Spending cuts would be ‘political suicide’ and turn voters to Reform, McDonnell warns Reeves
Early decisions taken by the Labour leadership “tied” the party’s hands “unnecessarily”, John McDonnell has said. The former shadow chancellor and frontbench colleague of the prime minister insisted the “strictures we placed upon ourself need to be re-examined.” Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, McDonnell said that imposing cuts to create further fiscal headroom […]
Kemi Badenoch blames people from ‘peasant backgrounds’ for grooming gangs abuse
Kemi Badenoch has blamed “peasants” from “sub-communities” within foreign countries for the grooming gangs scandal. Repeating calls for a national inquiry into the scandal, the Conservative Party leader said hearing victims’ accounts was “quite shocking” and insisted cultural issues surrounding the problem need to be examined. Speaking to GB News, she said: “One is on the perpetrators’ […]
Labour MPs accuse Rachel Reeves of preparing ‘austerity mark two’
Labour MPs have accused the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, of making a “political choice” to embark on a programme of spending cuts. The comments come as Reeves battles to meet her fiscal rules after a surge in borrowing costs, fuelling speculation of more cuts and/or tax rises. Market moves have seen Reeves’ £10 billion of fiscal […]
British public opinion more negative of Elon Musk after recent interventions, poll finds
Elon Musk has damaged his already poor reputation in the UK after a social media deluge over the handling of child sex grooming cases in the 2010s, a new poll has found. The South African-born billionaire spent much of the last week attacking the prime minister over his opposition to another national inquiry into grooming […]
‘Britain will be one of the great AI superpowers’ — Keir Starmer’s technology speech in full
The roll out of artificial intelligence will be “the defining opportunity of our generation”, Keir Starmer has said. In a speech in east London dedicated to the opportunities presented by AI, the prime minister set out his plan to make the UK a world leader. “The AI industry needs a government that is on their […]
Rachel Reeves has damaged the confidence of business in government, CBI chair suggests
The chancellor has created a “black hole” in the confidence of businesses in government, the chair of the Confederation of British Industry (CBI) has suggested. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, Rupert Soames insisted business leaders were less likely to employ in the current climate. He said: “The chancellor told us at the time […]
Lib Dems accuse Conservative councils of ‘running scared’ over local election delay push
The Liberal Democrats have accused Conservative councils of “running scared” and “silencing democracy” as the deadline for councils to apply for election postponement expires. The government gave councils until 10 January to say if they would prefer to delay May’s local elections while devolution plans for changes to local authorities are considered. Several councils have […]
Rachel Reeves may need to consider ‘very severe’ cuts, says former BoE economist
The chancellor may need to consider “very severe” spending cuts if the recent rise in UK borrowing costs erodes her fiscal headroom, a former Bank of England economist has said. Sir John Gieve, a former Bank deputy governor, said that recent bond market movement has not come in response to UK policy changes and explained […]
Donald Trump’s threats can be ‘destabilising’, says David Lammy
Foreign secretary David Lammy has suggested that the “intensity” of Donald Trump’s rhetoric can be “destabilising”, amid the president-elect’s threats to acquire Greenland for the United States. In a Mar-a-Lago press conference earlier this week, the incoming president refused to rule out using military force or economic action to acquire the overseas Danish territory once […]
Starmer: Conservatives and Reform prioritising ‘retweets’ over ‘safeguarding of children’
Keir Starmer has accused opposition MPs of prioritising “retweets” and winning favour with tech billionaire Elon Musk over protecting children. Commenting ahead of a debate on the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, the prime minister said Kemi Badenoch’s attempt to win parliamentary backing for a new inquiry into historical child sexual exploitation was a “shocking […]
