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Sir Keir Starmer is facing a backbench rebellion to scrap the two-child benefit cap after figures revealed that 1.6 million children are affected by the policy.
In response to the latest figures, work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall warned child poverty is a “stain on our society” with Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar pressuring the PM to scrap the cap.
A bitter civil war erupted among Reform UK members after Nigel Farage unveiled his new team in a huge shake-up to “professionalise” the party.
Mr Farage announced that Ben Habib had been sacked from his role as deputy leader and appointed new MP for Boston and Skegness Richard Tice instead.
But Mr Habib said he is now evaluating his position within the party “more generally” after the sudden ousting.
Ashfield MP Lee Anderson is now the new chief whip and donator and entrepreneur Zia Yusuf the new Reform chairman.
In Washington, Sir Keir is set to meet world leaders and discuss long-term support for Ukraine’s entry process into the Nato alliance.
Key Points
- Pressure mounts on Starmer to scrap two-child benefit cap
- Labour minister dismisses calls to scrap two-child benefit cap
- Reform on brink of major resignation as bitter civil row erupts
- Business millionaire Zia Yusuf becomes new Reform chairman
- Ed Miliband issues immediate ban on North Sea oil and gas
- Ex-veterans minister faces jail as request to withhold names denied
Chancellor welcomes economic growth but says ‘huge amount of work to be done'
Chancellor Rachel Reeves said “there’s a huge amount of work to be done” to drive economic growth.
Speaking after official data showed the UK economy grew quicker than expected in May, she told broadcasters on a visit to Darlington: “It’s welcome to have an increase in GDP. So important after the last few years of a flatlining economy.
“But there’s clearly more work to be done, which is why in my first speech as Chancellor of the Exchequer on Monday, I announced significant planning reforms, ending the moratorium on onshore wind, reintroducing housing targets, calling in planning decisions on housing and data centres so we can get Britain building again, so we can grow our economy, which means we can improve living standards and have the money we need for our public services.
“Just got started. There’s a lot more to do. But I’m determined to fulfil that number one mission of this incoming Labour Government to grow our economy and create good jobs right across the UK.”
Asked whether she thought the economy is taking off, Ms Reeves said: “I hope that the plans that I set in motion this week – the reform of the planning system, establishing the national wealth fund to co-invest with businesses, leveraging a billions of pounds of private sector investment – is what’s needed to grow our economy and create good jobs right across the UK.
“There’s a huge amount of work to be done. I’ve been in post for a week now. We’ve done more to reform the planning system in the first 72 hours I was in this role than the previous government did in 14 years.
“There’s more work that I want to do, but we’ve got off to a good start, and businesses have welcomed our plans. I’m determined to do what’s needed to grow our economy and ensure that working families have more money in their pockets.”
Salma Ouaguira11 July 2024 17:05 1720712820Tory MP claims lights will go out ‘in a year or two’ after Miliband’s oil ban
Craig Mackinlay, who was amputated and did not stand at the general election, hit out at Ed Miliband’s ban on new oil and gas drilling in the North Sea.
The former chairman of Parliament’s Net Zero Scrutiny Group posted on X: “The lights will start going out in a year or two.”
He added: “Never mind, we can enrich Qatar, the USA and others still further as we desperately buy gas from anywhere we can. Energy security – how quaint and old fashioned as we worship the new ‘green’.”
Salma Ouaguira11 July 2024 16:47 1720711628Exclusive: U-turn sees Ukrainian toddler reunited with refugee parents in UK
Ukrainian refugee parents barred from bringing their two-year-old daughter to Britain after the UK’s sponsorship rules were suddenly tightened will now be reunited with their child after a government U-turn.
Oleksandra and Yaroslav, both aged 31, decided to leave their daughter Anna with her grandparents in Kyiv while getting set up with their own accommodation and establishing a new business after arriving in Britain under the Homes for Ukraine scheme in April 2022.
But after they overcame these hurdles, their application in April this year for Anna to join them was refused by the Home Office on the grounds that – as per rule changes brought in without warning in February – they were no longer eligible sponsors, being neither UK or Irish citizens nor having indefinite leave to remain.
However, after Anna’s case was highlighted by The Independent and raised by the charity Settled with senior Home Office figures, her parents were given sponsor checks and the toddler’s visa was finally approved on 18 June.
Our reporter Andy Gregory has the full story:
U-turn sees Ukrainian toddler reunited with refugee parents in UK
Exclusive: Labour peer Lord Dubs backs urgent calls for new government to reopen family reunion route for Ukrainian refugees
Salma Ouaguira11 July 2024 16:27 1720710975Pictured: Keir Starmer meets Joe Biden and Nato Secretary General
Watch: Crossbow laws under scrutiny after Bushey triple murder, says security minister
Government considering tougher crossbow laws after Bushey murders, says minister
Yvette Cooper will “take a view in the near future” of whether tougher crossbow laws are needed in the wake of the killings of three women in Hertfordshire on Wednesday (10 July). Security minister Dan Jarvis told Sky News today: “I know that the home secretary is looking at this literally as we speak. There was a call for evidence that was initiated a number of months ago. She will want to consider that evidence in the round. “She’ll want to look clearly, very carefully at what happened yesterday – devastating events – and she will take a view in the near future.”
Salma Ouaguira11 July 2024 16:07 1720709817Jonny Mercer accuses judge of ‘assassinating my character’ over Afghan inquiry
Former veterans’ minister Jonny Mercer has accused a judge of “assassinating my character” after refusing to unveil the names of officers who raised concerns about alleged executions of Afghans.
Mr Mercer had his application to withhold the names of those who told him about alleged special forces murders rejected by the Afghanistan Inquiry’s chairman.
In a statement, he said: “I find it extraordinary, given my unprecedented support to assist the inquiry, including some names of those who have given me consent, that Mr Haddon-Cave considers it appropriate to repeatedly question my moral courage and integrity in public.
“These unjustified and unprovoked attempts by a High Court judge to assassinate my character, without any foundation whatsoever, crosses a line.”
He added: “I have given my statement to the inquiry. Mr Haddon-Cave must now stop fixating on attempting to bully me, I have done nothing wrong. I gave my word to junior personnel who approached me. I intend to keep it.”
Salma Ouaguira11 July 2024 15:56 1720709228News website claims Hannah Blythyn not source of Gething leak
Hannah Blythyn was not the source of a leak which triggered her sacking from the Welsh Government, the website which originally reported the story has said.
The Labour former social partnership minister was removed from the Welsh Government by Vaughan Gething in May, after messages from the Covid pandemic were leaked to the media.
The leaked messages showed Mr Gething claiming he would delete all correspondence from a WhatsApp group of Welsh ministers.
Delyn MS Ms Blythyn said this week in the Senedd that she could “look all my colleagues who sit on these benches in the eye” and say she had not leaked to the media.
The embattled First Minister told the Senedd on Wednesday the messages could only have come from her phone, adding that there had been a “breach of trust”.
But Nation.Cymru, the website which originally broke the story, has now said she was not the source of the information.
A statement from its chief executive, Mark Mansfield, said protecting journalistic sources was very important, and added: “Given the strong public interest and importance of this story and out of concern for Hannah Blythyn’s wellbeing, we have decided that the right thing to do is to state publicly that she was not the source of our story and that at no stage before or since publication of it have we had any contact with her about it.”
Starmer: UK should ‘mark the occasion’ if England win Euro 2024
The UK should “certainly mark the occasion” if England win Euro 2024, Sir Keir Starmer has said amid calls for an extra bank holiday in the event of victory.
The Prime Minister appeared to suggest he would not commit to an extra day off as he said did not want to “jinx anything” by pre-empting the result of Sunday’s final between Gareth Southgate’s team and Spain.
The Liberal Democrats have led calls for an extra bank holiday after England claimed a 2-1 victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday.
Sir Keir previously supported calls for a bank holiday when England’s women’s football team made it to the World Cup final last year.
UK should ‘mark the occasion’ if England win Euro 2024, Sir Keir Starmer says
The Prime Minister did not commit to an extra bank holiday date, and said he did not want to “jinx” the result of the Euros final.
Salma Ouaguira11 July 2024 15:37 1720708348Labour minister dismisses calls to scrap two-child benefit cap
Environment secretary Steve Reed has rejected calls to scrap the controversial two-child benefit cap.
The Labour minister said the party understands calls to get rid of the policy but claimed the government must keep “strict spending controls” to stabilise the economy.
Mr Reed told reporters: “Of course we understand the pressure for that, of course we understand the difficulties families face because of the wider cost of living crisis.
“It is absolutely essential that this Labour Government maintains strict spending controls because we have to stabilise the economy after 14 years of Conservative chaos.
“It is that chaos and the way they crashed the economy that has left families hurting so much. As we grow the economy, we will be able to spend the additional income on other things that we want to achieve for this country.”
Salma Ouaguira11 July 2024 15:32 1720708134Streeting vows investigation into NHS will ‘leave no stone unturned'
Health secretary Wes Streeting has said the new independent investigation into the NHS will “leave no stone unturned”.
Mr Streeting announced the probe in a bid to identify the issues with the health service.
The Labour minister said he was “hugely optimistic that our NHS can be saved” and vowed to make it “fit for the future”.
Salma Ouaguira11 July 2024 15:28 Newer1 / 5OlderDisclaimer: The copyright of this article belongs to the original author. Reposting this article is solely for the purpose of information dissemination and does not constitute any investment advice. If there is any infringement, please contact us immediately. We will make corrections or deletions as necessary. Thank you.
