Markus Andrews

A Tory MP has pleaded not guilty to two counts of sexual assault at London’s Groucho Club.Patrick Spencer, the MP for Central Suffolk and North Ipswich, allegedly cupped the breasts of two women over their clothes at the famous private members’ club on an evening in August 2023. He has been suspended from the Conservative Party and had the whip withdrawn over the charges. When the charges were made public last month, Mr Spencer “categorically denied” the allegations against him and vowed to defend them “robustly” in court. Mr Spencer is the son of Michael Spencer, a billionaire Conservative peer and founder of finance firm NEX Group.Patrick Spencer is the son of a billionaire Conservative peer Michael Spencer More

Sir Keir Starmer has appointed the first ever female head of Britain’s Secret Intelligence Service, MI6.Blaise Metreweli, the current head of technology and innovation at MI6, is being promoted to its 18th chief and the first woman to hold the role as the UK faces growing threats from foreign adversaries. The head of MI6 is commonly referred to as C and is the only publicly named member of the organisation. Ms Metreweli, a veteran of the organisation and its domestic counterpart MI5, was awarded a CMG for services to British Foreign Policy last year. ( More

World leaders are gathered in Canada for a G7 summit set to be dominated by intense talks about the escalating conflict in the Middle East. With missiles being fired back and forth between Israel and Iran, Sir Keir Starmer, Donald Trump and others are in Kananaskis, Alberta until Tuesday. But while the summit has been overshadowed by rising tensions elsewhere, there are still a series of thorny issues for the G7 leaders to discuss. Donald Trump will dominate the G7 summit More

Disabled people could lose more than £10,000 a year as a result of Sir Keir Starmer’s benefit cuts, a group of MPs has warned. In a damning report, the all-party group (APPG) on poverty said some claimants who will be made ineligible for personal independence payments (PIP) face losing £886 per month.As ministers try to slash £5bn from the welfare bill, the group said up to 800,000 face losing their PIP support completely. Keir Starmer’s welfare reforms could cost disabled people more than £10,000 a year More

When Keir Starmer arrived to speak to journalists on Sunday morning at the British High Commission in Ottawa, there was a temporary distraction as one of the resident groundhogs made an appearance.But in more than one way, the prime minister’s trip to Canada has the same “Groundhog Day” feel to it as the constant repetition of events seen in the famous comedy film of that name.The G7 summit is taking place on Monday and Tuesday in Alberta as much of the world burns. With escalating crises in the Middle East and Ukraine, the leaders of the world’s top democracies have much to discuss.Groundhog at the British High Commission grounds in Ottawa More

Sir Keir Starmer is facing a major challenge for his government to intervene and delay a vote on assisted dying to go ahead on Friday this week.A group of more than 50 Labour MPs have this weekend written to the Leader of the House Lucy Powell asking her to intervene and postpone this Friday’s final third reading vote on Kim Leadbeater’s assisted dying bill in the Commons.Instead they are demanding that the government provides more parliamentary time to scrutinise a bill which will bring “fundamental changes” to healthcare in England.The move marks a serious split over the issue among Labour MPs and could prove difficult Sir Keir who is in favour of assisted dying but tried to stay away from the fraught debate.Kim Leadbeater’s Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill returns to Parliament for further debate on Friday (House of Commons/UK Parliament/PA) More

Keir Starmer has admitted that the clock is ticking on getting his much-vaunted trade deal with Donald Trump in place before the steel industry is hit by crippling 50 per cent tariffs.The two men unveiled their trade deal last month to great fanfare as the first of a number that the US President hopes to get across the line following his decision to impose worldwide tariffs.The issue is one of a number Sir Keir will hope can be dealt with at a crucial G7 summit in Canada.However, a deadline of Wednesday looms large, leaving Sir Keir just days to get his deal implemented before subsequent tariffs announced by Trump of 50 per cent on steel imports also apply to the UK.Sir Keir Starmer with Donald Trump (Carl Court/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer has warned Labour rebels that he will not budge any further on plans to slash disability benefits.With dozens of backbenchers threatening a revolt over plans to cut personal independence payments (PIP) and other benefits, the prime minister is facing his next big test with his own party.Already, there had been rumblings about economic policy during the run-up to the spending review, with a number of MPs supportive of a proposal by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner to impose eight new wealth taxes on the super-rich and corporations instead of making cuts.Keir Starmer on a visit with Liz Kendall to the Bridge Cafe in Bolton More