had become a party that patronised working people” and “that’s why we changed the party”.
The speech blended the personal and the political.
But the prime minister did announce one new policy. Sir Keir said the UK government would scrap a commitment to get 50% of England’s young people into university.
Tony Blair set the target over 20 years ago to boost social mobility when he was prime minister, and the symbolic 50% mark was passed for the first time in 2019.
Sir Keir said the target would be changed to two-thirds of young people going to university or “gold standard apprenticeships”.
He said the government would invest in new technical excellence colleges and skills training.
Personal and political were entwined here: he reminded the conference about his father’s job as a toolmaker who worked with his hands – and said that further education colleges had been “ignored – because politicians’ kids don’t go there”.
PA MediaThere’s been a lot of debate about patriotism and national flags – and what they represent – ahead of and during the conference.
A few weeks ago, following a march organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson in London, the prime minister said the UK would never “surrender” its flag to those who wish to use it as “a symbol of violence, fear and division.”
To a waving sea of flags in the conference hall, Sir Keir elaborated on that argument.
“Labour is the party of national renewal. Labour is the patriotic party.”
He said the flags of the UK “belong to all of us and we will never surrender them”.
Patriotism, the prime minister said, was about serving the “common good” – and disputing the idea that Britain was “broken”, Sir Keir praised the work of ordinary people, including a woman named Melanie who organises meet-ups for people in care in Yorkshire.
He also mentioned Kaitlyn, a 15-year-old sitting in the audience, who set up her own girls football team at school in Barnet, and George, who delivers food parcels in Telford.
“Mere politics cannot break Britain, conference,” Sir Keir said.
The upcoming Budget has loomed over the conference, fuelling speculation of tax rises, which most economists think are likely.
In his speech, the prime minister reflected on the last Budget, which saw the chancellor unveil £40bn in tax rises – the biggest increase in a generation – to raise money to pay for the NHS and other public services.
“We asked a lot at the last Budget – I know that,” Sir Keir said. “And the tough decisions they will keep on coming.”
Rejecting calls for a wealth tax and increases in borrowing to fund government spending, Sir Keir said he would not “cast off the constraints and indulge in ideological fantasy”.
Sir Keir said losing control of the economy means “working people pay the price” and promised “I will never let that happen again”.
THE Hillsborough Law will leave a legacy for future generations, one of the campaigners at the heart of the battle for justice said after meeting the Prime Minister in Downing Street.
The new Public Office (Accountability) Bill is intended to make sure the authorities will face criminal sanctions if they attempt to cover up the facts behind disasters such as the 1989 Hillsborough tragedy or the Grenfell Tower fire.
2
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had previously pledged to bring in the law by the 36th anniversary of the tragedy, which was on April 15, but Downing Street then said more time was needed to redraft it.
At a meeting with some of the families of those killed at Hillsborough, Sir Keir acknowledged it had been a battle, with “frank” discussions continuing as his deadline passed.
Margaret Aspinall, whose son James, 18, died at Hillsborough, said she is hopeful the new law “will mean no one will ever have to suffer like we did”.
Speaking alongside Sir Keir in No 10, she said: “I thought this is a day that was not going to happen.”
“This is not just about a legacy for the 97,” she said, in reference to the number of Liverpool fans who died in the tragedy.
“This is a legacy for the people of this country and I think that is the most important thing.”
Some campaigners raised fears the Bill’s contents had been diluted and would not include a legal duty of candour.
But the Government has confirmed a new professional and legal duty of candour will be part of the Bill, meaning public officials must act with honesty and integrity at all times and could face criminal sanctions if they breach it.
The Hillsborough disaster led to the deaths of 97 football fans during the FA Cup semi-final between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest at the football ground in Sheffield.
The Government said the new legislation will “end the culture of cover-ups” and learn lessons from wider disasters including the Grenfell Tower fire and the Post Office Horizon and infected blood scandals.
Sir Keir said the new legislation can change “the balance of power in Britain” to ensure the state “can never hide from the people it is supposed to serve”.
He added: “Make no mistake, this a law for the 97, but it is also a law for the subpostmasters who suffered because of the Horizon scandal, the victims of infected blood, and those who died in the terrible Grenfell Tower fire. This is change only this Government can deliver.”
Sue Roberts, whose brother Graham was unlawfully killed at Hillsborough, described the Bill’s introduction as “a huge step in the right direction” but said the families will be “watching closely to ensure this Bill is passed in its entirety and enacted in full”.
She added: “The Government must resist any pressure from those who don’t believe the public deserves to know the truth about when the state fails.”
Among what the Government has described as the “seismic changes” as part of the Bill are the biggest expansion of legal aid in a decade for bereaved families, with non-means tested help and support for inquests.
There will also be a new offence for misleading the public, which the Government said will mean criminal sanctions for the most serious breaches.
2
EPABritain will not surrender its flag to those that wish to use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division, Sir Keir Starmer has said.
The prime minister said the flag represents “our diverse country” and he will not allow people to feel intimidated on “our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin”.
His comments came after more than 150,000 people took to the streets of central London for a “Unite the Kingdom” march organised by far-right activist Tommy Robinson, and about 5,000 took part in a counter-protest, co-ordinated by Stand Up To Racism.
Earlier, Business Secretary Peter Kyle said marchers were “demonstrating freedom of association and freedom of speech”.
The prime minister said: “People have a right to peaceful protest. It is core to our country’s values.
“But we will not stand for assaults on police officers doing their job or for people feeling intimidated on our streets because of their background or the colour of their skin.
“Britain is nation proudly built on tolerance, diversity and respect. Our flag represents our diverse country and we will never surrender it to those that use it as a symbol of violence, fear and division.”
Police say 26 officers were injured on the day – including four who were seriously hurt – with 24 people arrested.
Speaking about Saturday’s protests on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Kyle said moments like these were “klaxon calls” for those in power to redouble their efforts to address the big concerns people have, including on immigration.
“What worries me most is the divisions in our society and other societies and other democratic societies … it’s not even the left and the right at the moment, ” he told the programme.
“There are figures such as Tommy Robinson that are able to touch into a sense of disquiet and grievance in the community in our society,” he said.
The “small minority” who had committed violence would be held accountable, he told the programme.
Kyle criticised Elon Musk’s comments after he appeared at Saturday’s rally via video link telling protesters to “fight back” or “die”.
“I thought that they were slightly incomprehensible comments that were totally inappropriate”, the minister said.
The tech billionaire also referred to massive uncontrolled migration and called for a change of government in the UK.
Central London saw a huge policing operation for the protests this weekend, with around 1,000 officers deployed.
Assistant Commissioner Matt Twist said officers said: “There is no doubt that many came to exercise their lawful right to protest, but there were many who came intent on violence.”
The protest was largely peaceful on Saturday lunchtime but as the afternoon continued tensions flared.
The Met said some officers had been attacked while trying to keep the two groups apart and dozens of officers were injured, including four who were seriously hurt.
Protesters joining the march, organised by Robinson, became too big to fit into Whitehall, police said, and confrontation happened when officers tried to stop them encircling counter-protesters.
Mounted police officers used batons to push back the crowds and officers were kicked and punched, said the Met.
Three of the 24 people arrested were women and the rest were men, while the youngest and oldest people detained at the protest were aged 19 and 58 respectively, the Met said on Sunday.
Several people were arrested for more than one offence.
The force added officers were working to identify other people involved in disorder with a view to making further arrests “in the coming days and weeks
The Met said on Saturday morning that they were not going to use live facial recognition cameras during the day.
Previously called a “game-changing tool” by Met Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley, the technology is used by the force in “hotspot policing” and major events like the Notting Hill Carnival.
CUTTING Angela Rayner loose will not end the trouble she has caused Sir Keir Starmer – in fact it could get a whole lot worse.
Millions of appalled voters will rightly expect her to scurry sheepishly off into the deep freeze along with any future ambitions.
2
2
But to her legions of militant supporters, she is far from a busted flush – she is a martyr, and soon quite possibly their Red Queen over the water.
It is no secret Rayner is far to the left of Starmer, and that theirs has always been a tricky forced political marriage.
Remember when Sir Keir tried to clip her wings in 2021 only to end up giving her a promotion after she kicked off big time?
Now outside the Cabinet tent – and with no real sense of loyalty to the PM – she could turn from his right-hand woman into a right old headache.
Many in the Labour tribe are already furious with Starmer for turning his back on the left-wing causes he once championed.
From welfare, to taxes, to migration, there is no shortage of issues on which soft-left MPs are ready to scrap with No10.
As the PM tries to stem the bleeding to Reform with more hardline policies, those rows will only intensify.
Especially given Jeremy Corbyn’s new rabble and the Greens threaten to sap voters from Labour’s leftward flank.
In this looming battle for the soul of the party, it is easy to see Rayner emerging as the socialists’ standard bearer.
With the might of the unions and members also on her side, Rayner could quickly accumulate a large powerbase.
Maybe one even big enough to mobilise against her old boss.
Think of the grief Boris Johnson or Nigel Lawson caused Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher from the backbenches, leading to their downfalls.
Starmer had no choice but to push Rayner out.
Her fate was set as soon as Sir Laurie Magnus threw the book at her for breaking the ministerial code.
In this looming battle for the soul of the party, it is easy to see Rayner emerging as the socialists’ standard bearer
His gushing, personal, hand-written goodbye note is as clear a sign as any that he wanted to give her the heave-ho in as gentle a way as possible.
But it might not stay friendly for long.
British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (L) gives a very warm welcome to President Volodymyr Zelensky outside 10 Downing Street in London on Thursday morning as the Ukrainian leader arrived for talks ahead of a landmark U.S.-Russia summit that could decide his country’s fate. Photo by Tolga Akmen/EPA
Aug. 14 (UPI) — British Prime Minister Keir Starmer hosted Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Downing Street on Thursday to maintain the momentum of a European push to influence a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The high-profile meeting between the British and Ukrainian leaders, reported by the BBC, Sky News and The Telegraph, was described as a carefully choreographed display of support timed for just hours before the historic U.S.-Russia summit in Alaska, which Zelensky was left out of.
Neither man commented nor provided any details of their discussion when the pair emerged from No. 10 after around 60 minutes.
The London talks came as the Kremlin confirmed “resolving the Ukraine crisis” would be the main focus of the summit and that the delegation headed by Putin would include top aide Yuri Ushakov, Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, Defense Minister Andrey Belousov, Finance Minister Anton Siluanov and Russian sovereign wealth fund CEO Kirill Dmitriev.
Co-chairing a meeting of European leaders, Zelensky and Trump on Wednesday, Starmer said a cease-fire between Russia and Ukraine was a “viable” outcome from what he called Friday’s “hugely important” meeting, but stressed Ukraine’s “territorial integrity” must be defended and international borders “must not be changed by force”.
“As I’ve said personally to President Trump for the three-and-a-bit years this conflict has been going on, we haven’t got anywhere near a prospect of actually a viable solution, a viable way of bringing it to a ceasefire,” said Starmer.
“And now we do have that chance, because of the work the president has put in.”
However, Starmer said any cease-fire would have to be lasting and therefore needed “robust and credible security guarantees” and that European allies had established “this Coalition of the Willing” to back a post-war Ukraine militarily, with troops if necessary, to preempt Russia from breaking any peace agreement.
The bloc backed Zelensky’s demand that no decisions be made without Ukraine at the table.
Trump emerged from the meeting to put Putin on notice he would face “severe consequences” if he did not agree to a cease-fire when the pair meet in Anchorage on Friday. Trump said that, provided the meeting went well, he would also seek a second meeting between Putin and Zelensky to hammer out the details of a peace deal.
CONGRATULATIONS, Sir Keir! The number of people arriving here in small boats from France has reached 50,000 since your magnificent government took office.
That’s something to be proud of, isn’t it? The way things are going, you might make it 100,000 by the end of the year.
4
Smashing the gangs was the plan you announced upon taking office.
It was about as much use as howling at the moon. And although you deny it, the policy seems to have been quietly shelved.
Nor will the one-in, one-out deal work. A pilot scheme which was only ever going to deal with one in 20 of the illegal migrants.
You scrapped the Rwanda plan. That at least provided SOME deterrent.
And so, like almost every other thing you turn your hand to, you’ve made things worse and worse.
So here’s my ten-point plan to stop what seems to be an unstoppable tide. It’s not really unstoppable, if you really want to do it.
1: Let it be known that anyone arriving here illegally automatically loses their right to live in the UK, in perpetuity. Cost of this? Nil.
Deterrence effect? Very high. No place to live, no permit to work, no schooling, no health care.
2: No more hotels. As Tory leader Kemi Badenoch has suggested, house the migrants who arrive in tents.
Empty every hotel which has migrants in them, immediately. Cost of this? Rather less than the hotels, I would reckon.
3: No grants for swimming lessons, gym workouts and hair extensions. No grants for anything except a ticket home.
4: Withdraw from the European Convention on Human Rights and all other supranational jurisdiction which stops us from solving our own problems in our own ways. They are well past their sell-by dates, anyway.
5: Abolish the immigration tribunals, immediately. They are all presided over by judges who spend most of their lives advocating the causes of asylum seekers. The legal issue is clear: Arriving illegally means no entry.
6: In complex cases, where it is either not clear where the migrant comes from, or the country of origin refuses to have them back, send them for processing at a place under British jurisdiction.
Such as St Helena — a windswept island in the middle of the Atlantic. Or South Georgia. Or, for the really devious ones, Rockall.
7. For those who have already arrived and are currently going through the appeals process, let it be made clear that by arriving illegally they have automatically lost their right to stay here. Also, abolish all legal aid for those who have arrived.
4
8: Offer those who have been here for some time £1,000 to leave the country, never to return. You could throw in some free bags of Monster Munch, and one of those neck cushions, for the flight.
9: Strike a deal with the French to allow British policemen or soldiers to puncture the boats before they leave France.
Or otherwise hole them below the waterline. It is obvious we can’t trust the French to do this.
10: Start taking things seriously, Starmer. Begin with the conviction that all who arrive illegally must go. Including those who have already arrived. And if the Left moans, so be it.
I SPOKE to Rob Davies a few days ago. He’s the shopkeeper from Wrexham who was visited by the police for having put up a sign describing shoplifters as “scumbags”.
He was ticked off and warned he might have offended people.
Who, shoplifters? We mustn’t offend THEM now?
Totally bizarre. And you can see where this policy is getting us.
There is now one case of shoplifting every minute in the UK.
Businesses are closing down because their losses are unsustainable.
And when a hard-working shop owner complains about it, he then gets a visit from the Old Bill.
Before the last election Sir Keir Starmer warned he was going to get tough on shoplifters. What happened, Keir?
Meanwhile the Thames Valley Police and Crime Commissioner, Matthew Barber, has said the public must help in fighting shoplifting.
Really? And risk being charged by the Old Bill for being nasty to a vulnerable person?
4
GOT your pre-order in for the new Taylor Swift album?
Nope, me neither. But I suppose million upon million will.
Her music is bloodless and boring, written by a committee. The lyrics are naff. But she is a consummate saleswoman.
She’s already been giving teasing hints as to what’s on the new album.
It includes a cover of a George Michael song, for example. Which is, for me, another reason to stay well away from it.
Ah well, she’s what a certain section of the kids want now and I suppose I am not necessarily her target audience.
But couldn’t the kids fall in love with something a little more exciting, and dangerous, and full of adventure?
THE Metropolitan Police is considering prosecuting the vigilantes who stopped a bloke waving his b*****s around after he dropped his trousers and pants on the Tube in front of women and children.
A few blokes on board remonstrated with him and then, when he got aggressive, wrestled him to the ground and handed him over to an off-duty copper.
In other words, they did the right thing.
And the response of the idiots at the Met is why the public is reluctant to get itself involved when a crime takes place.
4
WHEN friends make constructive criticisms, we should listen.
The US State Department has just investigated human rights in the UK – something the Vice President JD Vance has been banging on about.
It says our human rights worsened last year. And it claimed there were “credible reports of serious restrictions on freedom of expression”, as well as “crimes, violence, or threats of violence motivated by antisemitism”.
That seems to me pretty much bang on.
Over the last 15 years our freedom to express ourselves has diminished and diminished.
And that trend hastened last year with the advent of a Labour government which really hates the idea that people should express themselves freely.
THE UK has just broken a much-cherished record.
There are now, officially, eight million people claiming Universal Credit.
And well done, Sir Keir – that’s an increase of more than a million on the figure for last July.
Soon, everybody will be on Universal Credit. Sitting on their fat arses watching reruns of Deal Or No Deal.
And there will be nobody left to pay for it all.
GOOD luck to all our readers who are about to open their A-level results today.
It’s always a fun time of year, isn’t it?
But it doesn’t really matter in the end, believe me.
And here’s a bit of advice to anyone who got lower than As and Bs.
Don’t go to university. It’s not worth the bother.
Instead, get yourself an apprenticeship and learn something useful which will keep you in work.
Soon you will be earning a decent income while the debt-laden students slum it on awful courses.
NOW I really have heard it all. A trolley dolly has just won a discrimination case against British Airways.
Jennifer Clifford said she was too scared to fly. Being up in the air in one of those planes made her kind of stressy, you see. So she shouldn’t have been given the boot.
Do you ever get the impression that, much as the Fun Boy Three suggested all those years ago, the lunatics really have taken over the asylum?
BRITAIN’S Chagos Islands handover will cost taxpayers ten times more than Sir Keir Starmer let on, newly unearthed figures claim.
Official estimates reveal the bill for giving the British Indian Ocean Territory to Mauritius is not £3.4billion as promised, but actually close to £35billion.
2
The figure, which was released to the Conservative Party under Freedom of Information laws, is far higher than the £3.4 billion figure the Prime Minister had previously stated in public, according to The Telegraph.
Ministers are now facing allegations that they misled Parliament with a controversial “accountancy trick” to hide the size of the bill from taxpayers.
Britain is to hand over sovereignty of the British Indian Ocean Territory while paying billions of pounds to continue using the Diego Garcia base, a key military facility used by Britain and the United States.
Negotiations for a deal to hand over sovereignty of the island began under the Conservatives and was concluded by the new Labour government.
Back in February, Sir Keir Starmer dismissed Tory warnings of a £30billion cost and branded a £9bn to £18bn estimate “absolutely wide of the mark”.
But an official document produced by the Government Actuary’s Department shows the cost of the deal was first estimated at ten times the stated figure, at £34.7 billion, in nominal terms.
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch said: “Add that to their £50bn black hole, and it’s clear – when Labour negotiates, Britain loses.”
A government spokesman said: “The deal is supported by our closest allies, including the US, Canada, Australia and Nato.
“The costs compare favourably with other international base agreements, and the UK-US base on Diego Garcia is larger, in a more strategic location.”
2
KEMI Badenoch has thrown down the gauntlet to Keir Starmer on the economy demanding no stealth taxes on Brits.
The Tory leader has written to the Prime Minister saying “tax rises are a choice”.
She has challenged him to repeat Chancellor Rachel Reeves’ promise at the Budget last year not to extend the freeze on income tax and National Insurance thresholds.
Failing to end the freeze as planned in 2028 would mean millions more Brits are forced into paying a higher rate of tax under fiscal drag.
This is when people are pulled into higher income tax brackets as inflation pushes their wages up.
It comes after a bombshell report said the Chancellor must find £50billion in her autumn Budget to keep the country’s finances in check.
She will have to raise taxes or cut spending to maintain her stated financial cushion of £9.9billion by the end of the decade, according to the National Institute of Economic and Social Research.
At the Budget, Ms Reeves said: “Extending the threshold freeze would hurt working people.
“It would take more money out of their payslips.
“I am keeping every single promise on tax that I made in our manifesto, so there will be no extension of the freeze in income tax and national insurance thresholds.”
Ms Badenoch asked the PM: “I am writing to you to ask: does this remain government policy?”
A Labour spokesperson said: “We’ll take no lectures from this failed Tory Party.
“They crashed the economy which sent bills and mortgages rocketing, and left a £22 billion blackhole.
“Kemi Badenoch’s next letter should be an apology to hard-pressed households for the Conservatives’ role in hammering their family finances.
“Labour is the only party focused on creating a fairer Britain.”
1
Sir Keir Starmer has said the UK’s benefits system is broken and fixing it is a “moral imperative”, a day after a backbench Labour revolt saw him forced into a U-turn on welfare cuts.
The prime minister told the Welsh Labour Party conference in Llandudno that the government would not take away the welfare “safety net that vulnerable people rely on”.
But he said he could not let benefits “become a snare for those who can and want to work”.
Despite the government’s concession on its plans to reform welfare, some Labour MPs want further changes, while the Unite union has called for the proposal to be dropped altogether ahead of a vote on Tuesday.
The BBC understands whips and cabinet ministers – including Wes Streeting, Angela Rayner and Rachel Reeves – have been phoning or texting Labour MPs over the weekend, going through the names of the initial rebels in a bid to get an accurate assessment of potential voting.
Some MPs are saying they have yet to make their mind up on how to vote and are awaiting a statement on Monday from Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall that will spell out government concessions.
Speaking at the conference in north Wales on Saturday, Sir Keir said fixing the “broken” benefits system needed to be done because it was “failing people every day”, leaving “a generation of young people written off for good and the cost spiralling out of control”.
“Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way,” he added.
The government’s initial plans, aimed at bringing down the welfare bill, would have made it harder for people to claim personal independence payment (Pip), a benefit paid to 3.7 million people with long-term physical or mental health conditions.
But following a rebellion among Labour MPs and the likelihood the government would be defeated in the Commons, the government announced the stricter criteria would only apply to new claimants.
It reversed its plans to freeze the health-related component of universal credit, and the payment will now rise in line with inflation for existing recipients.
Ministers will also carry out a review of the Pip assessment process, with input from disability organisations.
A £1bn support package to help people into work, originally scheduled for 2029, will be fast-tracked.
A new “reasoned amendment” to the bill will be put down on Monday by rebel MPs, which will reflect government concessions but is expected to be similar to the now-withdrawn earlier amendment that sought to block changes to the benefits system.
The BBC understands that around 50 Labour MPs currently back that new amendment.
That number is likely to increase but the expectation is it will not reach the 80-plus needed to put the government in danger of defeat. However it would still represent a significant rebellion.
Rebel MPs are also expected to hold a briefing on Monday night at Westminster with various disability charities.
Labour MP Diane Abbott earlier told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that she thought the result of a vote on the new plans would be tight, partly because backbenchers are still “upset about the lack of consultation” and because of “the notion of a two-tier benefit system”.
But former Labour justice secretary Lord Falconer told the programme that “sensible” changes to the welfare reforms were “pretty significant”, and that he believed opposition among Labour MPs was “shrinking and shrinking”.
Debbie Abrahams, the Labour MP who chairs the Work and Pensions Select Committee, told the BBC on Friday: “The concessions are a good start, they are very good concessions and they will protect existing claimants.
“However there are still concerns about new claimants. It would not be right for me not to do anything just to spare the prime minister an inconvenience.”
Ahead of Sir Keir’s conference speech, Unite called for the “entire welfare bill to be dropped and for the government to start again”, with general secretary Sharon Graham accusing Labour of “attacking the most vulnerable in our society”.
“The government’s latest plans for disabled benefits cuts are divisive and sinister,” she said.
“Creating a two-tier system where younger disabled people and those who become disabled in the future will be disadvantaged and denied access to work and education, is morally wrong.”
Political correspondent
PA MediaSir Keir Starmer has called on Iran to “return to the negotiating table” after the US bombed nuclear sites in the country overnight.
In a statement, the UK prime minister said stability in the region was a priority, describing Iran’s nuclear programme as “a grave threat to international security”.
The BBC understands there was no UK involvement in the US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and that the prime minister was informed of them in advance.
“Iran can never be allowed to develop a nuclear weapon and the US has taken action to alleviate that threat,” Starmer added.
Iran has repeatedly said its nuclear ambitions are peaceful.
The US said it had carried out strikes on three nuclear facilities in Iran: Natanz, Isfahan and Fordo on Saturday night.
It followed the launch of a new Israeli operation against Iran overnight into 13 June. Israel said its targets were military sites, including nuclear facilities.
Iran launched retaliatory strikes – with the two countries continuing to exchange fire since.
President Donald Trump had initially refused to say whether the US would get involved, with the White House saying on Friday that a decision would be made “within the next two weeks”.
In a televised address following the strikes, the president said the operation was a “spectacular military success”, adding that if Iran did not make peace quickly it would face “far greater” attacks.
Iran’s ambassador to the UK, Seyed Ali Mousavi, told the BBC’s Laura Kuenssberg that Iran is considering the “quantity and quality” of its reaction with regards to retaliation.
No increase in off-site radiation has been reported, according to the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) latest update.
Iran’s foreign minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi called the US strikes “outrageous” and said they would have “everlasting consequences”.
“Each and every member of the UN must be alarmed over this extremely dangerous, lawless and criminal behavior,” he added.
UN Secretary General António Guterres said the overnight strikes were a “dangerous escalation”.
Reacting to the US action overnight, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, said: “By targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, the US has taken decisive action against a regime that fuels global terror and directly threatens the UK.”
Starmer has previously urged for further negotiations in a bid to de-escalate the conflict.
“The risk of escalation in the region is obvious,” he said at the time.
Foreign Secretary David Lammy travelled to Washington last week to meet Secretary of State Marco Rubio and US special envoy Steve Witkoff.
The foreign secretary said after the meeting: “We discussed how a deal could avoid a deepening conflict. A window now exists within the next two weeks to achieve a diplomatic solution.”
He formed part of a European contingent which met with Iranian officials on Friday.
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch, said: “By targeting Iran’s nuclear sites, the US has taken decisive action against a regime that fuels global terror and directly threatens the UK.”
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) has advised against all travel to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Iran.
SIR Keir Starmer yesterday doubled down on sanctioning Israeli ministers, despite being savagely rapped by the US.
Donald Trump’s administration hit out at Britain after the PM broke with tradition and imposed a travel ban and asset freeze on two far-right members of Israel’s government, Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
4
4
4
In a scathing attack on the move, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the sanctions “do not advance American efforts to achieve a ceasefire, bring all hostages home and end the war”.
Mr Rubio warned Britain “not to forget who the real enemy is”.
The US ambassador to the UK said he “fully supported” Mr Rubio’s slap down and warned the PM against “impeding constructive dialogue”.
Ben-Gvir, who is pushing to annex the West Bank and wants to permanently expel Palestinians from Gaza, said: “The American administration is a moral compass in the face of the confusion of some Western countries that choose to appease terrorist organizations like Hamas.
“Israel is not afraid — we will continue to fight terrorism.
“History will judge the Chamberlains of our time.”
At PMQs Sir Keir defended the sanctions as a bid to “uphold human rights and defend the prospect of a two-state solution”.
The PM said: “Acting alongside our allies, we have sanctioned individuals responsible for inciting appalling settler violence and expansion.
“We will continue to support all efforts to secure a ceasefire, the release of all hostages despicably held by Hamas and the humanitarian aid that needs to surge in.
4
Unlock even more award-winning articles as The Sun launches brand new membership programme – Sun Club.
May 20 (UPI) — Authorities in Britain have arrested a third suspect in connection with a fire set at a home owned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The unidentified 34-year-old was arrested Monday morning in Chelsea on suspicion of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life, Metropolitan Police said in a statement.
The arrest comes after a 26-year-old was arrested Saturday and a 21-year-old was arrested May 13.
The 21-year-old suspect has since been identified as Ukrainian national Roman Lavrynovych, of Sydenham, London.
The Crown Prosecution Service on Thursday authorized Lavrynovych to be charged with three counts of conspiracy to commit arson with intent to endanger life.
Authorities accuse the three suspects of being involved in three fires set at north London residences.
The first fire was set on May 8, another on May 11 and the third on May 12.
The most recent fire was lit at a residence in Kentish Town that is owned by the prime minister, who is currently living at his official 10 Downing Street residence with his family. The targeted home was being rented out at the time of the incident.
No injuries were reported in connection with any of the fires.
WILL today go down in history as the day Sir Keir Starmer betrayed Brexit and the British people?
From the moment he entered No10, or Remainiac Prime Minister — who spent years in Opposition trying to reverse the historic 2016 vote — has been hellbent on securing a so-called “reset” with the EU.
1
His approach to the negotiations with Brussels has been naive at best, and craven at worst.
Indeed, the message his public desperation sent to the hard-nosed Eurocrats was “I want a deal at any price, so shaft me”.
The vengeful EU — which will never get over Brexit, and cannot stand the idea of us being a sovereign nation again — duly obliged.
Its list of demands, in return for a defence partnership, a sop on passport queues and the simple lifting of some spiteful checks on British food exports, would put a mafia extortionist to shame.
Through a series of snide anonymous briefings (the EU’s tactic of choice for decades), we know it expects to agree the following at today’s Lancaster House talks:
Britain to slavishly adhere to every pettifogging Brussels edict on standards, a straitjacket known as “dynamic alignment” which would make trade deals with the rest of world far harder.
Subservience to the over-mighty, expansionist European Court of Justice.
Generous access to our fishing waters for mostly French vessels for ever more, undermining a core reason why millions voted Leave.
Bundles of cash to once again be paid into the EU’s coffers for participation in its various programmes and schemes.
Most unbelievably, a “youth mobility scheme” for anyone under 35 – yes, 35! – which would restore free movement by the back door, and give 80 MILLION EU citizens the chance to live and work here.
So much for getting a grip on runaway immigration.
And what has Sir Keir’s response been to all of this?
He and his Chancellor have effectively said bring it on, and that this is just the start of a much deeper future partnership with the EU.
We remind them both of two things, before they sit down to formally ink this seemingly wretched surrender deal.
First, the best economic days of the EU are long behind it — look at the state of the German and French economies.
Britain should be looking to do ambitious trade deals beyond Europe — indeed the new partnership with India, and the recent easing of US tariffs were only possible because of Brexit.
Not tying our hands and alienating allies like Donald Trump.
And, second, the British people voted nine years ago to take back control of our money, borders and laws.
If the PM hands all of this back over to Brussels today, he will not be forgiven.
SIR Keir Starmer yesterday told Labour rebels to fall into line over welfare cuts – as more than 100 of his own MPs are demanding a U-turn.
The PM insisted the system is “not working for anybody” and vowed to press ahead with slashing the health element of Universal Credit and tightening disability benefit rules.
2
2
Asked if he would soften the package, he said: “The argument for reform is overwhelming and that’s why we will get on and we will reform.”
It comes as furious MPs are urging him to delay the cuts and have slammed the lack of proper impact checks.
In a blistering letter to the Chief Whip, they said: “We regret we are unable to support a Bill before this has taken place.”
If all the MPs who have signed the letter follow through and vote against the plans, it could wipe out Sir Keir’s majority and trigger the biggest rebellion of his leadership.
Such is the worry inside Labour, that a party source warned dissenting MPs they could be punished at the ballot box.
The source said: “There is only going to be so much money, time and resources at the next election.
“How people behave now will make a difference to how those resources are allocated.”
It comes as some furious MPs are poised to rebel against Sir Keir because they think they’re toast at the next election.
Moderate backbenchers who have so far towed the party line are mulling taking a public stand on issues including disability benefit cuts, immigration and winter fuel payments – even if it means losing the whip.
There is also growing anger around the two-child benefit cap still being in place.
The Sun understands some MPs want to work “with a clear conscience” until the end of this parliament – knowing that they are unlikely to return because of the threat of Reform.
A Red Wall Labour MP said: “Multiple colleagues with slim majorities think they have no chance of winning their seat.
“They want to hold the PM to account on issues causing an uproar locally, including PIP payments, and think they have nothing to lose if they defy party whips going forward.”
Another Labour MP told The Sun: “The numbers willing to rebel are much higher than expected.
“I think people shouldn’t underestimate just how much welfare is a driver of why a lot of Labour MPs, particularly moderates, are in the Labour party in the first place.
“A lot of our politics was defined by the performative cruelty of the Osborne era, and that casts a long shadow.”
The DWP uses the Work Capability Assessment (WCA) to evaluate a claimant’s ability to work when applying for Universal Credit due to a health condition or disability.
The WCA focuses on assessing functional limitations rather than specific medical diagnoses.
It considers both physical and mental health, awarding points based on how an individual’s condition impacts their ability to carry out daily activities.
After the assessment, claimants may be placed into one of two groups – Limited Capability for Work (LCW) or Limited Capability for Work and Work-Related Activity (LCWRA).
Claimants assigned to the LCW group are recognised as currently unfit for work but may be capable of returning to employment in the future with the right support and assistance.
Those in this group are required to engage in work-related activities, such as attending Jobcentre appointments or training courses.
Failure to comply with these requirements may result in sanctions, including a reduction or suspension of benefits.
Claimants are placed in the LCWRA group if their health condition or disability is considered so severe that they are not expected to be able to work or participate in any work-related activities in the foreseeable future.
Those in the LCWRA group receive an additional amount on top of their standard Universal Credit allowance currently worth £416.19 a month.
Over 150,000 on benefits will see their payments cut under Personal Independence Payments (PIP) changes, the DWP has confirmed.
The Government is shaking up the way PIP is assessed meaning hundreds of thousands will miss out from November 2026.
From late next year, new and existing PIP claimants being reassessed will have to score a minimum of four points in at least one activity to receive the Daily Living Component.
It will see those unable to cook qualify, but not those who can use a microwave.
Likewise, assistance required to wash your lower body would not deem you eligible but your upper body would.
And, while requiring help to use the toilet meets the threshold, needing reminded to go would fall below it.
The higher rate of the Daily Living Component is currently worth £110.40 a week.
Claimants will also have to score at least eight points when being assessed.
The Government estimates this means by 2029/30 around 800,000 won’t receive the Daily Living Component of PIP.
But it has also confirmed 150,000 will be missing out on Carer’s Allowance or the Universal Credit Carer’s Element by 2029/30 too.
This is because to receive either of these carer’s benefits you have to be caring for someone who receives the Daily Living part of PIP.
It means new and existing PIP claimants finding they are no longer eligible will disqualify their carer’s from next November when the changes kick in.
HOUSEHOLDS suffering from a long-term illness, disability or mental health condition can get extra help through personal independence payments (PIP).
The maximum you can receive from the Government benefit is £184.30 a week.
PIP is for those over 16 and under the state pension age, currently 66.
Crucially, you must also have a health condition or disability where you either have had difficulties with daily living or getting around – or both – for three months, and you expect these difficulties to continue for at least nine months (unless you’re terminally ill with less than 12 months to live).
You can also claim PIP if you’re in or out of work and if you’re already getting limited capability for work and work-related activity (LCWRA) payments if you claim Universal Credit.
PIP is made up of two parts and whether you get one or both of these depends on how severely your condition affects you.
You may get the mobility part of PIP if you need help going out or moving around. The weekly rate for this is either £28.70 or £75.75.
On the daily living part of PIP, the weekly rate is either £72.65 or £105.55 – and you could get both elements, so up to £184.30 in total.
You can claim PIP at the same time as other benefits, except the armed forces independence payment.
May 13 (UPI) — Police in Britain early Tuesday arrested a 21-year-old man accused of setting fires to three north London residences this month, including a home owned by Prime Minister Keir Starmer.
The most recent fire occurred at a residence in Kentish Town and was reported to the London Fire Brigade at about 1:35 a.m. local time Monday. Metropolitan Police did not identify the owner but said counter-terrorism officers were investigating due to the home’s connections “with a high-profile public figure.”
Local reports confirmed that the residence was owned by Starmer, who, as prime minister, was living at his official 10 Downing Street residence with his family and was renting out the north London home at the time of the incident. No injuries were reported.
The suspect, who was not identified, was arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life and remains in police custody.
Authorities said they are considering the man as a suspect in two other arson cases this month.
“All three fires are being treated as suspicious at this time, and enquiries remain ongoing,” Metropolitan Police said Tuesday.
Th police are investigating Monday’s fire as being potentially linked to a fire set Sunday in the entrance of a north London residence and a Thursday vehicle fire, also located in north London.
The prime minister, through a spokesperson on Monday, thanked emergency services for their work in responding to the incident.
In June, three activists were found guilty of public disturbance offenses for holding a pro-Palestine protest in front of Starmer’s home in April 2024.