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Kemi Badenoch has ruled out the prospect of an electoral pact with Reform UK, as Nigel Farage’s party tops a number of national polls and surpasses 200,000 members.
The Conservative party leader called the idea of striking a deal one “for the birds”, warning Reform would drive away Tory voters who did not want to see her “get into bed” with Farage.
It comes as Reform achieved its highest lead in a YouGov poll to date, with 26 per cent of voters surveyed saying they would vote for the party, up one percentage point on the previous week.
The pollsters’ most recent voting intention poll, taken on Sunday and Monday, saw Labour following closely behind at 25 per cent of voters, also up one percentage point on last week, while the Tories stayed the same at 21 per cent.
Meanwhile, the UK government claimed Britain’s special relationship with the US is “very good” despite Donald Trump’s announcement of global tariffs in his latest move in an escalating trade war.
EU President Ursula von der Leyen responded that the new US president’s “unjustified” 25 per cent tariff on steel “will not go unanswered”, with Trump also threatening additional duties on aluminium.
It comes as a row broke out after the Labour MP behind new assisted dying legislation, Kim Leadbeater, announced she would be removing the major safeguard of decisions needing to be signed off by a high court judge.
Meanwhile, Oliver Ryan became the second Labour MP to be suspended from the party amid a row over alleged sexist, homophobic and racist messages in a constituency WhatsApp group. The scandal had already cost Andrew Gwynne his job as a junior health minister.
British industry should avoid ‘knee-jerk’ reaction to US tariffs, warns trade minister
Trade minister Douglas Alexander said British industry needs a “cool and clear-headed” response rather than a “knee-jerk” reaction to moves by the United States to impose 25 per cent tariffs on British steel exports.
Responding to an urgent question, Mr Alexander told the Commons: “We have seen the proclamation issued by President Trump overnight which enforces a full return to 25 per cent tariffs on US steel imports on March 12 2025.
“Only details on steel have so far been published by the United States, not on aluminium. The intended effect of this proclamation is to revoke existing arrangements that have avoided these tariffs, such as the UK-US resolution, as well as any separately agreed product exclusions from the tariffs.
“What British industry needs and deserves is not a knee-jerk reaction but a cool and clear-headed sense of the UK’s national interest based on a full assessment of all the implications of the US’s actions.”
UK ‘stands ready’ to find solutions that work for both countries, says trade minister
Trade minister Douglas Alexander said the UK “stands ready” to find solutions that work for both countries.
He said meetings will be held with representatives of the steel industry and trade union on Tuesday afternoon, adding in the Commons: “The Secretary of State for Business and Trade is in touch with representatives of the British steel industry and will be meeting them within the next 24 hours.
“Since July we have engaged in a systematic way with the UK steel sector and we will continue to engage with UK industries impacted by potential tariffs.
“Historically we’ve benefited from a strong and balanced trade relationship with the United States worth around £300 billion and supporting millions of jobs, so in trade policy we stand ready to work with President Trump to find solutions that work for both the United Kingdom and the United States.”
Badenoch rules out pact with Reform
Kemi Badenoch has ruled out the prospect of an electoral pact with Reform UK, as Nigel Farage’s party tops a number of national polls and surpasses 200,000 members.
The Conservative party leader called the idea of striking a deal one “for the birds”, warning Reform would drive away Tory voters who did not want to see her “get into bed” with Farage.
Analysis: Is the special relationship with the US really ‘very good’, as No 10 claims?
Every morning, Keir Starmer wakes up to discover if Donald Trump has put another potential bomb under the already faltering UK economy.
On Monday he had – with the announcement that he would impose tariffs of 25 per cent on steel imports.
The British steel industry has since called for action to mitigate what could be a “devastating blow”.
A global trade war could also see an influx of cheaper imports that could put British suppliers out of business.
At the same time the PM has come under sustained fire from the President’s ‘first buddy’ Elon Musk, including on Monday over the UK government’s attitude to the data of Apple users.
And, as The Independent revealed last month, President Trump was even considering rejecting our new man in Washington Peter Mandelson.
In this context, the description of the special relationship as “very good”, while clearly an attempt at diplomacy, could be described as a statement of hope rather than expectation.
UK government claims US special relationship ‘very good’ despite Trump’s tariffs
The UK government has claimed Britain’s special relationship with the US is “very good” despite Donald Trump’s announcement of global tariffs in his latest move in an escalating trade war.
As the new US president’s 25 per cent tariff on steel is set to hit the UK, a Downing Street spokesperson told reporters today: “We fully expect that relationship to continue to go from strength to strength.”
When asked how the special relationship would now be characterised, they said: “The special relationship, it’s very good. We have a wide range of areas where we’re working closely with the United States and the prime minister’s had very good early engagement with President Trump.”
What changes are being made to the assisted dying bill?
Newly proposed changes to the assisted dying bill have caused controversy as MPs weigh up whether they will continue supporting the legislation at the final vote.
Put forward by Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who tabled the original bill, the changes would reform a major safeguarding measure that was included in the original version.
Ms Leadbeater says her amendment would make the bill “even more robust,” but others have responded critically. Veteran member Diane Abbott, a vocal opponent of the legislation, wrote on X: “Safeguards on the Assisted Dying Bill are collapsing. Rushed, badly thought-out legislation. Needs to be voted down.”
Former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron added: “Lots of MPs voted for the bill at second reading in the expectation that there would be stronger safeguards added at committee stage and yet we now see that even the weak safeguards that existed, are being dropped.”
Here’s everything you need to know about the changes:
Leadbeater indicates assisted dying amendment requiring psychiatrist
Kim Leadbeater has indicated she would support an amendment to her assisted dying Bill requiring a psychiatrist to be involved in some cases.
Liberal Democrat MP Wera Hobhouse has proposed changing the Bill to require an assessment by a psychiatrist if there is concern someone “may be seeking assistance to end their own life due to an impairment of judgment arising from a mental disorder or other condition”.
Currently, the Bill includes the option of doctors referring such a patient to a psychiatrist, but it is not mandatory.
During a committee debate on the Bill, Ms Leadbeater said: “That’s an amendment I would like to support and I hope the Bill committee support it.”
Danny Kruger, one of the leading opponents of the Bill, said: “Well for the first time so far in the course of this debate, we have a strengthening of the Bill from the honourable member, so that’s great news, we can chalk that up as a victory.”
Labour officials ‘told about WhatsApp group before it became public’
Labour officials were repeatedly warned about a WhatsApp group containing offensive messages made by a former minister before they were made public, it has been claimed.
Gerald Cooney, the former Labour leader of Tameside council in Greater Manchester, said he raised concerns about Andrew Gwynne’s remarks several times in the past year.
Labour sources said no formal complaint had been received about the WhatsApp group.
Read the full story here:
Sue Gray to take seat in Lords months after leaving heart of Government
Sue Gray, the “partygate” investigator who went on to become Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, will take her seat in the Lords on Tuesday four months after leaving the heart of Government.
The former senior civil servant was among 30 new Labour peers who were announced last December by Downing Street as it seeks to rebalance Parliament’s unelected second chamber.
Six appointments from the Tories, including Liz Truss’s former deputy prime minister Dame Therese Coffey, and two from the Liberal Democrats were also confirmed.
Ms Gray will be introduced to the House as Baroness Gray of Tottenham alongside Baroness Cash, a Conservative nomination.
Ms Gray went from an influential but little-known arbiter of conduct in Government to a household name when she took on the probe into Covid rule-breaking at Boris Johnson’s Number 10 in 2021.
She stepped in to lead the investigation after then-cabinet secretary Simon Case, her boss, recused himself following allegations that his own office held a Christmas event amid a lockdown.
Civil service impartiality was later thrown into question amid Tory criticism of her move to quit the Cabinet Office after decades in Whitehall and join Labour as Sir Keir’s chief of staff.
Scrutiny of her new role mounted after the party won the election, with leaked disclosures that the 67-year-old earned more than the Prime Minister and reports of a power struggle in Downing Street between her and other aides.
After weeks of negative briefings against her, Ms Gray announced her resignation in October in a statement citing concerns that she was “becoming a distraction” to the work of Government.
Starmer under pressure to secure US trade deal after Trump suggests Australia could avoid 25% steel tariffs
The Independent’s whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:
