Related: Chancellor increases energy windfall tax to raise extra £14bn
Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of “desperately trying to out-Brexit” the Tories by Ian Blackford during today’s session of Prime Minster’s Questions.
Sticking firm to Britain’s withdrawal from the EU as his line of attack, the SNP Commons leader said: “It is such a sad sight to watch this prime minister ram through a Bill that would rip up 4,000 pieces of European law, laws that protect workers’ rights, food standards and environmental protections.
“It’s an even worse sight watching the leader of the Labour Party desperately trying to out-Brexit the prime minister.
He added: “Brexit is now the elephant in the room that neither the Tories or Labour are willing to confront. When will the Prime Minister finally see reality and admit that Brexit is a significant long term cause of the UK economic crisis.”
Mr Sunak replied: “I was proud to support Brexit, it was the right thing for this country. It allows us to first of all get control of our borders, which is incredibly important…I know he’ll join me in reminding the Leader of the Opposition (Sir Keir Starmer) (that) his previous promise to defend free movement of people, not something that we support.”
We’re ending our live political coverage for the day but for the latest updates check independent.co.uk
The full exchange: Keir Starmer confronts Rishi Sunak on house prices and schools at PMQs
Matt Hancock paid £45,000 to appear on Celebrity SAS
Back to our political correspondent Adam Forrest now for more on the the vast sums Matt Hancock has trousered from his recent reality TV appearances…
Matt Hancock was paid £45,000 to appear on an upcoming series of Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, it has been revealed.
The former health secretary – who finished third on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! – declared the payment in an update to the MPs’ Register of Interests published on Wednesday.
It showed the MP spent 80 hours filming the Channel 4 programme while parliament was in recess between late September and early October – shortly before heading to Australia to appear in the jungle.
More than 10,000 ambulance workers vote to strike over pay
More now on the strike action set to be taken by ambulance workers…
More than 10,000 ambulance workers have voted to strike across nine trusts in England and Wales, increasing the threat of widespread industrial action in the NHS before Christmas.
The GMB said its members working as paramedics, emergency care assistants, call handlers and other staff are set to walk out in the following trusts: South West Ambulance Service, South East Coast Ambulance Service, North West Ambulance Service, South Central Ambulance Service, North East Ambulance Service, East Midlands Ambulance Service, West Midlands Ambulance Service, Welsh Ambulance Service and Yorkshire Ambulance Service.
The GMB said workers across the ambulance services and some NHS trusts have voted to strike over the Government’s 4 per cent pay award, which it described as another “massive real-terms pay cut”.
Read our full report here:
Kemi Badenoch points to low morale of departmental staff in ‘some countries’
Kemi Badenoch has suggested that Department for International Trade staff morale in some countries is facing difficulties due to things like Covid-19 restrictions.
Appearing before the International Trade Committee, she was pressed on staff satisfaction within her department.
The International Trade Secretary acknowledged that pay was “an issue” but went on to discuss morale among staff in certain countries.
While she did not name any particular countries, she said: “In some countries, it is actually becoming very difficult because of increasing tensions between the UK generally and those countries.
“If you can imagine, places that are still implementing zero Covid, being a staff member working in that kind of place.”
She said that her department was focused on offering support to overseas staff.
Badenoch dodges questions on GDP post-Brexit
Kemi Badenoch declined to get into questions about the exact GDP benefits of UK post-Brexit trade deals.
“Asking for a number for something that is not a number question is not going to work,” she told the International Trade Committee.
“If that was the case, you wouldn’t need to have me here. You could just have a computer programme and press a button and then get the number,” as she suggested it was more of a “philosophical” question as the country seeks new opportunities around the world.
“There is a whole world out there. Looking inward and saying there is nothing else happening except the EU, I’m afraid, is just not realistic,” she told committee chair and SNP MP Angus Brendan MacNeil.
10,000 ambulance workers vote to strike
More than 10,000 ambulance workers have now voted to strike across nine trusts in England and Wales, the GMB union has announced.
Revealed: Hancock paid £45,000 for ‘Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins’ appearance
Matt Hancock was paid £45,000 to appear on Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins, it has been revealed.
The former health secretary declared the payment in an update to the MPs’ Register of Interests published on Wednesday.
The entry also revealed he spent 80 hours filming the programme while Parliament was in recess between September 24 and October 8, shortly before heading to Australia to appear in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Mr Hancock is yet to declare the amount he was paid to appear on I’m A Celebrity, which finished on Sunday, but reports have suggested his fee for the show was significantly higher.
Sunak will appoint ethics adviser ‘very soon’, minister insists
Junior minister at the Cabinet Office Alex Burghart said Rishi Sunak would appoint an ethics advisor “very soon”.
Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner pressed the government to appoint a new watchdog for ministerial interests, a job vacant since the resignation of Lord Geidt in June. “How many times have I heard ‘soon’?” she said, before adding: “jam tomorrow, manana, manana”.
“We’re going to have an independent adviser, they’re going to have the powers that they need, and they are going to be appointed very soon,” said Mr Burghart.
Badenoch rejects Eustice’s criticism of Australian free-trade deal
Kemi Badenoch rejected a former minister’s criticism of the Australian free-trade deal, but acknowledged that deadlines can be “unhelpful” in negotiations.
Earlier this month former environment secretary George Eustice said the deals negotiated with Australia and New Zealand included provisions that were not in the economic interests of the UK, with the Government giving away “far too much” to secure the post-Brexit agreements.
The new International Trade Secretary said: “I disagreed with what he said about it not being a good deal for the country. That is absolutely not true. I do think deadlines can be incredibly unhelpful in negotiations. We saw this with Brexit.”
“But if the other side knows you have a deadline, they are able then to hold out or be more difficult which creates an incentive to create more concessions.”
Asked if she would have negotiated the same deal with Australia, she rejected the premise of the question that the UK had conceded ground on the deal.
“We haven’t given anything away,” she said, arguing that trade negotiations are not “tit-for-tat” or “zero sum”. “The deal isn’t even in place yet and we’re already talking it down,” she told the International Trade Committee. She said that Australia was an ally and should not be discussed as a country that is “going to ruin our economy”.
