Labour will end ‘war on culture’ — Keir Starmer’s ‘access to the arts’ speech in full
Labour leader Keir Starmer today delivered a speech at the Guildhall school of music in London, pledging to make the arts more accessible to young people from all backgrounds. He also stressed the economic contribution of the creative industries, and argued it could be even greater with improved access. In an attack on the government, […]
Diane Abbott: Labour leadership is ‘digging in’ over refusal to restore whip
Diane Abbott has suggested that “people around” Labour leader Keir Starmer are “digging in” against her getting the party whip back. In an article for The Guardian newspaper published on Wednesday evening, Abbott insisted that “all the indications are that the people around him are digging in against any suggestion that I should have the […]
Lord Frost warns Conservative Party is ‘hurtling towards terrible defeat’ at next election
The UK’s former Brexit negotiator Lord David Frost has predicted that his party is “hurtling towards a terrible defeat” at the next general election. Frost, who served in the cabinet under Boris Johnson, told LBC on Wednesday evening that “you only have to look at the polls”. The former cabinet minister, who is thought to […]
Minister bemoans ‘zero tolerance is just a slogan’ amid Conservative donor race row
A serving minister has said that zero tolerance on racism “is just a slogan in today’s politics” in what appears to be a swipe at the government’s handling of comments made by a Conservative donor. Rishi Sunak took the whole of Tuesday to call out the remarks from businessman Frank Hester, first reported in The […]
£3,000 for asylum seekers to move to Rwanda a ‘good use of public money’, minister claims
A minister has claimed this morning that the plan to offer £3,000 to asylum seekers to voluntarily move to Rwanda is a “good use of public money”. It comes after a report in The Times suggested that migrants who have been refused asylum in the UK will be offered thousands of pounds to move to […]
‘We need to move on’: Minister calls time on row over donor’s Diane Abbott comments
A cabinet minister has said politics should “move on” after a Conservative Party donor apologised for comments relating to former shadow home secretary Diane Abbott. Frank Hester, the chief executive of The Phoenix Partnership, said yesterday that he is “deeply sorry” following reports he said former Labour MP Diane Abbott made him “want to hate […]
‘I want my country back’: Lee Anderson defects to Reform UK as party’s first MP
Lee Anderson has been unveiled by Reform UK as the party’s first MP in a press conference this morning. “I want my country back”, Anderson told reporters this morning as he justified his decision. He said: “Over the last year or so I’ve had to do a lot of soul-searching on my political journey and […]
PM warned against seeking ‘short-term tactical advantage’ on extremism definition
Prime minister Rishi Sunak has been warned against seeking “short-term tactical advantage” when it come to extremism, as the communities secretary, Michael Gove, prepares to announce the government’s new definition. Gove’s new definition of extremism will classify individuals or groups as extremist if they seek to undermine Britain’s system of liberal democracy. Speaking to the […]
‘Is 2% enough?’: Two senior ministers break cover to call for defence spending hike
Two serving ministers have broken cover to urge the government to “lead the way” and increase defence spending to at least 2.5% of national income.
‘It has been an honour’: Theresa May to stand down as MP at next election
Former prime minister Theresa May has said she will be standing down as an MP at the next election. In a statement, she said she had taken the “difficult decision” to vacate her Maidenhead seat after 27 years. Read the ex-PM’s statement in full below: It has been an honour and a privilege to serve […]
