Markus Andrews

A union leader is warning the government that there is widespread disappointment at Labour’s “failure” to deliver the scale and speed of change it promised at the general election.Matt Wrack, general secretary of the NASUWT teachers’ union, said there was frustration which was rooted in “decades of neglect” of communities hollowed out by deindustrialisation.He said: “The so-called ‘left behind’ communities are often talked about, but little is actually done to meet their hopes and their needs. In this bleak landscape, the far right stokes division — blaming migrants and refugees for the failings of the government and the economy.“Ignoring this wake-up call is currently likely to deliver further major blows to Labour at elections next May. The prospect of Reform in Government in some form is now not an unreasonable one.Matt Wrack More

The government must make sure that homes are built in the “right” parts of England as it looks to meet its ambitious housebuilding targets, a think tank has urged.The Resolution Foundation says the government will need to hit and sustain its target of creating 1.5 million new homes over this parliament and the next to alleviate mounting pressures on the private rental sector and temporary accommodation.The authors argued that the government faces a trade-off on whether to focus efforts on areas that are least affordable or those that have the greatest productivity potential.The think tank said that while some places, such as London, Oxford and Cambridge, “tick both boxes”, areas such as Greater Manchester and Birmingham with “huge productivity potential” hold the key to boosting economic growth.It argued that these areas should be prioritised over “pricier areas with low productivity potential”.The foundation argued: “These major cities may be relatively affordable now, but housing demand and cost pressures will increase as productivity grows if housing stock doesn’t keep pace.”Areas such as Greater Manchester hold the key to boosting economic growth, according to the think tank More

Labour’s new chair has claimed the party’s MPs are frustrated with Andy Burnham’s leadership manoeuvrings ahead of the party’s annual conference this weekend. As she called for unity, Anna Turley said Labour MPs questioned the Greater Manchester mayor’s “motivations” a day after Keir Starmer attacked his economic policies and compared him to Liz Truss. Chancellor Rachel Reeves also hit out at his fiscal policy suggestions late on Friday.The Labour infighting, which has been bubbling for weeks, erupted in public after Mr Burnham said Labour MPs had privately urged him to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the party leadership. Speculation about Mr Starmer’s future, as his party trails Nigel Farage’s Reform UK in the polls and is expected to have to raise taxes in November’s Budget, is expected to dominate the event in Liverpool. Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, left, pictured with mayor of Greater Manchester Andy Burnham More

Kemi Badenoch is expected to reveal that the Tories will support withdrawing from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) after a review she commissioned recommended it.The Independent has seen a copy of the draft conclusions to a review by former justice minister Lord Wolfson of Tredegar, which argues that the ECHR has gone “well beyond” the original intent of the convention in treating it as “a living document”.The Tory peer argued the convention has put unacceptable “constraints” on governments and domestic courts, and made anticipating rulings “unpredictable”.Kemi Badenoch is expected to commit the Tories to ditching the ECHR More

Digital identity cards will be mandatory for every worker in the UK under new plans announced by the prime minister on Friday.The card is the Labour government’s latest attempt to crack down on illegal migration, designed to make it harder for people without the right to work to find employment.Sir Keir said the plans will ensure the country’s “borders are more secure,” explaining: “You will not be able to work in the United Kingdom if you do not have digital ID. It’s as simple as that.”The government has confirmed it intends to fully roll out the cards before the end of this Parliament in 2029.It would verify an individual’s work in the UK, similar to the system in use in Estonia, where citizens are given unique identification numbers.A June report from think tank Labour Together mocked up what the Brit card could look like on a smartphone More

It was 16 years ago, on a platform at London’s St Pancras International Railway Station, when the home secretary Alan Johnson stood proudly and flashed a new identity card for the British, calling it a “no-brainer”.The non-compulsory biometric card was a watered-down version of the Tony Blair government’s initial idea for a national ID card, but still, Johnson said it would combat fraud and allow holders, who paid £30 for the privilege, to travel Europe without a passport.But less than 100 days later, following the arrival of the Toy-Lib Dem coalition government, new home secretary Theresa May vowed to “consign the intrusive ID card scheme to history”, with the unpopular rollout producing just 15,000 cards.“Abolishing the national identity register is a major step in dismantling the surveillance state,” added Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg.But nearly two decades on, Britain is a wholly different place.Former home secretary Alan Johnson reveals an ID card, launched in 2009 More

Keir Starmer has warned that Labour is in “a fight for the soul of the country” with Reform UK as he launched a fightback against the “lies and division” of Nigel Farage’s populism.The prime minister issued a challenge to the world’s centre-left parties to take on parties such as Reform, which he said use division to bolster their support, in a bid to see off the party he sees as his greatest threat at the next election.It came as a new poll suggested that Reform UK is on the brink of an outright majority if there were to be an election, putting Mr Farage into Downing Street, while panicking Labour MPs are urging Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham to challenge Sir Keir as leader.On the eve of a crucial make-or-break Labour conference next week, the prime minister unashamedly insisted that Labour and other social democratic parties “need to stand up for our values” of “decency and honesty”.Starmer addresses fellow social democrats More