UK politics live: Wes Streeting hints budget cuts will go further than axing winter fuel payment

Health secretary Wes Streeting has suggested pensioners will not be the only group negatively affected by cuts in the October budget.

Mr Streeting said he can understand why pensioners may feel they are being targeted by the government following cuts to winter fuel payments. However, Chancellor Rachel Reeves said there will be moves to reduce the size of the welfare bill, as well as public spending cuts and tax rises.

In an interview with The New Statesman, the health secretary said: “I can understand why there will be some pensioners sat there thinking, ‘Why us? And what about others?

“Well, there are other choices to come and these aren’t just Rachel’s [Reeves] choices to face up to, these are the choices of the whole government.”

He added: “It would be quite jarring if we were all skipping around Whitehall singing Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come or D:Ream’s Things Can Only Better at the same as we’re dealing with a £22 billion black hole and making some tough choices which are really sticking in the throats of people, particularly on the winter fuel allowance.”

Key Points

• Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than the prime minister

• Rwanda plan was worse than deporting convicts to Australia, says John Major

• Watch: Badenoch says she 'went from middle class to working class' after working at McDonald's

Pat McFadden defends Starmer over donations row

Wednesday 18 September 2024 20:00 , Jabed Ahmed

Cabinet minister Pat McFadden has defended Sir Keir Starmer as a man of “enormous integrity”, amid questions over the numerous gifts the PM has accepted.

The Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster came to Sir Keir’s defence after claims of cronyism and failing to declare donations of clothing to his wife.

In an interview with the Guardian, Mr McFadden said: “This is not somebody who thinks that somehow the rules don’t apply to them, or there’s one rule for him and another one for others, like predecessors that have occupied his post.

“He is a person of enormous integrity, and that will be reflected in the way that he operates.”

Politics explained: Will Labour raise tuition fees to save struggling universities?

Wednesday 18 September 2024 19:30 , Jabed Ahmed

Will Labour raise tuition fees to save struggling universities?

Watch: Badenoch says she 'went from middle class to working class' after working at McDonald's

Wednesday 18 September 2024 19:00 , Jabed Ahmed

Rachel Reeves commits to improving women’s lives by closing gender pay gap

Wednesday 18 September 2024 18:30 , Jabed Ahmed

Rachel Reeves has said she intends to use her position as the first female Chancellor to “improve life for women”, as she set out plans to support women in business.

Ms Reeves said it is a “huge responsibility” to head the Treasury and she is aiming to close the gender pay gap, strengthen rights at work and invest in childcare.

Announcing the Government’s support for the Invest in Women Taskforce, which aims to increase investment funding pools for female founders, the Chancellor vowed to improve the economic opportunities available to women.

The taskforce is aiming to create a funding pool of more than £250 million for female-founded businesses through private capital, making it one of the world’s largest investment funding pools aimed solely at female founders.

The Rose Review, an independent review of female entrepreneurship led by Dame Alison Rose, found that if the UK were to have the same share of female entrepreneurs as similar countries, £200 billion of value would be added to the economy.

Ms Reeves is expected to take an active role in steering the taskforce’s priorities and objectives.

Government to hold talks on ending ‘exploitative’ zero-hours contracts

Wednesday 18 September 2024 18:00 , Jabed Ahmed

Angela Rayner is set to hold another round of talks with trade unions and business leaders as the Government continues its drive to end “exploitative” zero-hours contracts.

The Deputy Prime Minister and the Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will meet general secretaries from Britain’s major trade unions along with figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on Wednesday afternoon as part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to expand workers’ rights.

The meeting is the latest in a series of discussions with unions and businesses on employment rights, with further such meetings expected over the coming weeks.

However, it is not expected that today’s meeting will come with a major announcement from the government.

There are around one million people across the UK on zero-hour contracts, according to the Office of National Statistics.

You can read more on the government’s “new deal for workers” here.

Wes Streeting says concerns over maternity care keep him awake at night

Wednesday 18 September 2024 17:28 , Jabed Ahmed

Speaking at an event for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Wes Streeting said that concerns over maternity care keep him awake at night.

“When it comes to the crisis in our maternity services across the country, it is one of the biggest issues that keeps me awake at night worrying about the quality of care being delivered today at the risk of disaster greeting women in labour tomorrow,” the health secretary said.

“I think that what we have seen, in the case of specific trusts, are problems and risk factors that exist right across maternity services across the country.

“And we’re keen to make sure that when it comes to the work that Donna Ockenden has already done, we make sure that those lessons are applied, not just in the case of those specific trusts, actually right across the country.

“We are determined to get this right.”

COMMENT: Has Labour cancelled Lady Archer because of who her husband is?

Wednesday 18 September 2024 16:58 , Jabed Ahmed

Lisa Nandy has snubbed the wife of a former Tory MP who was on course to become chair of London’s Royal Parks.

The Independent’s chief political commentator John Rentoul asks: “should someone be judged by their spouse’s politics?”

“On the surface, this looks like a petty and vindictive act by the incoming Labour government that does not reflect well on its ambition to unite the nation after the alleged divisiveness of its predecessor,” Mr Rentoul argues.

“But the case of Lady Archer’s disappointment is also an intriguing whodunit.”

Read the full story below:

Has Labour cancelled Lady Archer because of who her husband is?

John Major backs Tony Blair over Brexit’s immigration impact

Wednesday 18 September 2024 16:29 , Jabed Ahmed

Former Tory prime minister Sir John Major has issued a devastating verdict on Brexit and described Rishi Sunak’s government as “unconservative” and “un-British” in the way it tried to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda.

It comes after Sir Tony Blair delivered the most devastating critique of the failure of Brexit and how consequently Britain has ended up with mass immigration instead of the promise to “take back control”.

In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Sir Tony highlighted the way “we have weakened ourselves” in the UK as a result of Brexit.

The full report on Sir John Major’s comment can be found here.

You can read Sir Tony’s interview with The Independent here.

THE INDEPENDENT DEBATE: Starmer eyes Italy’s Albania deal, but should the UK outsource its migration crisis? Join The Independent Debate

Wednesday 18 September 2024 15:59 , Jabed Ahmed

Share your thoughts by adding them in the comments to the story below — we’ll highlight the most insightful ones as they come in.

All you have to do is sign up and register your details — then you can take part in the discussion. You can also sign up by clicking ‘log in’ on the top right-hand corner of the screen.

As Starmer eyes Italy’s Albania deal, tell us if the UK should outsource migration

Watch: Emily Thornberry: Israel’s allies should be asking ‘what on earth are you doing’ after explosion

Wednesday 18 September 2024 15:29 , Jabed Ahmed

Streeting responds to accusations of ‘nanny state’ policies over planned NHS reforms

Wednesday 18 September 2024 14:59 , Jabed Ahmed

Speaking at an event for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Wes Streeting responded to “nanny state” concerns over planned reforms to the NHS.

“I have not banned cake in the Department of Health,” he said.

“In fact, I was at NHS England the other day and saw an abundance of sugary treats – I have not reported them to the Chief Medical Officer yet.

“I’m really not interested in being the fun police or telling people how to live their lives, and people certainly won’t have to worry about closing their curtains at night in case I’m peering through the window and looking at what they’re eating, drinking or smoking.”

He added: “I think we are in this appalling situation when we are living longer, but becoming sick sooner – that’s terrible for the quality of life, it’s also terrible for the economy, for the labour market and for the financial sustainability of our health and care services.

“So when it comes to having some cake or going down the pub, everything in moderation.

“And crucially, when it comes to measures we are considering, especially where this involves legislation, I don’t believe in doing things to people, I believe in doing things with people – we want to change the national conversation about our health and our wellbeing and the types of reforms that we might want to see.”

Streeting says he will ‘take on’ left and right for health reform

Wednesday 18 September 2024 14:45 , Jabed Ahmed

The Health Secretary has vowed to take on the left and the right to reform the health of the nation, warning that the nation’s economic prosperity is at risk without change.

But Wes Streeting insisted that he would make changes “with people” and not “to people” when asked about nanny state concerns, saying he is not the “fun police”.

He said that sticking plasters “won’t cut it” and said the Government was going to make “big changes”.

Speaking at an event for the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR), Mr Streeting said he expects “loud opposition” to reform.

But he warned of a “rising tide of pressure” facing the NHS and highlighted a report of the IPPR’s Commission on Health and Prosperity, which concluded that Britain is the “sick man of Europe” when it comes to health.

Charities urge Government to stop aid budget falling to 17-year low

Wednesday 18 September 2024 14:14 , Jabed Ahmed

Overseas aid spending could fall to its lowest level since 2007 unless the Government takes action at the Budget in October, a coalition of charities has warned.

Leaders of 122 UK charities including ActionAid, Oxfam and Save the Children have called on the Government to maintain aid spending at its current level and prevent more of the aid budget being diverted to support refugees and asylum seekers in the UK.

The group also called for ministers to set out “fair and transparent fiscal tests” for restoring the aid budget to 0.7% of GDP after it was cut to 0.5% in 2021.

Halima Begum, chief executive of Oxfam GB, warned of “devastating and far-reaching” consequences if the Government did not protect the aid budget.

She added: “Failure to do so would undeniably put the UK at risk of further diminished credibility as a dependable agent in addressing urgent global crises.”

Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than the prime minister

Wednesday 18 September 2024 14:11 , Jabed Ahmed

My colleagues Millie Cooke and Archie Mitchell report:

Keir Starmer’s chief of staff Sue Gray is paid more than the prime minister

Emily Thornberry asks ‘is he supposed to take a packed lunch?’ in defence of Starmer amid Labour donations row

Wednesday 18 September 2024 13:59 , Jabed Ahmed

Emily Thornberry defends Starmer amid Labour Party donations row

Pictured: Wes Streeting delivers speech at Institute for Public Policy event

Wednesday 18 September 2024 13:58 , Jabed Ahmed

Train drivers vote to accept multiyear pay offer and end two-year dispute

Wednesday 18 September 2024 13:34 , Jabed Ahmed

Train drivers have voted overwhelmingly to accept a multiyear pay offer, ending a two-year dispute at 16 rail companies.

Aslef said its members voted by 96% in favour of a deal the union said was worth 15% over three years. The turnout was 84%.

The offer was made by the new Labour Government within weeks of the party winning the general election.

The ballot result ends what Aslef called the longest train drivers’ strike in recent history, during which drivers took 18 days of strike action.

Aslef had accused the previous Conservative government of “sitting on its hands” and refusing to negotiate.

Lib Dems to investigate member accused of groping woman at party conference

Wednesday 18 September 2024 13:19 , Jabed Ahmed

Covid-19 pupils and students ‘consigned to scrapheap’, minister claims

Wednesday 18 September 2024 12:59 , Jabed Ahmed

Secondary school pupils and students who started university during the Covid-19 pandemic have been “consigned to the scrapheap”, the employment minister has warned.

Alison McGovern vowed to set up a youth guarantee, a Labour general election manifesto pledge which she claimed would “transform the lives of young people”, speaking at the launch of a think tank report on employment support.

According to the Department for Work and Pensions, the number of young people out of work due to long-term sickness is up 29% since the pandemic, to around 237,000 from approximately 184,000 before the pandemic.

“The lockdown generation has been failed, consigned to the scrapheap, because they have been denied the support and opportunities to find work, get into work, and get on at work,” Ms McGovern said.

Dire Brexit EU trade figures could get even worse, warns expert

Wednesday 18 September 2024 12:43 , Jabed Ahmed

Dire Brexit EU trade figures could get even worse, warns expert

Wednesday 18 September 2024 12:29 , Jabed Ahmed

Wes Streeting has said he can understand why pensioners may feel they are being targeted by the government following cuts to winter fuel payments.

In an interview with the New Statesman, the health secretary said: “I can understand why there will be some pensioners sat there thinking, ‘Well, why us? And what about others?’ Well, there are other choices to come and these aren’t just Rachel’s choices to face up to, these are the choices of the whole government.”

Labour is facing growing pressure over its planned winter fuel payment cuts as figures emerged showing almost 800,000 pensioners who need the benefit are set to lose out.

Read more here.

Watch: Ed Davey challenged to name 72 Lib Dem MPs while on roller coaster ride

Wednesday 18 September 2024 12:16 , Jabed Ahmed

Rachel Reeves commits to improving women’s lives by closing gender pay gap

Wednesday 18 September 2024 11:46 , Jabed Ahmed

Rachel Reeves has said she intends to use her position as the first female Chancellor to “improve life for women”, as she set out plans to support women in business.

Ms Reeves said it is a “huge responsibility” to head the Treasury and she is aiming to close the gender pay gap, strengthen rights at work and invest in childcare.

Announcing the Government’s support for the Invest in Women Taskforce, which aims to increase investment funding pools for female founders, the Chancellor vowed to improve the economic opportunities available to women.

The taskforce is aiming to create a funding pool of more than £250 million for female-founded businesses through private capital, making it one of the world’s largest investment funding pools aimed solely at female founders.

The Rose Review, an independent review of female entrepreneurship led by Dame Alison Rose, found that if the UK were to have the same share of female entrepreneurs as similar countries, £200 billion of value would be added to the economy.

Ms Reeves is expected to take an active role in steering the taskforce’s priorities and objectives.

Teachers will be allowed to work from home in Labour plan to boost recruitment

Wednesday 18 September 2024 11:26 , Jabed Ahmed

Teachers will be allowed to work from home in Labour plan to boost recruitment

Nick Read to step down as chief executive of Post Office next year

Wednesday 18 September 2024 11:09 , Jabed Ahmed

The Post Office chief executive is set to resign from his role amid a year dominated by the fallout from the Horizon scandal.

Nick Read, who is preparing to give evidence to the inquiry next month, will step down in March next year, the Post Office said on Wednesday.

My colleague Tara Cobham reports.

For context, Horizon IT system is accounting software, designed by Japanese company Fujitsu, which saw accounts automated after subpostmasters entered their sales figures via a touchscreen.

Due to faulty software, subpostmasters started experiencing unexplained shortfalls in their accounts and were liable for losses under their contract with the Post Office, with subpostmasters being ordered to pay back the money that was lost.

Read the full explainer on the Horizon scandal here.

Badenoch says return to McDonald’s after 24 years was a ‘surreal experience’ in resurfaced social media post

Wednesday 18 September 2024 10:56 , Jabed Ahmed

Watch: Ed Davey belts out 'Sweet Caroline' to finish Lib Dem conference

Wednesday 18 September 2024 10:47 , Jabed Ahmed

Government to hold talks on ending ‘exploitative’ zero-hours contracts

Wednesday 18 September 2024 10:29 , Jabed Ahmed

Angela Rayner is set to hold another round of talks with trade unions and business leaders as the Government continues its drive to end “exploitative” zero-hours contracts.

The Deputy Prime Minister and the Business Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, will meet general secretaries from Britain’s major trade unions along with figures from the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) and Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) on Wednesday afternoon as part of the Government’s ongoing efforts to expand workers’ rights.

The meeting is the latest in a series of discussions with unions and businesses on employment rights, with further such meetings expected over the coming weeks.

However, it is not expected that today’s meeting will come with a major announcement from the government.

There are around one million people across the UK on zero-hour contracts, according to the Office of National Statistics.

You can read more on the government’s “new deal for workers” here.

Wednesday 18 September 2024 10:15 , Jabed Ahmed

Buffer zones will soon be introduced outside abortion clinics to stop women seeking abortions from being harassed by protesters.

The government announced on Wednesday that buffer zones will be enacted around abortion clinics from 31 October and it will be against the law to influence, harass or provoke those using or delivering pregnancy termination services.

Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips said: “The right to access abortion services is a fundamental right for women in this country, and no one should feel unsafe when they seek to access this.”

You can read the full report from The Independent’s Women’s Correspondent Maya Oppenheim here.

Full report: Keir Starmer’s wife went to two Taylor Swift concerts for free in Labour donation controversy

Wednesday 18 September 2024 10:04 , Jabed Ahmed

My colleague Archie Mitchell reports:

Keir Starmer’s wife went to two Taylor Swift concerts for free

Lammy to talk security ties and Russian threats in trip to Norway

Wednesday 18 September 2024 09:47 , Jabed Ahmed

The foreign secretary will discuss deepening defence, security ties with Norway and tackling threats from Russia when he meets his Norwegian counterpart on Wednesday.

David Lammy called Norway “our eyes and ears in the High North” and “a key ally in the defence of Nato’s northern flank” ahead of a trip to the country.

He will visit Norwegian Joint Headquarters, the country’s military command centre, with Norwegian Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide.

The UK and Norway will agree to further intelligence sharing and cooperation to counter Russian disinformation networks in Europe and beyond, the Foreign Office said.

Watch: Badenoch says she 'went from middle class to working class' after working at McDonald's

Wednesday 18 September 2024 09:37 , Jabed Ahmed

Tory leadership contender Tugendhat calls for review of Huw Edwards sentence

Wednesday 18 September 2024 09:24 , Jabed Ahmed

Conservative leadership contender Tom Tugendhat has written a letter to the Attorney General calling for a review of Huw Edward’s sentence.

Disgraced former BBC presenter Mr Edwards was spared jail after admitting accessing indecent images of children as young as seven.

“As the Shadow Security Minister, it is my duty to ensure that justice is served in a manner that reflects the severity of the crimes committed, particularly those involving the possession of indecent images of children,” he wrote in the letter.

My colleague Tara Cobham looked at some of the reasons why Mr Edwards was spared jail, including his mental health, low risk of reoffending and no previous convictions.

You can read the full article here.

Emily Thornberry says she is ‘really concerned’ about deadly Lebanon pager attack

Wednesday 18 September 2024 09:09 , Jabed Ahmed

Chair elect of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee Emily Thornberry said she is “really concerned” about an attack in Lebanon that killed at least nine people, including members of the militant group Hezbollah, and injured more than 2,000.

Speaking on Sky News’ breakfast programme, she said: “We are really concerned about what is happening now in Lebanon. I think the big question is: why? Why is this happening now? And what will the result of that be?

“It seems to be yet another escalation of the conflict which is happening in the Middle East which will affect all of us. And it is very worrying indeed, of course it is, and what the response will be. And is this the first step, and what will Israel do next? Is it part of a larger plan?

“It is very worrying and I would certainly be expecting Israel’s friends to be speaking very seriously to them, and saying: ‘What on earth are you doing? Why is this happening now?”

Football regulator plans will not risk England’s place in UEFA, Keir Starmer insists

Wednesday 18 September 2024 08:56 , Jabed Ahmed

The Independent’s Archie Mitchell reports:

Football regulator plans will not risk England’s place in UEFA, Keir Starmer insists

Watch: No more cuddly Lib Dems as Ed Davey vows to ‘consign Tories to history books’

Wednesday 18 September 2024 08:34 , Jabed Ahmed

The Independent political correspondent Archie Mitchell delivers his analysis of Sir Ed's keynote speech

No more cuddly Lib Dems as Ed Davey vows to ‘consign Tories to history books’

Jenrick repeats call for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps to be proscribed

Wednesday 18 September 2024 08:20 , Andy Gregory

Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick has urged the government to proscribe Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) as a terrorist organisation, describing it as the “world’s chief sponsor of terror”.

Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Mr Jenrick said: “David Lammy told how Labour’s government would ban the IRGC, again and again. Now, he tells us climate change is a bigger threat.”

Mr Lammy, the foreign secretary, announced sanctions against more than 400 IRGC-affiliated people and entities earlier this month, and said he will soon introduce further regulations to “bolster existing bans on the export of goods and technology significant to Iran’s production of drones and missiles”.

Mr Jenrick was among Conservatives who called for the organisation to be proscribed as a terrorist organisation, but then-foreign secretary Lord Cameron said in April that such a move “would effectively end diplomatic relations” with Iran and would in many way weaken Britain’s hand.

“When it comes to delivering a very direct message to the Iranians... I want to have that conversation myself, I don’t want to ring up my French counterpart and say ‘could you message the Iranians with this message?’,” Lord Cameron said at the time.

Lady Starmer ‘accepted gift of Taylor Swift tickets'

Wednesday 18 September 2024 08:05 , Andy Gregory

The row over Sir Keir Starmer’s acceptance of tens of thousands of pounds-worth of gifts has continued this morning, as The Telegraph reported that his wife Lady Victoria accepted free Taylor Swift concert tickets.

While the pair were photographed attending the singer’s Eras tour at Wembley Stadium in June, it is alleged that Lady Victoria – and several cabinet members – also acceped free tickets to another of the star’s concerts in August.

Wes Streeting, Darren Jones and Bridget Phillipson also declared their tickets and they have appeared on their register of member’s interests.

Although it is within the rules for MPs to accept gifts and tickets, Sir Keir has been facing questions over the numerous gifts he has accepted after initially failing to declare a £5,000 donation from ex-Asos chair Lord Waheed Alli to pay for dresses for his wife.

His register of interests shows the PM accepted some £65,000 in tickets in the nine months to May. He has previously said that he requires hospitality tickets to watch Arsenal play football as he is now unable to sit in the stands without security.

Rwanda plan was worse than transporting convicts to Australia, says John Major

Wednesday 18 September 2024 07:58 , Andy Gregory

Former Tory prime minister Sir John Major has lambasted the scheme pursued by Rishi Sunak’s government to deport asylum seekers to Rwanda as “un-Conservative, un-British ... and unconscionable”.

Sir John told the BBC he had not made any public pronouncements for some time because he found little to like about the last Tory government, describing the plans first set in motion by Boris Johnson to fly asylum-seekers to East Africa as worse than the 18th century deportations of convicts to Australia.

And, in a devastating assessment of Brexit, he agreed with former Labour prime minister Sir Tony Blair that far from reducing immigration as promised by Nigel Farage, Boris Johnson and others, it had in fact increased immigration and replaced Europeans with more people from other parts of the world.

Our political editor David Maddox has more in this report:

Tory Rwanda plan was worse than transporting convicts to Australia, says John Major

Ed Davey says he would like to see Kamala Harris defeat Trump

Tuesday 17 September 2024 20:00 , Andy Gregory

Sir Ed Davey said he would like to see Kamala Harris defeat Donald Trump at the US election in November.

People who are “decent, kind, united” are “the true patriots in our country”, the Liberal Democrat leader told delegates and activists at the Lib Dem conference Brighton.

Sir Ed added: “Conference, we will never stop applauding our patriots in our country. Conference, these are the values our politics needs now, more than ever to resist the rise of the extremists - not just at home but around the world too.

“With Vladimir Putin waging his brutal war in Ukraine, with the terrible humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, Hamas’s terrorist atrocities on October 7, hostages still held captive, the continuing illegal occupations, and the threat of regional escalation, with the looming spectre of a second Trump presidency.

“How I hope and pray to see Kamala Harris defeat him this November. At a time of such instability and uncertainty, it is our values that must prevail: decency, compassion, community, respect for the rule of law.”