Markus Andrews

Wes Streeting has denied he is plotting to oust Sir Keir Starmer after Downing Street intervened in claims that a potential leadership coup is in the works. Dismissing the speculation, the health secretary said the claims were “self-defeating and self-destructive”, comparing them to conspiracy theories.He told Sky News on Wednesday: “I think whoever’s been briefing this has been watching too much Celebrity Traitors.“It’s a totally self-defeating briefing, not least because it’s not true and I don’t understand how anyone thinks it’s helpful to the prime minister either,” he added, calling for the originators of the briefings to be sacked.No 10 has singled out the health secretary to warn off other potential leadership challenges from senior Labour figures More

The sole Reform UK member of the Welsh Parliament, Laura Anne Jones, is facing a two-week suspension from the Senedd’s debating chamber following a recommendation from its standards committee. The proposed ban stems from a racial slur she used in a WhatsApp message exchange.Ms Jones, who defected from the Conservatives earlier this year, made the offensive remark about Chinese people in a group during a discussion about the Chinese-owned app TikTok in August 2023. She wrote: “No ***** spies for me.”While Ms Jones has previously issued an apology for the comment, the Senedd standards committee concluded that her actions “fell far below the standards expected” of a member of the Senedd. Members of the Senedd are expected to formally approve the 14-day suspension next week.Jones defected from the Conservatives earlier this year More

The government is set to re-examine its decision not to award compensation to up to 3.8 million women affected by changes to the state pension age, following the emergence of new evidence.Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden informed the Commons that ministers would reconsider the refusal of compensation for women born in the 1950s, whose state pension age was raised to align with men’s.He stated that “evidence” not presented to his predecessor, Liz Kendall, has come to light since the decision was made last December.Labour had previously faced criticism for rejecting compensation, despite a recommendation from the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PHSO).The PHSO had suggested that these women should receive up to £2,950 each, amounting to a potential total cost of £10.5bn, due to poor communication that hindered their ability to adequately plan for retirement.Work and pensions secretary Pat McFadden that new evidence has come to light (Ben Birchall/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer urged the BBC to “get its house in order” following Donald Trump’s threat to sue the corporation for $1billion lawsuit.The prime minister was urged by Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey to tell the US president to drop his demand during PMQs on Wednesday (12 November), stating that Mr Trump is “trying to destory our BBC”.Sir Keir responded by saying he believes in a “strong and independent BBC”, but admitted the corporation “needs to get their house in order” when “mistakes are made”.“The BBC must uphold the highest standards, be accountable and correct errors quickly.” More

Wes Streeting has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack those responsible for “self-defeating” rumours about a Labour leadership challenge in an extraordinary attack on Downing Street.The health secretary demanded change at the top of No 10 following reports that unnamed aides had accused him of plotting to oust Sir Keir.Mr Streeting denied the reports, and he turned the tables on his unnamed No 10 critics, accusing them of “picking on him” and delivering an incendiary public denunciation of Sir Keir’s Downing Street.Mr Streeting said it showed that deputy Labour leader Lucy Powell, an earlier reported victim of hostile Downing Street briefings, had been right to criticise the “culture” in No 10.He categorically denied that he was plotting to oust Sir Keir, comparing suggestions he would do so to conspiracy theories.Streeting, pictured in London on Wednesday morning, laughed off suggestions that he is behind a plot to oust Starmer as leader More

One of Britain’s richest men, who donated £1m to Brexit campaigns, says he’s considering moving permanently to Australia after delivering a damning assessment of a UK “in chaos”.Lord Edmiston was ranked 187th on the Sunday Times Rich list this year with an estimated wealth of £855m, after making his fortune through his IM Group empire, which started by importing cars and later expanded into property and finance.In 2011 he was made a Conservative life peer before he retired from the House of Lords four years later to focus on his evangelical charity, Christian Vision, where his donations make him one of the UK’s biggest philanthropic donors. The devout Christian has also donated £1m to pro-Brexit campaigns, including £850,000 to Vote Leave through his company before the 2016 EU referendum. But with his son, Andrew, taking a bigger hand in running the West Midlands-based business, Lord Edmiston told The Independent he is spending more time out of the UK, having semi-retired to Portugal in 2016 and built a property in Australia.Now, he has revealed that he and his wife Lady Edmiston are considering going a step further by applying for permanent residency in Australia. He put it down to family reasons and a warmer climate, but also fired off criticism of the NHS and the country’s tax system. Lord Edmiston’s company IM Group donated £850,000 to Vote Leave, which had Boris Johnson as one of its figureheads More

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (12 November).It comes as rumours swirl of a plot to oust the prime minister from Downing Street, circulated by senior aides during anonymous briefings on Tuesday (11 November).Among those touted as replacements are health secretary Wes Streeting and home secretary Shabana Mahmood, and one aide said that as many as “four leadership campaigns” are already active.Mr Streeting said that reports that he has a group of some 50 Labour frontbenchers ready to walk away from Government should the Budget land badly are “categorically untrue”.He accused the senior aides behind the anonymous briefings of engaging in “self-defeating and self-destructive behaviour” and called for them to be fired.Speaking to broadcasters this morning, he said that those launching the rumours have been “watching too much Celebrity Traitors”.The prime minister could also be grilled on the wrongful release of 91 prisoners in the past seven months. On Tuesday (11 November), David Lammy told the Commons that three were still on the loose.Of the three confirmed cases, two were released in August and December last year and a third in June this year. One is a foreign national. More

IT companies that provide services for the NHS, as well as the UK’s energy, water and transport infrastructure, will face tough new security standards in a new law introduced by ministers to mitigate the threat of cyber attacks.The Cyber Security and Resilience Bill will be introduced on Wednesday in a move that ministers hope will strengthen national security by boosting cyber protections for the services that people and businesses rely on. The aim is to keep taps running, lights on and the UK’s transport services moving as businesses, transport hubs and government organisations continue to be targeted by cyber attacks. Liz Kendall, as technology secretary, will get new powers to instruct regulators and the organisations More