Markus Andrews

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailSir Keir Starmer has distanced himself from Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner and refused to say if he would like Diane Abbott to stand in the general election as tensions in the party about a “leftwing purge” mount.The Labour leader broke with Ms Rayner and declined to give a view on whether the veteran left-winger should be allowed to run as a Labour candidate.A day earlier, the Labour deputy said “as the deputy leader of the Labour Party… I don’t see any reason why Diane Abbott can’t stand as a Labour MP going forward”.Sir Keir Starmer refused to say if he would like to see Diane Abbott stand More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailSir Keir Starmer has said he will work with Donald Trump if both men are in power later this year after the former president’s hush money conviction.The Labour leader described Mr Trump’s guilty verdict as an “unprecedented situation”, but promised to “work with whoever is elected president”. “That’s what you’d expect,” he added.A New York jury found Mr Trump guilty of 34 charges relating to the falsification of business records in a scheme to illegally influence the 2016 election through hush money payments to adult film actress Stormy Daniels, who said the two had sex. Mr Trump intends to appeal the convictions.Former US president Donald Trump on the 15th hole at Trump International Golf Links & Hotel in Doonbeg, Co. Clare, during his visit to Ireland (Brian Lawless/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailJust days after Sir Keir Starmer was spotted wearing a £500 hoodie from luxury French fashion house Sandro, it has emerged that a peer donated nearly £20,000 to help the Labour leader with a pre-election glow-up.Former ASOS chairman Waheed Alli, who sits in the House of Lords, gave stylish Starmer £16,200 for “work clothing” and a further £2,485 for “multiple pairs of glasses”, according to the latest update to his register of interests. The Labour leader appears to have put that donation to good use after he donned a chic Sandro Orion jacket – which currently retails at £519 at Harrods – while meeting voters in Brighton and pledging to tackle the cost of living crisis. The donations were received on 17 April and 29 April and pledged by Lord Alli, the former boss of Chorion, fashion retailer Koovs, and was the chairman of online clothing giant ASOS. Lord Alli is also the director of multiple companies including SGIF 2 investments, Silver Star Productions and SGIK 3 Investments. Earlier this year, Sir Keir was spotted wearing a pair of £500 glasses by Danish luxury brand Lindberg, according to Guido Fawkes. The Labour leader has now reportedly switched out his glasses on the campaign trail to a humbler pair – a snip at £220. The Sandro Orion jacket has a detachable hood and currently retails at £519 on high-end retailer Harrods More

Sign up to our free Brexit and beyond email for the latest headlines on what Brexit is meaning for the UKSign up to our Brexit email for the latest insightBrexit has reduced Britain to tears, France’s prime minister has said in a bid to quell support for French populists in next month’s European elections.Gabriel Attal, who was appointed prime minister by president Emmanuel Macron in January, said: “Don’t let’s be like the British, who cried after Brexit.”Speaking in a radio interview, the 35-year-old was seeking to drum up support for Mr Macron’s centrist candidate list for the European Parliament elections in June.Gabriel Attal is seen as a protege of Emmanuel Macron More