Markus Andrews

At least 44 fires have broken out in the Houses of Parliament over the past decade, with more than 1,000 incidents of asbestos uncovered, figures have shown. Concerns have been raised repeatedly that the iconic Westminster building could face a Notre-Dame style blaze if restoration work is not completed, with four fires in 2024 alone.However, plans to restore the Palace of Westminster are likely to cost billions, with the fastest option likely to take more than a decade and would consist of both the House of Lords and Commons relocating on a temporary basis. Details of the toxic materials were released to Labour peer Peter Hain, which showed that asbestos had been found in 1,057 items. Plans to restore the building cost billions of pounds (John Walton/PA) More

The Tory Party is calling for a ban on phones in schools, after admitting guidance issued under former prime minister Rishi Sunak hasn’t worked. The Conservatives are expected to push for MPs to be given a vote on banning the devices in schools this week, by attempting to amend Labour’s Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill to include the ban.The previous Conservative government issued non-statutory guidance to schools in England intended to stop the use of mobile phones during break and lunch periods in schools, as well as in lessons.But on Sunday, shadow education secretary Laura Trott admitted the guidance “hasn’t worked”. “Now it is time to make it law”, she said. “When I go into schools, headteachers are asking for this. Shadow education secretary Laura Trott More

Nigel Farage reportedly met with Brexit architect Dominic Cummings as Reform UK attempts to pick itself back up after an explosive row with one of its own MPs. Despite the pair having once been bitter political enemies, Mr Farage and Mr Cummings are said to have discussed how to tackle civil service bureaucracy – an issue figures on the right have blamed for problems in government. It comes after the Met Police launched an investigation into suspended Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe, who was stripped of the whip amid allegations he made “verbal threats” against Zia Yousaf, the party’s chairman – allegations Mr Lowe denies.At the time, he dismissed them as “vexatious” and suggested he had been stitched up by the party leadership, including Nigel Farage.Reform UK leader Nigel Farage (Jordan Pettitt/PA) More

A former Conservative MP has detailed his love affair with the UK’s shortest-serving prime minister Liz Truss – claiming it led to the breakdown of his marriage.Mark Field, MP for Cities of London and Westminster from 2001 to 2019, revealed the “first serious signs of cracks” in his marriage began “just as Elizabeth Truss entered his life”.In his new book serialised in the Mail on Sunday, Mr Field said he met the 49-day prime minister at the Conservative Party Conference in October 2002 in the “romantic dimmed lights” of the Highcliff Hotel in Bournemouth. She was married to Hugh O’Leary at the time.He claims the pair had a brief conversation, he wished her luck in her search for a parliamentary seat and casually said, “Please get in touch if I can be of any help.”Ms Truss took him up on the offer almost immediately, he wrote, requesting advice on candidate selection.Mr Field says Truss ‘lacked the self-awareness to realise the need for trusted advisers’ as PM (PA) More

The National Health Service is “addicted to overspending”, Wes Streeting has said, indicating that the abolition of NHS England was just the beginning of efficiencies being made to the health service. The health secretary also admitted there would be significant job losses, adding that he was “genuinely sorry” that people working for NHS England would be “deeply anxious” about their jobs.It comes after Sir Keir Starmer announced the abolition of NHS England on Thursday, as part of an attempt to cut bureaucracy and save money – with up to 10,000 jobs at risk. Mr Streeting has since suggested hundreds more quangos could be in the firing line, warning that scrapping NHS England was “the beginning, not the end”. Ministers said the plans would help deliver savings of hundreds of millions of pounds every year, which would be used to cut waiting times by slashing red tape to help speed up improvements in the health service.Speaking to Sky News, the health secretary said that integrated care boards were being required to make 50 per cent cuts “with a particular focus on management costs”.Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the NHS ‘is not up for grabs’ (Jonathan Brady/PA) More

Disabled people will have the right to try employment without the risk of losing their benefits under plans set to be announced as part of the government’s welfare reforms.The concession comes as Sir Keir Starmer attempts to quell growing disquiet within his party and around the cabinet table over plans to cut the welfare bill. Work and pensions secretary Liz Kendall is expected to announce legislation to introduce a “right to try guarantee” that will prevent people receiving health-related benefits from having their entitlements automatically reassessed if they enter employment.The move is said to be in response to surveys suggesting disabled people and those with long-term health conditions fear they will not get their benefits back if they try employment, but it does not work out.It comes amid growing concern over plans for sweeping welfare cuts expected to be announced by the government next week, as charities warn that thousands of disabled people could be forced into poverty. As the prime minister attempts to persuade cabinet ministers and Labour MPs alike that there is a “moral case” for cutting the welfare bill, there are growing fears that as many as 1 million people could see their benefits reduced. According to The Times, the overhaul will deny payments to people with mental health conditions and those who struggle with washing, dressing themselves and eating. Rachel Reeves is expected to curtail welfare spending in her spring statement later this month More

Sir Keir Starmer has declared that plans to put a peacekeeping force in Ukraine have now entered an “operational phase”, as Britain prepares to host military chiefs from a group of Western countries ready to support a ceasefire. Sending the strongest signal yet that the “coalition of the willing” is pressing ahead with the pledge to back a ceasefire deal with troops on the ground, the PM said allies would be prepared to “help secure Ukraine on the land, at sea and in the sky”.“We won’t sit back and wait for Putin to act,” the prime minister warned, vowing to “keep pushing forward” with the plan for peace. Sir Keir Starmer said planning for a peacekeeping force would move to an ‘operational phase’ More