Markus Andrews

Putin’s ‘hideous venture’ must ‘end in failure’ as Johnson hints at arms for resistanceBoris Johnson has pledged to support Ukraine “militarily” following Russia’s invasion.In an address to the nation, Mr Johnson said the UK was introducing a “massive package of economic sanctions… to collectively cease dependence on Russian oil and gas.”He said: “We will work with them [Ukraine] – for however long it takes – to ensure that the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine is restored.“This act of wanton and reckless aggression is an attack not just on Ukraine, it is an attack on democracy and freedom in East Europe and around the world.“This crisis is about the right of a free, sovereign independent European people to choose their own future, and that is a right that the UK will always defend.”Mr Johnson added: “Diplomatically, politically, economically – and eventually, militarily – this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure.”Following his address, the prime minister will give a statement to Parliament at 5pm this afternoon.Show latest update

1645714104Expel Russian citizens’, senior Tory saysTory MP Tom Tugendhat, chair of the foreign affairs select committee, has attacked the “cowardice” of anyone who would seek to appease “evil dictators”, writes Adam Forrest.The senior backbencher told Commons: “We need to call out the corruption in our own city, we need to evict those who have done so much to undermine the rights and liberties of the British people, we need to seize their assets, freeze their goods and expel them.”Tugendhat added: “We can act now. We can freeze Russian assets in this country – all of them. We can expel Russian citizens – all of them.”Emily Atkinson24 February 2022 14:481645713371Russian ambassador ‘kicked out’ of meeting early by Liz Truss, government source claimsEmily Atkinson24 February 2022 14:361645713138Invasion will push up food prices, says Tory ministerRussia’s invasion of Ukraine will have an impact on global food prices, Commons Leader Mark Spencer has warned.The Tory minister told MPs the conflict “is going to have an impact not only on global fuel prices, but also on global food prices as well”.He said: “The Ukraine is an enormous supplier of food, of wheat and of bread. I think it’s something that the UK government will monitor and, of course, will assist through its work to try and lessen the burden of the cost of living.”Laurie Churchman24 February 2022 14:321645711998UK increasing its ‘air policing contribution’ to Nato – No 10Downing Street has said the UK is increasing its “air policing contribution” to Nato.The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “We are increasing our air policing contribution to Nato from RAF Akrotiri [in Cyprus] and the UK to help protect our Nato allies.”“Two typhoons and a voyager for refuelling from the UK will support continuous Nato air policing over Poland’s border with Ukraine … two typhoons and a voyager for refuelling from Akrotiri (will) also support continuous Nato air policing over Romania’s border with Ukraine.“So, this is a defensive capability designed to protect the airspace of our Nato allies … they will not operate in Ukrainian or Russian airspace.“Just to emphasise, this isn’t additional air support, this is the air support already committed to Nato doing additional activities.”Laurie Churchman24 February 2022 14:131645710858Sturgeon condemns ‘Putin’s unprovoked, imperialist aggression’ in UkraineThe Scottish First Minister said Ukraine’s “very existence as an independent democracy was now under attack”.She condemned “in the strongest possible terms the unprovoked, imperialist aggression of Vladimir Putin”.“There can be no doubt he must face the severest of consequences,” she said.You can read the full story below.Laurie Churchman24 February 2022 13:541645709718UK providing ‘defensive military capability’ to Ukraine – No 10Downing Street has said the UK is providing “defensive military capability” to Ukraine.The prime minister said earlier in an address to the nation: “Our mission is clear. Diplomatically, politically, economically, and eventually militarily, this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure.”Asked was what meant by “militarily” in this context, the PM’s official spokesman said: “He’s making the point that … our expectation is that the Ukrainian people will fight, will engage with Russian forces … we are providing military, defensive military capability.”Laurie Churchman24 February 2022 13:351645708563Attack on Ukraine labelled ‘act of great evil’ by Church leadersRussia’s attack on Ukraine has been described as “an act of great evil” by Church leaders in the UK.Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby and Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell condemned “the horrific and unprovoked attack on Ukraine”.They said they would “pray for an urgent ceasefire and a withdrawal of Russian forces.”And they called for an international conference to secure “long-term agreements for stability and lasting peace.”You can read the full story below.Laurie Churchman24 February 2022 13:161645707479‘Parliament must sit this weekend’ in light of situation in Ukraine, says Ed DaveyLib Dem leader Ed Davey has said Parliament should sit at the weekend in order to pass “necessary measures and impose the most punitive of sanctions upon Putin’s regime”, writes Ashley Cownburn.He said: “At this dark moment we must renew our commitments of international cooperation and stand with our allies against this horrendous invasion. “For too long we in the West have been complacent about the threat which Putin poses to our allies and to the fundamental values which underpin our way of life. No more. “We must stand with the people of Ukraine and provide them with humanitarian and military aid, while unleashing the severest of sanctions against Putin and his cronies.“The era of Russian interference in this country must come to an end. Much of the legislation needed is ready to go – it must be brought before MPs immediately. Parliament must sit this weekend, day and night if we have to, to pass the necessary measures and impose the most punitive of sanctions upon Putin’s regime.”Emily Atkinson24 February 2022 12:571645707278Sunak says UK to impose ‘significant’ sanctions on RussiaThe UK will introduce “significant” further sanctions against Russia, Chancellor Rishi Sunak has said.Speaking during his Mais Lecture at the Bayes Business School in London, he said: “The whole world is rightly appalled at Russia’s aggression.”“When the freedom of one democratic nation is threatened, wherever they may be in the world, democracy everywhere is challenged.“We must apply severe economic costs to these actions and you can expect significant further sanctions to be brought forward.”“We are with Ukraine and its people at this difficult time,” he added.Emily Atkinson24 February 2022 12:541645706949MoD say there have been 80 strikes against Ukrainian targetsEmily Atkinson24 February 2022 12:49 More

Labour MP Chris Bryant has called on Boris Johnson’s government to seize assets from Roman Abramovich, as he revealed details from a leaked Home Office document showing concerns about alleged “links to the Russian state”.The backbencher said the billionaire and Chelsea FC owner “should no longer be able to own a football club” in the UK, after telling MPs that he had got hold of a leaked Home Office memo from 2019.Mr Bryant told the Commons the document said Mr Abramovich “remains of interest to the HMG [Her Majesty’s Government] due to his links to the Russian state and his public association with corrupt activity and practices”.The Labour MP said the government document stated: “An example of this is Abramovich admitting in court proceedings that he paid for political influence.”The document also said the government was “focused on ensuring individuals linked to illicit finance and malign activity are unable to base themselves in the UK and will use the relevant tools at its disposal including immigration powers to prevent this”, according to Mr Bryant.The senior MP, chair of the standards select committee, told the Commons: “That’s nearly three years ago, and yet remarkably little has been done in relation. Surely Mr Abramovich should no longer be able to own a football club in this country?”Mr Bryant added: “Surely we should be looking at seizing some of his assets, including his £152m home, and making sure that other people who’ve had tier one visas like this are not engaged in malign activity in the UK.”Commons Leader Mark Spencer replied: “He will know under the sanctions passed in the House this week there is the opportunity for the government to take very strong action against high-profile Russian individuals who are of concern.The Conservative minister added: “He will be aware that the home secretary will be at this dispatch box next Monday for Home Office questions and I am sure he will be able to challenge her directly.”Earlier this week, Mr Johnson admitted that he “misspoke” after he mistakenly told MPs that Mr Abramovich was “already facing sanctions”.The prime minister added he would correct the parliamentary record after he mistakenly included the Chelsea FC owner as one of those hit by the government’s retaliatory measures against Russian interests. More

Senior Conservative politicians are calling for Nato states including the UK to intervene militarily to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders.Former cabinet minister David Davis warned that if Nato does not act immediately by offering air support to Ukraine’s troops, the country will be defeated “in a matter of days”. And the chair of the Commons Defence Committee, Tobias Ellwood, said Western powers must assist Kyiv with military options including offensive weapons systems and a no-fly zone.Their comments came shortly before prime minister Boris Johnson hinted in a TV address to the nation that the UK may be ready to make a military contribution to ensuring the Russian assault fails.“Our mission is clear,” Mr Johnson said. “Diplomatically, politically, economically – and eventually, militarily – this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure.”Mr Davis said that, while sanctions should be imposed on Moscow, they will not be enough to deter Putin from pushing ahead with his assault on Russia’s neighbour.And he said that the Russian president would see it as a “legalistic weakness” if Nato confined itself to taking military action under Article 5 only if a member state is invaded.”Whether we like it or not Putin has effectively declared war on the West,” said Mr Davis. “While we should continue to impose the most ferocious sanctions, they are no longer a deterrent. They are a punishment. They will not stop him. “If Nato does not act now, Ukraine will be defeated in a matter of days. Therefore if we do not provide military support, more than 40 million Ukrainians will go from living in a democracy to living under a brutal dictatorship.”It is far too late to get boots on the ground but it is not too late to provide air support to the Ukrainian army which may neutralize Putin’s overwhelming armoured superiority.”If this is confined to the airspace over Ukraine, and is based on a request from (Ukrainian) President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyy, this should be perfectly legal under almost any interpretation of international law. It will also reduce the risk of escalation”Mr Ellwood said: “We’re now moving into a new phase of this .We cannot be timid, we cannot be risk averse. We’ve got to be more united. “We’ve now got to assist Ukraine militarily, and look to see how that can be done. Whether it be with our weapon systems, a no-fly zone, we need to be far more front-footed on this.”The former soldier said that Nato hard power was the only thing that could have deterred Putin from invasion, but that the government had ignored his calls over the past six months for a Nato division to be stationed on Ukrainian soil.”We tried diplomacy but without any form of carrot and stick that was going to alter Putin’s thinking,” Mr Ellwood told the BBC. “And we’ve now tried limited sanctions… hoping perhaps the tanks might turn around. “I have to say, if Kyiv falls, history will ask why the West didn’t do more, why we didn’t use our Nato hard power deterrence – the one Western asset that Putin fears. This was not harnessed and we’re now seeing the consequences of that.”Former minister Stephen Hammond also called for Nato to deploy its airpower, tweeting: “We must work with our allies to impose tougher sanctions and a no-fly zone.”Mr Davis said: “Everything now is very risky, but that is the price we are paying for ignoring Putin’s provocations on at least five occasions over the last 20 years.”There are no zero-risk options. If we do not act militarily, then NATO will be significantly weakened and we must fear for the safety of every state that borders Russia.”The calls for military action triggered a scathing response from Boris Johnson’s former top aide Dominic Cummings, who branded Mr Davis “thick as mince” and said it was hypocritical for Conservatives to speak out against Putin now when their party had been “financed by his mates” for years.“My disgust for westminster is never higher than when it’s excited about war, all the worst of its lies posing cant bullshit idiocy hypocrisy moral cowardice incompetence operational uselessness get turned up to 11,” tweeted the former No 10 adviser.“Tories literally have their party FINANCED BY PUTIN’S MATES FOR DECADES, won’t even stop them sending their kids to eton/harrow or using London as a ‘laundry’ (London’s *actual Moscow nickname*), then their MPs start babbling about no fly zones!!!” More

Here is Boris Johnson’s full address to the nation after Russian president Vladimir Putin launched an invasion of Ukraine.”Shortly after 4 o’ clock this morning I spoke to president Zelensky of Ukraine to offer the continued support of the UK because our worst fears have now come true and all our warnings have proved tragically accurate.”President Putin of Russia has unleashed war in our European continent. He has attacked a friendly country without any provocation and without any credible excuse. “Innumerable missiles and bombs have been raining down on an entirely innocent population. A vast invasion is underway by land by sea and by air. “And this is not in the infamous phrase some faraway country of which we know little. We have Ukrainian friends in this country; neighbours, co-workers. Ukraine is a country that for decades has enjoyed freedom and democracy and the right to choose its own destiny.”We – and the world – cannot allow that freedom just to be snuffed out. We cannot and will not just look away. “It is because we have been so alarmed in recent months at the Russian intimidation that the UK became one of the first countries in Europe to send defensive weaponry to help the Ukrainians. “Other allies have now done the same and we will do what more we can in the days ahead. Today in concert with our allies we will agree a massive package of economic sanctions designed in time to hobble the Russian economy “And to that end we must also collectively cease the dependence on Russian oil and gas that for too long has given Putin his grip on western politics. Our mission is clear “Diplomatically, politically, economically – and eventually, militarily – this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure. And so I say to the people of Russia, whose president has just authorised a tidal wave of violence against a fellow Slavic people”The parents of Russian soldiers who will lose their lives. I cannot believe this is being done in your name or that you really want the pariah status it will bring to the Putin regime”And I say to the Ukrainians in this moment of agony we are with you, we are praying for you and your families, and we are on your side.And if the months ahead are grim, and the flame of freedom burns low I know that it will blaze bright again in Ukraine because for all his bombs and tanks and missiles I don’t believe that the Russian dictator will ever subdue the national feeling of the Ukrainians and their passionate belief that their country should be free.”And I say to the British people and all who have heard the threats from Putin against those who stand with Ukraine we will of course do everything to keep our country safe”We are joined in our outrage by friends and allies around the world. We will work with them – for however long it takes – to ensure that the sovereignty and independence of Ukraine is restored because this act of wanton and reckless aggression is an attack not just on Ukraine.”It is an attack on democracy and freedom in East Europe and around the world. This crisis is about the right of a free, sovereign independent European people to choose their own future and that is a right that the UK will always defend.” More

Russian oligarchs who have helped bankroll the Tory party were trying to stop Jeremy Corbyn coming to power, a government minister has claimed.James Cleverly insisted there is no need to return the cash – estimated to be nearly £2m from donors who are either Russians, or made fortunes in Russia – despite the invasion of Ukraine.Rejecting the accusation that the funding “smells a bit iffy”, the Foreign Office minister denied that any of it had come to the Conservatives from “Putin’s friends”.Instead, he said: “I imagine some of the people who have fled the oppressive regime of Vladimir Putin wanted to support a political party that, at the time, was trying to prevent Jeremy Corbyn from being prime minister.”The Labour leader at the 2019 general election had been “an apologist for the Putin regime, who had refused to accept the reality of the poisoning of British nationals by Russian agents only a few years ago”, Mr Cleverly told LBC Radio.He insisted it was no surprise that Russians, or anyone else chose to back “a political party that stood firm on the rule of law stood firm, stood firm on holding Putin into account”.And, asked if the money would now be returned, as Labour has demanded, the minister said: “There’s no reason to – the money was completely legitimate.”Boris Johnson provoked laughter in the Commons this week, when he told MPs: “It’s very important that the House understands: we do not raise money from Russian oligarchs.”Critics say this is true only in the sense that no-one with Russian nationality can be a legal donor – but the super-rich with dual UK-Russian nationality, or with significant business links in the country, have given huge sums to the Tories.The biggest donor is believed to be the financier Lubov Chernukhin, who is married to Vladimir Chernukhin, a former deputy finance minister under Putin who has given £700,000.Famously, at the Conservative Party’s winter ball two years ago, she paid £45,000 in an auction for the right to play a tennis match with Mr Johnson.Earlier, Mr Cleverly insisted “unprecedented” sanctions, about to be announced, can still reverse Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine – dismissing fears that Putin will brush them off.He argued the rouble currency is already collapsing in value, which will also have “a meaningful impact”.On sanctions, Mr Cleverly said they would “hopefully persuade people around Vladimir Putin that this is completely the wrong thing to do and he should reverse this attack”.“Even if Vladimir Putin doesn’t care, the people around him will feel this – and they absolutely do care,” the minister argued. More

A shake-up of university finance will punish poorer students while top-earning graduates pay less, ministers are being warned – as a call to bring back maintenance grants is rejected.The long-delayed response to a review ordered by Theresa May also throws out a recommendation to slash annual tuition fees from £9,250 to £7,500, made because of fears that high debt deters disadvantaged teenagers.Instead, fees will be frozen, while graduates will feel the pain of a cut in the threshold to start repayments from £27,295 a year to £25,000, to “make the system fairer for the taxpayer”, ministers say.As expected, in a further cost-cutting move, students will be blocked from taking out loans – and, effectively for all but the richest, from going to university – if they fail to get strong GCSE or A-level grades.The government will seek to sweeten the pill by scrapping interest on new loans, while a new “lifelong loan entitlement” will allow people to “retrain flexibly at any time in their lives”.But Labour described the package – three years after the Augar report was published – as “another stealth tax for new graduates”, which would be “slamming the door on opportunity”.The Education Policy Institute think tank warned it would be “regressive” and threatened to hit “students from disadvantaged backgrounds”.“These policies are likely to result in lower- to middle-earning graduates paying more than they currently do, while higher earning graduates are likely to pay less,” said David Robinson, its director of post-16 and skills.The chair of the parliamentary All-Party Group for Students, Paul Blomfield, attacked the dropping of the “important proposal for the reintroduction of maintenance grants for the poorest students”.He also warned: “Freezing tuition fees, without additional teaching grant, reduces resources available to universities and means future students will be paying more for less.”And Larissa Kennedy, president of the National Union of Students, said: “This government parrots the language of levelling up, but these proposals are classist, ableist and racist: they target those from marginalised communities, and seek to gatekeep education.”The package, which will go out to consultation, will:* Freeze maximum fees at £9,250 a year until 2025, meaning they will not have risen for seven years – while rejecting a cut to £7,500.* Cut the repayment threshold to £25,000 for students starting courses from September 2023 until 2027 – despite the backlash against the recently announced freeze.* Link the student loan interest rate to the – higher – RPI measure of inflation, scrapping interest for students from 2023, both during studies and after graduation.* Extend the period before loans are written off from 30 to 40 years for new students – meaning many will be nearing retirement before they are out of debt.* Deny loans to students who fail to achieve at least two Es at A-Level or at least a grade 4 pass in English and maths at GCSE.* Promise almost £900m of new investment in higher education over three years – including £300m of day-today spending and £450m in capital funding.Nadhim Zahawi, the education secretary, said the changes would “create a fairer system for both students and the taxpayer”, while making “higher education accessible and accountable”.“This package of reforms will ensure students are being offered a range of different pathways, whether that is higher or further education, that lead to opportunities with the best outcomes,” he said.But the document makes little attempt to hide that the motive is to save money, calling the current funding system “unsustainable” – with student loans totalling £161bn in April 2021.Without action, those loans will reach more than half a trillion pounds in 20 years, ministers say, by which point only 23 per cent of new borrowers will be repaying them in full.Taxpayers – most of whom have not been to university – are funding 44p of every pound of student loans, but will pay less than 20p under the new system, they argue.The Augar report, published in the dying days of Theresa May’s government, saw her plea for the return of maintenance grants for low-income students, axed by George Osborne in 2015.But, speaking in May 2019, the outgoing prime minister admitted it would be a decision for her successor. More

Ministers must end the expansion of oil and gas exploration across Britain with a “presumption” against new projects in the North Sea, the government’s own climate advisers have said.In a letter to business secretary Kwasi Kwarteng, the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) said it was time for Britain to “send a clear signal” about the climate emergency at home and abroad.Green groups said the advice should lead to a “paradigm shift” and welcomed it as “a clear blow for the fossil fuel industry”.The government recently invited oil and gas companies to help write their own rulebook on when new drilling should go ahead.It comes as The Independent’s Stop Fuelling the Climate Crisis campaign calls for a halt on new drilling to help tackle the emergency.In its letter to the business secretary the CCC, a statutory but independent body that advises on how the UK can reach its climate goals, said: “We would support a tighter limit on production, with stringent tests and a presumption against exploration. “An end to UK exploration would send a clear signal to investors and consumers that the UK is committed to the 1.5C global temperature goal. “That would also help the UK in its diplomatic efforts to strengthen climate ambition internationally.”The government is currently drawing up a so-called “climate checkpoint” for new oil and gas exploration, which will govern when exploration and drilling should go ahead.But green campaigners reacted angrily in January after the business department said its consultation was “predominantly” for the oil and gas industries to take the “opportunity to input on the design” of the policy.The letter from the CCC criticises a hole in the claims by some Tory MP that more fossil fuel drilling will help drive down household bills. New extraction will have “at most, a marginal effect on the prices faced by UK consumers in future”, the committee says – arguing that a better way to drive down energy prices would be “shifting to a renewables-based power system and electrifying end uses in transport, industry and heating”.It also blamed backwards steps by the government on green power generation and home energy efficiency, which it said had in fact added £140 to every bill. Heather Plumpton, policy analyst at Green Alliance, said the intervention from the CCC was “a clear blow for the fossil fuel industry”.“They’ve made a clear call for tighter limits on the production of oil and gas – and made crystal clear how important it is that the climate test has real teeth if it is going to be credible,” she added.“The climate advisers say with absolute clarity that increasing domestic extraction would have a minimal impact on prices faced by UK households – and reiterate what the government itself knows to be true: that the government’s primary focus should be accelerating the transition away from volatile fossil fuel markets to an energy-efficient, renewables-based power system.”Rosie Rogers, head of oil and gas transition for Greenpeace UK, said that “anyone who’s read this advice and thinks the North Sea’s future lies in oil and gas is utterly deluded” and that the government should “stop hoping to resurrect a declining fossil fuel industry”.She added: “The future of the North Sea is in renewables. Our economy, our energy security and our climate depends on it.”Danny Gross, climate campaigner at Friends of the Earth, also welcomed the letter, stating: “Recommending a presumption against oil and gas exploration spells a paradigm shift for the future of the North Sea. “This assessment bolsters what scientists and the International Energy Agency have already said: that all new fossil fuel projects are incompatible with the international goal of limiting global heating to 1.5C.”A report by the International Energy Agency, commissioned by the UK’s Cop26 president Alok Sharma, warned last year that new oil and gas production was incompatible with reaching net zero by 2050. A separate domestic review by the government, however, said that drilling could proceed subject to some conditions – a suggestion that led to the government consulting on its “checkpoint”.But ministers say they want to “safeguard the future” of the oil and gas industry, which welcomed the move as potentially being a boon to “investor confidence” in fossil fuels.The committee’s letter says UK extraction has a “relatively low carbon footprint”, at least for gas, and that “the UK will continue to be a net importer of fossil fuels for the foreseeable future, implying there may be emissions advantages to UK production replacing imports”. But they said that “the extra gas and oil extracted will support a larger global market overall” and that the situation is “not clear-cut” as in the case of coal.Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey, a former energy secretary in the coalition government, said the committee’s advice “disproves once and for all the net-zero myths being peddled by Conservative MPs”.“The answer to Britain’s long-term energy strategy is not more oil and gas. Instead, we need a green energy revolution, investing in renewables and insulating our drafty homes to cut bills and give us energy security for decades to come,” he said. “If we want to cut household bills today then the clear answer is a Robin Hood tax on the billions oil barons are raking in. What is the government waiting for?”Officials at the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy said they would consider the letter alongside all other responses.A spokesperson appeared to downplay the possibility of strict rules and said: “There will continue to be ongoing demand for oil and gas over the coming decades as we transition to cleaner and cheaper forms of energy generated in this country.“As the business ​and energy secretary has said, turning off North Sea gas overnight would put energy security, British jobs and industries at risk, and we would be more dependent on foreign imports.“We welcome the committee’s acknowledgement that carbon budgets can still be met if new oil and gas fields are developed in the UK.” More

Keir Starmer is to evoke the memory of Labour’s 1960s prime minister Harold Wilson with a promise to use the “white heat of technology” to deliver an economy that works for all.In a speech in the four-time election-winner’s home town, Huddersfield, Sir Keir will quote his predecessor’s famous dictum in the latest step of his drive to reposition Labour as the party of business and growth.In his strongest effort yet to woo the private sector, he will say that no political party can succeed without a strong plan to help businesses thrive.“Britain cannot rise to the great challenges of the day without the innovation of business,” he will say. “A political party without a clear plan for making sure businesses are successful and growing, which doesn’t want them to do well and make a profit, has no hope of being a successful government.”But he will also risk alienating businesses who are reeling from the additional costs and red tape resulting from leaving the EU by repeating his pledge to “take advantage of the opportunities of Brexit”.Sir Keir will brand Boris Johnson’s Conservatives the party of high tax and low growth, pointing to April’s national insurance rise, which will bring the proportion of national income taken by the state to its highest level in 50 years.Promising to bring an end to a “decade of faltering growth” under Conservative-led administrations, the Labour leader will declare that “the days of economic fatalism are over”.In what Labour have billed as a major speech on his plans for “a new economy”, Sir Keir will set out priorities that are a far cry from the programme of nationalisation under his predecessor, Jeremy Corbyn.Labour will position the government as a partner to the private sector, put money back in people’s pockets, revitalise former industrial areas, end insecure unemployment and drive up productivity and wages, he will promise.“With Labour, Britain will once again grow,” he will say. “And from the proceeds of that growth we will build a new economy and a new Britain – one based on security, prosperity and respect for all.”Echoing Wilson, he will say: “Our country and our economy are entirely different now, but we too are going through the white heat.“We face our own revolutions in technology and industry, and it will fall to the next Labour government to shape that change so it works for all.” More