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A Labour minister has snubbed Nigel Farage’s offer to help “bridge the divide” between the UK government and Donald Trump’s administration.
On the day the new US president names his cabinet following his election victory, Mr Farage offered the Labour government his help with negotiations.
It comes as shadow chancellor Mel Stride said past comments made by government figures, including foreign secretary David Lammy, on Mr Trump had put Labour in a “difficult position already”.
Mr Farage, MP for Clacton and a friend of Mr Trump, wrote in the Daily Telegraph on Mr Trump’s plans for new traiff regimes that could hit the UK.
He wrote: “If I can be helpful in any way when it comes to bridging the divide that exists between Starmer’s government and Trump, I will be glad to assist.
“I might not agree with almost anything that Starmer and his cabinet stand for, but I do believe in something called the national interest.”
In response, cabinet officer minister Pat McFadden told Times Radio: “I think we’ll have our own relationships.”
Meanwhile, chancellor Rachel Reeves played down the impact of Mr Lammy’s past criticism of Donald Trump.
“Those comments were in the past,” she told reporters in Manchester today.
More than 3,000 migrants crossed Channel in busiest fortnight so far this year
More than 3,000 migrants arrived in the UK in the busiest fortnight of Channel crossings so far this year.
A total of 3,197 people made the journey between October 24 and November 6, Home Office figures show.
This is the busiest 14-day period of crossings for the year so far, according to analysis by the PA news agency.
It comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer is set to sign new agreements to intercept criminal gangs smuggling migrants through the Western Balkans as part of efforts to bring down small boat crossings.
Sir Keir will announce the deals to boost intelligence sharing, expertise and co-operation with Serbia, North Macedonia and Kosovo at a meeting of the European Political Community in Budapest, Hungary, on Thursday.
He is expected to urge European partners to take action to reduce deaths in the Channel during small boat crossings and tell them that lawful, international co-operation will be key to efforts.
Mike Amesbury issues statement
MP Mike Amesbury has issued a statement after he was charged with common assault.
The Runcorn and Helsby MP, who was suspended from Labour after the footage circulated last month, will appear before magistrates at a later date.
Mr Amesbury said: “I have today been summonsed to court to face a charge of common assault following an incident in Frodsham last month, which was deeply regrettable.
“I am continuing to cooperate with police and given this is an ongoing case I cannot comment further.”
MP Mike Amesbury charged – CPS issues statement
In the wake of MP Mike Amesbury being charged with assault, we’ve now received a statement from the Crown Prosection Service.
Head of the service’s special crime division, Rosemary Ainslie, said: “Following a review of the evidence provided by Cheshire Police, we have authorised a charge of common assault against Mike Amesbury MP, 55.
“The charge follows an alleged assault in Frodsham, Cheshire, on Saturday, October 26 2024.
“The Crown Prosecution Service reminds all concerned that criminal proceedings against the defendant are active and that he has the right to a fair trial.
“It is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”
‘Those comments were in the past’ – Reeves on Trump criticism
Chancellor Rachel Reeves sought to play down the impact that foreign secretary David Lammy’s past criticism of Donald Trump would have on UK-US relations.
Mr Lammy described the president-elect as a “neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath” in 2018.
Ms Reeves pointed out that JD Vance had used “choice words” about Mr Trump himself but was still chosen as his running mate.
The Chancellor told reporters in Manchester: “Well, look, the vice president-elect of the United States has used some choice words about the president-elect in the past, but the point is those comments were in the past.
“The prime minister and the foreign secretary met with President-elect Trump just a few weeks ago in New York for dinner.
“They had a really good meeting a constructive meeting and I have absolutely no doubt we will be able to work constructively with the new US administration under President-elect Donald Trump.”
Labour minister rejects Farage’s offer to help on establishing relationship with Trump
Writing in the Daily Telegraph, Nigel Farage, a well-known supporter of Donald Trump, has offered to help the Labour government establish a good relationship with the Trump administration.
He wrote: “Britain is really going to have to roll out the red carpet for Trump very quickly. If we don’t, a great opportunity will be squandered.”
Then added: “If I can be helpful in any way when it comes to bridging the divide that exists between Starmer’s government and Trump, I will be glad to assist.
“I might not agree with almost anything that Starmer and his cabinet stand for, but I do believe in something called the national interest.”
In response, cabinet officer minister Pat McFadden told Times Radio: “I think we’ll have our own relationships.”
Mike Amesbury charged with assault
MP Mike Amesbury has been charged with assault after an incident in his Runcorn and Helsby constituency.
The charge relates to reports of an attack on a 45-year-old man on Main Street, Frodsham, which was reported to police at 2.48am on Saturday 26 October.
Cheshire Police said the MP has been summonsed to court to face the charge of section 39 assault. The 55-year-old is set to appear in magistrates court at a later date.
The MP lost the Labour whip in October, with the party saying he had been suspended “pending an investigation” into the incident.
Interest rate fall is ‘welcome news for millions of families’ – Reeves
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has responded to the Bank of England’s decision to cut the interest rate from 5 per cent to 4.75 per cent.
She said: “Today’s interest rate cut will be welcome news for millions of families, but I am under no illusion about the scale of the challenge facing households after the previous Government’s mini-budget.
“This government’s first Budget has set out how we are taking the long-term decisions to fix the foundations to deliver change by investing in the NHS and rebuilding Britain, while ensuring working people don’t face higher taxes in their payslips.”
Bank of England cuts interest rates
The Bank of England has cut interest rates to 4.75% at its November Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) meeting, the second reduction of UK borrowing costs in four months.
Eight of the committee members voted in favour of cutting the base rate, versus one who preferred to keep it unchanged.
Bank of England governor Andrew Bailey said: “We need to make sure inflation stays close to target, so we can’t cut interest rates too quickly or by too much.
“But if the economy evolves as we expect it’s likely that interest rates will continue to fall gradually from here.”
Sir John Nott, defence secretary during Falklands War, dies aged 92
Sir John Nott, the defence secretary during the Falklands War, has died aged 92.
The senior Conservative twice offered his resignation to Margaret Thatcher after the Argentinian invasion of the South Atlantic islands in 1982 but she refused to accept it, instead keeping him in place for the successful liberation operation.
Apart from the war, the most memorable moment of his political career was storming out of a TV interview with broadcaster Sir Robin Day later in 1982.
During questions on defence spending, he lost his temper when Sir Robin asked why people should listen to a “transient, here today and, if I may say so, gone tomorrow politician” rather than veteran Royal Navy chiefs pushing for more cash.
Living standards ‘a big theme in the US election’
As analysis is done on the result of the US election, many journalists and politicans have been asking what led to voters backing Donald Trump.
On LBC this morning, cabinet office minister Pat McFadden said living standards were a “big theme in the US election”.
But he said Labour will not “lecture” other centre-left parties on their campaigns following its election win.
He said: “In the Budget last week, you saw us raising the minimum wage, making sure the triple lock was kept for the next few years, keeping the freeze on fuel duty – issues which people care about on a month to month basis as they work out their budget.
“And I think that was a big theme in the US election, and it’s something that was at the heart of our Budget that was passed by the House of Commons last night.”
Asked if centre-left politics is under threat with a loss by the Democrats in the US and the collapse of Olaf Scholz’s government in Germany, Mr McFadden said: “I don’t want to give anybody any lectures.
“I know what it’s like to be on the losing end of an election, as the Democrats were the other night, and I know what it’s like to be on the winning end and so what my focus is, rather than lecturing others is remembering what we did to change the Labour Party, to focus on those living standards issues that I spoke about, and to put them into practice, as we did in the Budget last week.”
