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Washington Bureau Chief
Sir Keir Starmer is set to meet Donald Trump in New York before delivering a speech to world leaders at the UN General Assembly.
As part of a raft of bilateral meetings, he will discuss ongoing conflicts between Israel, Lebanon and Palestine with world leaders and US presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
The prime minister will use tonight’s address to say that the UK is returning to “responsible global leadership” because it is in British interests to address problems around the world.
The 79th UN summit comes as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out conflict and the bloody war in Ukraine grinds on.
It follows an intervention at the UN Security Council where he tore into Russia over its actions in Ukraine, saying Vladimir Putin was treating his own citizens as “bits of meat to fling into the grinder” in the conflict.
Sir Keir has been embroiled in a donotations row after borrowing an £18m penthouse flat from Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli during the general election and to film a Covid video. But Downing Street claims he did not break the rules.
Healey: UK stands shoulder to shoulder with Australia and the US
The UK stands “shoulder to shoulder” with Australia and the United States amid conflicts around the world, the defence secretary has said.
John Healey acknowledged the global tensions that provided the backdrop to discussions with the Australian deputy prime minister Richard Marles and United States secretary of defence at the Aukus military alliance today.
Mr Healey said: “We have held these discussions under a cloud of growing global insecurity.
“So in our trilateral and in our bilateral meetings, we’ve reinforced the need to stand together against Russian aggression, towards peace in the Middle East and steadfast behind Ukraine for as long as it takes.
“In serious times you need serious partners. So Richard (Marles), Lloyd (Austin), we in the UK stand shoulder to shoulder with you and we will drive the Aukus partnership from strength to strength.
John Healey announces new AUKUS bilateral treaty
The UK and Australia will begin negotiations on a bilateral treaty to “bind” their Aukus military alliance into law.
The announcement follows their AUKUS Defence Ministers Meeting at the Old Royal Naval College in Greenwich.
During a press conference, Mr Healey said the partnership between the three countries “helps our industries to prosper and breaks barriers”.
He said £10 million spending has been allocated to UK nuclear infrastructure since the partnership was established.
The minister added: “In today’s trilateral meeting between the three nations, we agreed to add new torpedoes to our aircraft.
“The UK has today agreed to train hundreds more Australians to operate and regulate modern nuclear powered submarines.”
Announcing a new deal, Mr Healey said: “As part of that work I can announce that deputy prime minister (Richard) Marles and I have agreed that negotiations will soon be under way for a new bilateral treaty to bind our Aukus collaboration into law.
“So this not only reflects our commitment to secure a secure Indo-Pacific region where international rules are respected, it also sends a very strong message that our defence alliance is one that will endure for many decades to come.”
How are the winter fuel payments changing?
The annual tax-free winter fuel payment of between £100 and £300 was introduced in 1997 to help eligible pensioners meet the costs of heating their homes in winter. It was then expanded to all pensioners in 2000.
The government is facing opposition to its decision to means-test the payment, stripping it from millions of pensioners. It means those in receipt of pension credit or other certain benefits will continue to receive them but others won’t.
Some make the point that rich pensioners wrongly get the payment too, but the unions argue that a universal payment to all pensioners ensures nobody falls through the gaps.
Pictured: Starmer meets Pakistani prime minister Shahbaz Sharif
Tory leadership candidate Labour most fears revealed
Senior aids have revealed that Labour wants to “avoid” James Cleverly as future Tory leader.
According to the i newspaper, Downing Street officials said it was the former home secretary who they would least like to win the contest.
A Labour party figure said: “I think Cleverly could be a problem. He sounds quite reasonable,” a No 10 aide added: “James Cleverly – that’s who we want to avoid.”
Another government aide said Kemi Badenoch does not represent a threat as the party is “not sure she’d take our votes”.
Hunt warns Reeves against changing fiscal rules to increase borrowing
Former chancellor Jeremy Hunt has claimed that Treasury officials told him higher borrowing could lead to high interest rates.
He was responding to claims that Rachel Reeves is considering to change fiscal rules in an effort to allow more capital spending.
But Mr Hunt warned that “more borrowing means interest rates stay higher for longer”.
EXCLUSIVE | Starmer’s top minister for social media has not spoken to snubbed Elon Musk
The minister in charge of social media and digital technology has not tried to communicate with X (formerly Twitter) owner Elon Musk, despite the platform being linked to the summer riots.
Sources close to Peter Kyle, the secretary of state for science innovation and technology, have said that the two men have not spoken and there has been no attempt by the government to reach out to the world’s richest man.
Sources close to Mr Kyle have explained that he is connected to Mr Musk through “a degree of separation of one” in that they have a number of mutual connections and when the billionaire social media platform owner “tweets something mad, they get in touch to say what he really means.”
Our political editor David Maddox has the full story:
Scottish government accused of having ‘head in the sand’ over homelessness
The Scottish government has been accused of having its “head in the sand” over the country’s homelessness crisis, as the First Minister was urged to sack the housing minister.
This week, homelessness applications reached a record high in new figures, with more than 10,000 children forced to live in temporary accommodation.
John Swinney was challenged on the issue at First Minister’s Questions today by Scottish Labour leader Anas Sarwar.
Mr Sarwar asked if he accepted there was a housing emergency in Scotland – which had been declared by Holyrood earlier this year, to which the First Minister said he did, adding that the Government was “taking action” to fix the issue.
“I welcome that the First Minister recognises there is a housing emergency, but the broader answer demonstrates a government with its head in the sand and oblivious of the struggles of thousands of Scots facing homelessness as we speak,” Mr Sarwar said.
The Scottish Labour leader, who attacked the drop in affordable home building in Scotland, asked the First Minister if he would “change course” on housing, but Mr Swinney compared his Government’s record with the last Labour administration which led Scotland between 1997 and 2007.
The SNP-run government, Mr Swinney claimed, built an average of 7,750 affordable homes a year, compared with Labour’s 5,448 when they governed as part of a coalition with the Lib Dems, adding that the Scottish Government was “getting on with the job”.
Starmer: Top AI companies drawn to the UK because of our rule of law
Sir Keir Starmer has claimed top tech companies are attracted to the UK because the country respects the rule of law.
The prime minister has spent the morning in New York meeting US business leaders to discuss potential investment deals.
Following a meeting with investment management company Blackstone CEO, the government announced a £10 billion tech plan to build a new data centre in England by the American firm.
Speaking to the Standard, Sir Keir said: “Top AI companies such as Anthropic and OpenAI have chosen to locate their European headquarters in London for our talent, expertise and hunger for success.
“And why wouldn’t they? The UK has the world’s best graduates, respect for the rule of law, and, importantly, now has the much-needed political stability that business needs to thrive.”
Former Jeremy Corbyn’s shadow minister urges Reeves to reverse winter fuel cuts
A former shadow cabinet minister who served under Jeremy Corbyn has urged the new Labour government to reverse cuts to the winter fuel allowance.
Andy McDonald warned the measures would “conflict starkly” with the government’s opposition to austerity and “leave poor pensioners in cold homes”.
He told Politics Home: “Those who’ve done their bit and put in a full working life with a modest occupational pension shouldn’t be punished and see their payments being taken away.”
Mr McDonald served as shadow transport secretary under Mr Corbyn between 2016 and 2020.
In 2023, he was suspended for using the phrase “between the river and the sea” at a pro-Palestine protest.
