3 d. ago Watch live: Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs after Reeves vows winter fuel U

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs on Wednesday (4 June), days after unveiling the UK's defence strategy for the next decade.

Politics

4 d. ago Defence review plans will make army ‘10 times more lethal’, says John Healey – politics live

Defence secretary says ‘the world is more dangerous’ as he addresses MPs about strategic defence reviewHere is the clip of Keir Starmer in his Today programme interview refusing to say when the government will raise defence spending to 3% of GDP.In an interview with the Times published on Saturday John Healey, the defence secretary, said that he had “no doubt” that Britain would reach the 3% target by 2034 – ie, before the end of the next parliament. Yesterday he described this as an “ambition”. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Watch live: Starmer launches plan to ready UK for war as he warns of Russia threat

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer launches the landmark Strategic Defence Review in Glasgow, unveiling new measures as the country moves to “warfighting readiness”.

Events

5 d. ago Starmer defends not putting date on 3% defence spending target as UK to announce plans to build new submarines – politics live

Prime minister to launch strategic defence review in Glasgow this morningHere is the clip of Keir Starmer in his Today programme interview refusing to say when the government will raise defence spending to 3% of GDP.In an interview with the Times published on Saturday John Healey, the defence secretary, said that he had “no doubt” that Britain would reach the 3% target by 2034 – ie, before the end of the next parliament. Yesterday he described this as an “ambition”. Continue reading...

Politics

5 d. ago Keir Starmer to unveil strategic defence review and put UK on ‘war

Prime minister to launch strategic defence review in Glasgow this morningStarmer repeats his claim that he has an ambition to get defence spending up to 3% of GDP in the next parliament.Q: But “ambition” is not a commitment. I can have a commitment to lose weight. That does not mean it will happen.What you can take from this is, yes, that 3% but I am not, as the prime minister of a Labour government, going to make a commitment as to the precise date until I can be sure precisely where the money is coming from, how we can make good on that commitment, because I don’t believe in performative fantasy politics, and certainly not on defence and security.Nato has been the single most effective alliance for keeping the peace for 80 years, and our job is not just to celebrate that as we do, but to ask ourselves the searching question as I ask myself on a daily basis, which is, how do we ensure that Nato preserves the peace for decades to come for this generation? Continue reading...

Events

5 d. ago Keir Starmer LIVE: Strategic defence review to be revealed as UK sets for war

Keir Starmer will announce a massive expansion of the UK's submarine fleet as he warns the UK must be on a war footing because of the threat from Russia

Events

9 d. ago Keir Starmer says Nigel Farage is ‘Liz Truss all over again’ – UK politics live

Prime minister says ‘you cannot trust Farage with your future and your jobs’ as he gives speech in north-west EnglandStarmer to say Reform’s spending plans would cause Truss-style meltdownWhen “something sounds too good to be true, it’s because it is too good to be true”, water minister Emma Hardy has said, reports the PA news agency.Asked about the “threat” which Reform UK poses to Labour, Hardy told GB News:I think it’s really important that any political party is held to account for the promises that they’ve made and we know – gosh, don’t we just know – what happened when [former prime minister] Liz Truss made her £45bn of unfunded tax cuts: the economy tanked, mortgages went up, rents went up, bills went up.When something sounds too good to be true, it’s because it is too good to be true. If [Farage] wants to be taken seriously as a political party, then he needs to come up with some serious policies and he needs to be held to account.Now, had I come on your programme and said, ...

Politics

1 week ago UK politics live: minister defends Labour’s justice record after warnings of threat to public safety

Housing minister says previous government left prison system in state of ‘criminal neglect’ amid warnings over early release plan The government is seeking to give a boost to smaller developers with faster planning decisions and financial backing to speed up building new homes.It will set out the detail of proposals to cut red tape and for planning decisions to be shifted away from councillors and towards expert officers as part of efforts to meet Labour’s pledge to build 1.5m homes by 2029-30.We’ve inherited, as you know, a housing system that’s not building enough homes part of the reason it is broken is that we’re overly reliant on a small number of large volume housebuilders. So we’ve got to diversify the housing market and get smaller housebuilders back in the game.In the 1980s they used to produce about 40% of all homes. Today it’s less than 10%, and so the package we’re announcing today allocating land specifically to SME housebuilders, providing them with more financial supp...

Events

1 week ago Reform UK’s income tax plans ‘to cost up to £80bn’ warns IFS – UK politics live

Research institute says costs of plan to exclude those earning less than £20k from the tax will dwarf those of party’s winter fuel and two-child benefit changesThe co-leader of the Green party of England and Wales, Adrian Ramsay, has renewed his call for Russia to face greater sanctions. Posting to social media, the MP for Waveney Valley said “Putin has stepped up attacks on Ukrainian civilians because he thinks he’ll face no consequences. Much tougher sanctions are urgently needed to bring him into serious peace talks to end this horrific war.”As well as appearing on the media round today, shadow chancellor Mel Stride has written for the Daily Mail, saying that the Conservatives continue to back the two-child benefit cap. Continue reading...

Economics

1 week ago Labour turns fire on Farage ahead of Reform UK leader’s speech – UK politics live

Chair Ellie Reeves says Farage driven by personal ambition as he is expected to label Starmer ‘unpatriotic’ in speechEducation secretary Bridget Phillipson has announced new foundation apprenticeships, which she claimed “will make a really big difference to the lives of young people.”Speaking on BBC Breakfast, she told viewers:I’m announcing today a big step change that is really good news for young people across our country. 120,000 new opportunities to get on into trades like construction. So announcing foundation apprenticeships that are an earlier step in the career for young people.But we know we’ve got to go further, because I hear from apprentices how amazing that opportunity is, how optimistic they are about their future. I met with some bricklaying apprentices recently, really optimistic, wanting to start their own business, get on in construction.I back parents to make decisions about what’s right for them. For some parents that will involve sending their child to a privat...

Politics

2 w. ago Starmer says he wants ‘more pensioners’ to get winter fuel payments in policy U

The prime minister told PMQs that as the economy improves he would loosen the eligibility rulesYouGov has published more details of its polling on the electorate’s relationship with Labour, as covered in the Sky News report mentioned earlier. (See 10.06am.)It shows that Reform UK supporters are most likely to think that Labour is trying hard to appeal to them – but least likely to say they would respond positively. Only 4% of Reform UK supporters say they would consider voting Labour, the poll says.I ask her if there will be any changes as demanded by MPs She says while “we want to make sure we address all of people’s concerns, but stressed: “whatever the fiscal position that the government faces, I think the system as a whole needs to change.” Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago PMQs live: Starmer says he wants ‘more pensioners’ to get winter fuel payments in major U

The prime minister says as the economy improves he would look again at thresholds YouGov has published more details of its polling on the electorate’s relationship with Labour, as covered in the Sky News report mentioned earlier. (See 10.06am.)It shows that Reform UK supporters are most likely to think that Labour is trying hard to appeal to them – but least likely to say they would respond positively. Only 4% of Reform UK supporters say they would consider voting Labour, the poll says.I ask her if there will be any changes as demanded by MPs She says while “we want to make sure we address all of people’s concerns, but stressed: “whatever the fiscal position that the government faces, I think the system as a whole needs to change.” Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago Britain's Got Talent 2025 LIVE: Amanda Holden issues passionate plea to Keir Starmer 'Do it now'

Britain's Got Talent has returned to screens following a brief hiatus after a rather unexpected scheduling clash earlier in the weekend with fans divided

Politics

3 w. ago Quite the contrast! Moment Albania's 6ft 7in Prime Minister gushingly takes a knee as he meets Italy's 5ft 3in PM

It was quite the contrast to his humiliation of Sir Keir Starmer on live TV just a day earlier.

Politics

3 w. ago Moment Keir Starmer was humiliated live on TV over his plans to send asylum seekers to the Balkans, as he is accused of being 'in full panic mode'

Keir Starmer faced humiliation over his latest attempt at a migrant crackdown yesterday.

Events

3 w. ago UK asking other countries to host ‘return hubs’ for refused asylum seekers, Starmer confirms – UK politics live

PM on trip to announce increased cooperation against people smugglers alongside Albania’s prime minister, Edi RamaAll Commons Speakers, at least for the past 30 years, have complained about the government making major announcements to the media first, and not to parliament first. But rarely have any of them sounded quite as furious about this as Lindsay Hoyle, who this morning delivered an extended reprimand to the government about this at the start of an urgent question.The UQ was about plans to limit the use of prison recall – something announced by the justice secretary, Shabana Mahmood, at a press conference yesterday, while the Commons was still sitting. After pointing this out, and reminding MPs that details of the immigration white paper were given to the media extensively, long before the ministerial statement about it was delivered in the Commons on Monday, Hoyle went on to imply that, as well as regularly breaking the ministerial code, ministers were also guilty of hypocri...

Politics

3 w. ago Farage says Starmer ‘learning a great deal from Reform’ as PM defends immigration speech – UK politics live

Reform leader asks PM to declare a national emergency at the bordersHere is the list of MPs down to ask a question at PMQs, which starts at noon.In March Reform UK reported Rupert Lowe (at the time one of their five MPs) to the police, claiming he had threatened the party chair, Zia Yusuf, with violence. Reform UK announced the news shortly after Lowe gave a newspaper interview criticising Nigel Farage, the party leader,Following a thorough and detailed review of the evidence in relation to an allegation of threats, we have decided that no criminal charges should be brought against a sitting MP.Having considered a number of witness statements, we have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.If Farage were ever to control the vast power of the British state, I believe he would not hesitate to do to his adversaries what they have tried to do to me. With real power, I fear he would wield that immense responsibility to crush dissent - ...

Politics

3 w. ago PMQs live: Starmer defends immigration speech as Farage claims Labour ‘learning from Reform’

Reform leader asks PM to declare a national emergency at the bordersHere is the list of MPs down to ask a question at PMQs, which starts at noon.In March Reform UK reported Rupert Lowe (at the time one of their five MPs) to the police, claiming he had threatened the party chair, Zia Yusuf, with violence. Reform UK announced the news shortly after Lowe gave a newspaper interview criticising Nigel Farage, the party leader,Following a thorough and detailed review of the evidence in relation to an allegation of threats, we have decided that no criminal charges should be brought against a sitting MP.Having considered a number of witness statements, we have concluded that there is insufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction.If Farage were ever to control the vast power of the British state, I believe he would not hesitate to do to his adversaries what they have tried to do to me. With real power, I fear he would wield that immense responsibility to crush dissent - ...

Politics

3 w. ago Watch live: Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs after immigration crackdown backlash

Watch live as Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs on Wednesday (14 May), as he continues to face criticism for his “island of stranger speech”.

Politics

3 w. ago PMQs LIVE: Keir Starmer faces MPs after man arrested over fire at his London home

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will field questions from Kemi Badenoch, who has been on the attack over the Government's immigration plans and its trade deals with the US and India

Events