2 w. ago Starmer ‘disappointed’ Sentencing Council won’t change guidelines that have prompted fears of two tier justice – UK politics live

Justice secretary says ‘all options are on the table’ and threatens to change law Keir Starmer has said that he is “disappointed” at the Sentencing Council’s refusal to agree to the government’s request to withdraw the guidelines that have led to claims it is promoting “two-tier” justice. (See 11.44am.) Asked about the Sentencing Council’s letter this morning, he said:Look, I’m disappointed in this response, and the lord chancellor is obviously continuing to engage on this, and we’re considering our response.All options are on the table. I’m disappointed at this outcome, and now we will have to consider what we do as a result.Farage wants you to eat chlorinated chicken just so he can keep licking the boots of his idol Donald Trump. It’s so pathetic and unpatriotic. Continue reading...

Politics

2 w. ago Farage confirms he wants new NHS funding model but Labour says plan would lead to huge patient bills – UK politics live

Nigel Farage has tried to fend off claims that Reform UK would force people to pay to see a doctorNigel Farage, the Reform UK leader, also told Today that the UK should negotiate a wide-ranging trade deal with the US. This should include agriculture, he said. Farage acknowledged that in the past talks on this have been held up by Britain not wanting to allow food imports produced to America’s less rigorous standards, but he claimed the solution was just to give consumers a choice. He said:Now there’s been some concern about chlorine-treated chicken etc, but there is an answer to that which is label things, let consumers decide I would allow consumers in America to buy our products and consumers here to buy their products, and provided we have the right labelling, that’s good.It looks like Nigel Farage has had the full indoctrination at Mar-a-Lago. No one in this country wants chlorinated chicken on our supermarket shelves.Farage wants to sell out our hard-working British farmers for...

Economics

2 w. ago ‘Good chance’ Reeves will have to raise taxes in autumn budget, thinktank says – UK politics live

Institute for Fiscal Studies also warns Reeves over her focus on sticking with fiscal rules regardless of real world eventsIn an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, said she would not accept free tickets for concerts again in the future.Asked about the controversy about her decision to accept two corporate tickets for a Sabrina Carpenter concert at the O2, she repeated the line that she used at her press conference yesterday – that a family member wanted to attend the concert (presumably one of her children, but she did not say that), and that she accepted tickets for a corporate box because security concerns meant it was not deemed safe for her to get normal tickets for the auditorium.I’m just saying I wouldn’t do it again. I felt I was doing the right thing. But I do understand perceptions.I am absolutely certain that our reforms, instead of pushing people into poverty, are going to get people into work.And we know that if you move from welfar...

Politics

2 w. ago Reeves denies welfare cuts will increase poverty amid warning poorest set to be £500 a year worse off – UK politics live

The Resolution Foundation says the UK’s poorest will be £500 a year worse off by the end of the parliament due to the spring statementIn an interview with ITV’s Good Morning Britain, Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, said she would not accept free tickets for concerts again in the future.Asked about the controversy about her decision to accept two corporate tickets for a Sabrina Carpenter concert at the O2, she repeated the line that she used at her press conference yesterday – that a family member wanted to attend the concert (presumably one of her children, but she did not say that), and that she accepted tickets for a corporate box because security concerns meant it was not deemed safe for her to get normal tickets for the auditorium.I’m just saying I wouldn’t do it again. I felt I was doing the right thing. But I do understand perceptions.I am absolutely certain that our reforms, instead of pushing people into poverty, are going to get people into work.And we know that if you move ...

Events

2 w. ago Rachel Reeves defends benefit cuts and denies further tax rises likely in autumn – UK politics live

Chancellor confirmed welfare cuts of £4.8bn in spring statement, but insisted the priority was to restore stability to the public finances Nick Robinson is interviewing Rachel Reeves on the Today programme now.Q: You promised just one budget a year, but yesterday you had to announce drastic cuts. What’s gone wrong?We’re not at the moment at a position where we want to do anything to escalate these trade wars.Trade wars are no good for anyone. It will end up with higher prices for consumers, pushing up inflation after we’ve worked so hard to get a grip of inflation, and at the same time will make it harder for British companies to export. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago UK politics live: Labour rejects claims it’s returning to austerity ‘ahead of Reeves’ Spring Statement cuts’

It comes amid an ongoing battle with inflation and uncertainty partly caused by the threat of tariffs by Donald Trump

Politics

4 w. ago Starmer must drop ‘cruel’ Pip proposals or face ‘mother of all rebellions’, Labour MP says – UK politics live

Richard Burgon says PM’s failure to defend new Pip eligibility rules at PMQs shows why ‘cruel’ plans should be droppedLast night, to back up its analysis of the disability cuts, the Institute for Fiscal Studies published two charts illustrating aspects of the changes.This one shows how the £5bn cuts announced yesterday compare in scale to previous benefit cuts, listed here in order of how big they were, in current prices. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Starmer defends ‘moral’ benefits cuts plan after Diane Abbott says most vulnerable are being used to balance books – UK politics live

Veteran Labour MP says ‘there is nothing moral’ about government plan to cut benefitsLast night, to back up its analysis of the disability cuts, the Institute for Fiscal Studies published two charts illustrating aspects of the changes.This one shows how the £5bn cuts announced yesterday compare in scale to previous benefit cuts, listed here in order of how big they were, in current prices. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago PMQs live: Kemi Badenoch challenges Keir Starmer over taxes and ‘emergency budget’ before next week’s spring statement

Prime minister takes questions in Commons after decision to slash disability paymentsLast night, to back up its analysis of the disability cuts, the Institute for Fiscal Studies published two charts illustrating aspects of the changes.This one shows how the £5bn cuts announced yesterday compare in scale to previous benefit cuts, listed here in order of how big they were, in current prices. Continue reading...

Economics

4 w. ago Minister refuses to rule out more benefit cuts amid backlash over Liz Kendall move to slash disability payments – UK politics live

Stephen Timms, social security and disability minister, says ‘who knows what will happen in next five years’ as welfare bill is increasing even with cutsMatt Hancock, the former Tory health secretary, has just started giving evidence to the Covid inquiry as part of its inquiry into PPE procurement.There is a live feed here.Of course people who can work should work - no one is questioning that - but for my relatives, friends and neighbours, and your constituents who have the misfortune to suffer from a chronic, debilitating, long-term condition that leaves them bed-bound, unable to leave their home or crushed by mental illness, these cuts will not motivate them to get back to work, it will instead scare and humiliate them and strip them of their dignity and self respect and for some it will send them to an early grave. The blame for this will lie squarely with you and the sycophants within your party who passively support these dreadful cuts. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Up to 1.2m people could lose between £4,200 and £6,300 per year from changes to Pip, Resolution Foundation says

Work and pensions secretary says Benefits crackdown will save £5bn by 2030 but disability charities say cuts are ‘immoral’Q: Why have you changed your mind on this?Badenoch says she has not changed her mind. As a member of the government, she abided by collective responsibility. She says in government she regularly questioned the case for net zero.The person who’s been consistent in all this is me.I’m not going to pretend that I won’t have critics This is politics. Being a politician is about being criticised.What I’m asking people to do is listen to what I’m saying. I am not doing what all the other parties are doing. We are changing the way we do things.That’s not how it works. You can’t just pull [a date] out of the air. And what we did was pick a target and then start thinking of how to get there.We need to start thinking about it in a different way. How does this impact families? How is business going to help us deliver? And that’s what the policy commissions are going to do. C...

Economics

4 w. ago Benefits crackdown ‘to save £5bn by 2030’, claims Liz Kendall as disability charities say cuts are ‘immoral’ – UK politics live

Work and pensions secretary says one in 10 people of working age are claiming sickness or disability benefitQ: Why have you changed your mind on this?Badenoch says she has not changed her mind. As a member of the government, she abided by collective responsibility. She says in government she regularly questioned the case for net zero.The person who’s been consistent in all this is me.I’m not going to pretend that I won’t have critics This is politics. Being a politician is about being criticised.What I’m asking people to do is listen to what I’m saying. I am not doing what all the other parties are doing. We are changing the way we do things.That’s not how it works. You can’t just pull [a date] out of the air. And what we did was pick a target and then start thinking of how to get there.We need to start thinking about it in a different way. How does this impact families? How is business going to help us deliver? And that’s what the policy commissions are going to do. Continue readin...

Politics

4 w. ago Liz Kendall unveils UK benefits cuts set to leave many sick and disabled worse off

Welfare secretary announces changes aimed at cutting bill by up to £5bn in face of opposition from Labour MPsUK politics live – latest updatesLiz Kendall, the welfare secretary, has faced down angry Labour MPs to unveil drastic cuts to the UK’s benefits system that will leave many sick and disabled claimants worse off.The measures, which the government argues are needed to “fix the broken benefits system” and balance the nation’s books, are expected to cut £5bn from the benefits bill by the end of the decade. Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Liz Kendall says benefits system ‘holding our country back’ and claims plan to crack down on it will save £5bn by 2030 – UK politics live

Work and pensions secretary says one in 10 people of working age are claiming sickness or disability benefitQ: Why have you changed your mind on this?Badenoch says she has not changed her mind. As a member of the government, she abided by collective responsibility. She says in government she regularly questioned the case for net zero.The person who’s been consistent in all this is me.I’m not going to pretend that I won’t have critics This is politics. Being a politician is about being criticised.What I’m asking people to do is listen to what I’m saying. I am not doing what all the other parties are doing. We are changing the way we do things.That’s not how it works. You can’t just pull [a date] out of the air. And what we did was pick a target and then start thinking of how to get there.We need to start thinking about it in a different way. How does this impact families? How is business going to help us deliver? And that’s what the policy commissions are going to do. Continue readin...

Politics

last month UK politics live: Labour to unveil plan to slash billions from benefit bill amid backbench backlash

Work and pension secretary Liz Kendall set to unveil plans to slash welfare bill by £5bn in benefits overhaul on Tuesday

Politics