43 h. ago Watch live: Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs after Labour’s welfare bill passes second reading

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs on Wednesday (2 July), hours after MPs voted to pass the prime minister’s watered-down welfare bill.

Economics

45 h. ago Welfare bill climbdown will have ‘a cost’ at budget, says senior minister

Pat McFadden says U-turn will change calculations, as IFS says tax rises in autumn look increasingly likelyUK politics live – latest updatesThere will be “a cost” to the government’s climbdown on welfare changes at the budget, one of Keir Starmer’s senior ministers has said, as a leading fiscal thinktank said new tax rises appeared increasingly likely.Pat McFadden, the chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, defended Starmer and the work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, after the second reading of the government’s main welfare bill passed its first Commons test only after a central element was removed. Continue reading...

Economics

2 w. ago UK politics live: Rayner says £1m a day was wasted under Tories’ failed immigration plans in fiery PMQs clash

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander accused the Tories of an ‘appalling mess’ over the delayed rail project

Politics

2 w. ago UK politics live: Rayner and Philp in fiery PMQs clash as Tories accused of ‘losing control’ of immigration

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander will accuse the Tories of an ‘appalling mess’ over the delayed rail project

Politics

2 w. ago Watch live: Angela Rayner faces Chris Philp in PMQs as Starmer returns from G7 summit

Watch live as Angela Rayner faces Chris Philp at PMQs on Wednesday (18 June), filling in for Sir Keir Starmer as he travels back from the G7 summit in Canada.

Politics

2 w. ago UK politics live: Angela Rayner to face Chris Philp in PMQs clash after Labour attacks Tories over HS2 failings

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander will accuse the Tories of an ‘appalling mess’ over the delayed rail project

Events

2 w. ago UK politics live: Labour attacks Tories over ‘appalling mess’ of HS2 with billions wasted and delays past 2033

Transport secretary Heidi Alexander will also address allegations of fraud by contractors

Politics

3 w. ago Treasury minister dismisses claims spending review will lead to autumn tax rises – UK politics live

Darren Jones says such claims are ‘incoherent’ and the government is allocating money that has already been raisedSpending review: key points at a glanceGreen party MPs and activists joined a protest outside parliament today saying the government should use the spending review to announce a wealth tax. In a post on social media, Adrian Ramsay, the party’s co-leader, said:We expect the chancellor to take another axe to public spending today: decline by design from a govt that refuses to tax wealth to properly fund our overstretched public services & support the most vulnerable. We need to invest in a secure & fairer future. #TaxExtremeWealth Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Reeves says use of hotels for asylum seekers to end ‘in this parliament’ – UK politics live

Chancellor delivers spending review, claiming asylum move will save £1bn and says health spending represents a record cash investmentSpending review: key points at a glanceGreen party MPs and activists joined a protest outside parliament today saying the government should use the spending review to announce a wealth tax. In a post on social media, Adrian Ramsay, the party’s co-leader, said:We expect the chancellor to take another axe to public spending today: decline by design from a govt that refuses to tax wealth to properly fund our overstretched public services & support the most vulnerable. We need to invest in a secure & fairer future. #TaxExtremeWealth Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Reeves says use of hotels for asylum seekers to end ‘in this parliament’ and NHS spending to rise 3% a year – UK politics live

Chancellor claims asylum move will save £1bn and says health spending represents a record cash investmentSpending review: key points at a glanceGreen party MPs and activists staged a protest outside parliament today saying the government should use the spending review to announce a wealth tax. In a post on social media, Adrian Ramsay, the party’s co-leader, said:We expect the Chancellor to take another axe to public spending today: decline by design from a govt that refuses to tax wealth to properly fund our overstretched public services & support the most vulnerable. We need to invest in a secure & fairer future. #TaxExtremeWealthSenior SNP figures held a secret meeting on Monday night to discuss removing John Swinney as party leader, The Herald has learned, following last week’s defeat in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse byelection.One of the 25 attendees said the first minister had two weeks to come up with a new strategy on independence — or risk facing a leadership...

Politics

3 w. ago PMQs: Starmer says there is ‘no easy answer’ to finding way of seizing frozen Russian assets to support Ukraine – UK politics live

Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, asks prime minister about frozen Russian assets in the UK after sanctioning of two Israeli ministers on TuesdayGreen party MPs and activists staged a protest outside parliament today saying the government should use the spending review to announce a wealth tax. In a post on social media, Adrian Ramsay, the party’s co-leader, said:We expect the Chancellor to take another axe to public spending today: decline by design from a govt that refuses to tax wealth to properly fund our overstretched public services & support the most vulnerable. We need to invest in a secure & fairer future. #TaxExtremeWealthSenior SNP figures held a secret meeting on Monday night to discuss removing John Swinney as party leader, The Herald has learned, following last week’s defeat in the Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse byelection.One of the 25 attendees said the first minister had two weeks to come up with a new strategy on independence — or risk facing a leadership ch...

Politics

3 w. ago Watch live: Starmer faces Badenoch at PMQs ahead of Rachel Reeves spending review

Watch live as Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister’s Questions ahead of Rachel Reeves’ much-anticipated spending review on Wednesday (11 June).

Politics

3 w. ago Rachel Reeves says she ‘chooses investment’ as she prepares to unveil Labour’s spending review – UK politics live

Chancellor will reveal how the government plans to spend almost £1.4tn in 2026-27, rising to almost £1.5tr in 2028-29In Wales politcians from almost all parties have been complaining for years about the UK governments decision to categorise HS2 as a project for England and Wales, even though the line does not go through Wales at all. Treating it as a project that nevertheless benefit Wales means Wales does not get equivalent money for its own infrastructure, under the Barnett formula.According to a report by ITV Cymru, Wales will get £445m for rail in the spending review. ITV quotes a Welsh Labour source as saying:This investment is more than Wales would have had so far had HS2 been Barnettised. It will make a massive difference economically and politically.We need to go much further and faster to get one step ahead of the tactics used by small boat gangs.That is why we will boost investment to secure our borders, with up to £280m per year in the Border Security Command by 2028/29. ...

Politics

3 w. ago Rachel Reeves says she ‘chooses investment’ ahead of unveiling Labour’s spending review – UK politics live

Chancellor will reveal how the government plans to spend almost £1.4tn in 2026-27, rising to almost £1.5tr in 2028-29Good morning. The government plans to be spending almost £1.4tr in 2026-27, rising to almost £1.5tr in 2028-29. Those annual limits are already agreed. Today, when Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, stands up at 12.30pm to present the spending review, she will explain how she has decided to divvy up that money between government departments over the next three years.This is not a budget, and she will not be announcing changes to tax policy. But it will feel like a budget because, like a budget, it will involve decisions that affect the public services people rely upon. And it is bound to intensify speculation about whether taxes will have to go up in the next budget, in the autumn.This government is renewing Britain. But I know too many people in too many parts of the country are yet to feel it.This government’s task – my task – and the purpose of this Spending Review – i...

Politics

4 w. 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