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Labour frontbencher Yvette Cooper has claimed the issue with Diane Abbott over whether she can run in the upcoming general election has been “resolved” after days of back and forth.

Asked on Sky News whether she expects Ms Abbott to be the Labour candidate for Hackney and Stoke Newington after a row over whether this would be permitted, the shadow home secretary said: “I assume so. Yes.

“I mean, I’m very glad it’s been resolved for Diane. She continues to be a very important figure in the Labour Party.”

It comes as Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to slash levels of migration to the UK. The Labour leader is putting the migration plan in his manifesto, and it will include passing laws to ban law-breaking employers from hiring foreign workers and to train more Britons.

Last year’s net migration figure of 685,000 has “got to come down,” he told The Sun on Sunday, as he vowed to “control our borders and make sure British businesses are helped to hire Brits first”.

Key Points

  • Labour races to biggest poll lead since Truss meltdown
  • Starmer: I have more respect for Diane than she probably realises
  • Conservative Party begs for cash as online donations drop off
  • Starmer makes gag about Johnson hiding in fridge
  • Labour leader dodges question on Abbott
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Labour’s Cooper refuses to rule out off-shore processing of illegal migrants

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper has declined to rule out off-shore processing or sending asylum-seekers to have their claims processed abroad.

Ms Cooper told BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that her party would create a border security command “to clear the backlog and to end asylum hotel use, and to put another new returns and enforcement unit in place to actually get the proper returns where people have no right to be here”.

She said: “So, your question was might there be other future arrangements and so on? Keir has always said we would look at what works and there are different kinds of, I think, the sort of offshore processing arrangements and things that have already been used at different times in the past.

“For example, the Dublin agreement did mean that, under that scheme, some people were returned to France or to Germany or other countries.”

When asked if Labour would send asylum seekers who are stuck in the system to another country to have their claims processed, Ms Cooper said: “That’s certainly what used to happen as part of the Dublin scheme and we look at what works.”

Tom Watling2 June 2024 10:33 1717319709

SNP House of Commons leader accuses Labour and Conservatives of ‘conspiracy of silence’

The SNP’s House of Commons leader has accused Labour and the Conservatives of a “conspiracy of silence” on austerity in Scotland.

Speaking with Sky News’ Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips, Stephen Flynn said there has been £18 billion in public sector cuts, with neither party “providing an answer” on the matter.

He said the SNP is the only party who would return the country to a single market, invest in net zero technologies and will not privatise the NHS.

Tom Watling2 June 2024 10:15 1717318809

Yvette Cooper fails to rule out overseas schemes for illegal migrants

Yvette Cooper fails to rule out overseas schemes for illegal migrants

Yvette Cooper refused to rule out overseas deportation schemes for asylum seekers under a Labour government. Speaking on Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg on 2 June, the Shadow Home Secretary said, “We’re not going to do the Rwanda scheme… but Keir Starmer has always said we would look at what works.” “For example, the Dublin agreement did mean that under that scheme some people were returned to France or Germany or other countries”, she explained. Yvette Cooper reiterated ‘Labour’s first steps for change’, by saying that the Border Security Command and ending asylum hotels were Labour’s key priorities.

Tom Watling2 June 2024 10:00 1717317356

Tory minister says Labour having an ‘identity crisis’

Health Secretary Victoria Atkins has suggested Labour is having a “bit of an identity crisis”.

Ms Atkins said she would not comment on individual Tories who have defected to Labour, saying they will have had their “own reasons for going”.

She then told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips on Sky News: “It’s a great surprise, I think, to everyone, including possibly to Natalie Elphicke herself, that such a hard-right Conservative politician should choose to join Labour.

“But then we see this week from Labour that Sir Keir Starmer can’t work out whether Diane Abbott, one of his longest-standing and trailblazing Members of Parliament, should in fact be a Member of Parliament. He can’t work it out. So, it shows that there is a bit of an identity crisis within Labour.”

She added: “We see today that Sir Keir is suggesting giving out peerages to solve the problem and, interestingly, inserting some of his own, his boys’ club, into those very seats from which he’s ejecting women. I have noticed that.”

Tom Watling2 June 2024 09:35 1717316409

Yvette Cooper denies that Keir Starmer has offered Labour MPs a seat in the Lords

Yvette Cooper has denied that Keir Starmer has offered Labour MPs a seat in the Lords.

The shadow home secretary told Sky: “That’s not the way the system works”.

It follows reports that a string of former Labour MPs, including Diane Abbott, have been offered as seat in the House of Lords to stand down and make way for allies of Sir Keir Starmer.

A number of people close to the Labour leader have been parachuted into some of Labour's safest seats.

Ms Cooper also said she assumed Ms Abbott would stand for Labour at the election.

Tom Watling2 June 2024 09:20 1717315209

Keir Starmer pledges to slash ‘sky high’ migration numbers under a Labour government

Keir Starmer pledges to slash ‘sky high’ migration numbers

Labour leader said: ‘Read my lips - I will bring immigration numbers down’

Tom Watling2 June 2024 09:00 1717314396

A reminder of what happened yesterday

Both the Conservative and Labour parties kicked off their “battle bus” tours on Saturday. The coaches will spend the next five weeks driving thousands of miles across the country in an attempt to win over voters.

Sir Keir Starmer, his deputy leader Angela Rayner and shadow chancellor Rachel Reeves were in Boris Johnson’s old constituency, Uxbridge, to launch Labour’s red coach. Emblazoned on the bus, dozens of times over, was the word “change”.

In Redcar, northeast England, prime minister Rishi Sunak kicked off the Tories’ tour in their blue Mercedes coach. He travelled the first stop on the bus to nearby Blythe.

In the East Midlands, meanwhile, Reform’s Lee Anderson and Nigel Farage addressed crowds in Ashfield, Mr Anderson’s constituency. On the agenda: immigration, immigration and, yes, immigration.

Britain's Prime Minister and Conservative Party leader Rishi Sunak (C) greets the party's Cramlington and Killingworth candidate Ian Levy and Blyth and Ashington candidate Maureen Levy during a campaign visit to Blyth (POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Labour Party Leader Sir Keir Starmer holds a card detailing his policy priorities at the launch of the Labour Party election campaign ‘Battle Bus’ in Uxbridge (Getty Images)
Lee Anderson and Nigel Farage woo crowds in Ashfield, East Midlands (X / Nigel Farage )
Tom Watling2 June 2024 08:46 1717312983

What to expect on day 11 of campaigning?

Below we have compiled a quick guide to the main developments that will happen today for the General Election campaign trail.

Conservatives

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will be “campaigning in London” without media, according to his party, a day after the Conservative Party leader launched the Tory battle bus in Redcar, northeast England.

His health secretary Victoria Atkins, meanwhile, will promote the Tory plan on the Sunday morning broadcast round.

Labour

Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper will talk up plans to slash migration levels in broadcast studios.

Her and shadow education minister Bridget Phillipson will also promote a new growth and skills levy, allowing firms to use up to 50 per cent of their levy contributions to fund training through routes other than apprenticeships.

Lib Dem

While leader Sir Ed Davey is taking the weekend off from attention-grabbing stunts to care for his son, his party is going on the attack over health.

The Lib Dems promised to reverse £1 billion in Conservative cuts to the Public Health Grant, which provides local authorities with funding for public health projects.

Scottish National Party

North of the border, First Minister John Swinney will urge people to “vote SNP to put Scotland’s interests first” as he formally launches the party’s General Election campaign in Glasgow.

He will tell activists that Westminster decision-making has meant “austerity, Brexit and a cost-of-living crisis being imposed on Scotland”.

Tom Watling2 June 2024 08:23 1717308000

Tories pledge to build 100 new GP surgeries by cutting number of NHS managers

More GP surgeries and diagnostic centres would be built under a future Conservative government funded by slashing the number of NHS managers, the Tories have said.

In their first major health offer of the general election, the Tories have said they will bring more care services into the community.

Full report:

Tories pledge to build 100 new GP surgeries by cutting number of NHS managers

The Conservatives say 100 new GP surgeries would be build and a further 150 modernised under its first major health offering ahead of the general election

Matt Mathers2 June 2024 07:00 1717304400

Labour to put ‘businesses in the driving seat’ with reformed apprenticeship levy

Businesses are “crying out for help to tackle skills shortages”, the shadow education secretary has warned.

Labour has re-stated its pledge to reform the existing apprenticeship levy, a charge on firms which have an annual wages bill of more than £3 million.

Full report:

Labour to put ‘businesses in the driving seat’ with reformed apprenticeship levy

Latest figures suggest the number of apprenticeship starts is increasing – but more needs to be done to help worker shortages, says Labour’s shadow education secretary

Matt Mathers2 June 2024 06:00 Newer1 / 6Older

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