Markus Andrews

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailDiane Abbott is still weighing up whether to stand as a LabourMP a close ally has indicated as Labour denied offering her a peerage to leave the Commons.Labour peer Shami Chakrabarti said she had advised her friend to “take some time to consider what she wants to do”.She also hit out at what she denounced as a “sordid week of unauthorised anonymous briefings by overgrown schoolboys in suits with their feet on the table” who had watched “too much West Wing”.Her comments came as Labour denied offering MPs, including Ms Abbott, seats in the House of Lords to stand down.Diane Abbott is ‘free’ to stand as a candidate in the election, Sir Keir Starmer has said (Jonathan Brady/PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLabour has promised to give bereaved families access to their children’s social media “as fast as possible” if it wins the election. Shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper said that “urgent action” was needed. In February it was reported that plans were underway to allow coroners to demand internet giants hand over data to inquests into the circumstances of a child’s death. Campaigners have been pushing for new powers after the case of Molly Russell, a 14-year-old who ended her life in November 2017 after viewing suicide and self-harm content online.The coroner in her case concluded that the schoolgirl died while suffering from the “negative effects of online content”.Yvette Cooper More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailKeir Starmer has promised to slash “sky high” migration numbers if Labour wins the election. The Labour leader said last year’s net migration figure of 685,000 has “got to come down” as he vowed to “control our borders and make sure British businesses are helped to hire Brits first”.He also hit out at successive Conservative governments for promising but failing to cut the numbers. But Sir Keir is facing a backlash from sections of his own party over the policy. And both he and his shadow home secretary Yvette Cooper have refused to set a target – or a timeline – for their plans. Ms Cooper also refused to rule out sending asylum seekers abroad to have their claims processed, a move which, unlike Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda plan, would not necessarily be a one-way ticket.Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer vowed to curb immigration (PA) More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailMore GP surgeries and diagnostic centres would be built under a future Conservative government funded by slashing the number of NHS managers, the Tories have said.In their first major health offer of the general election, the Tories have said they will bring more care services into the community.Under the plans, the party would build 100 new GP surgeries and modernise a further 150. Areas of the greatest need, especially those with large numbers of new homes, would be the focus of the proposal.Last year, figures published by the BBC revealed almost 200 GP surgeries had closed between 2018 and 2022.The Conservatives have also said they would expand the Pharmacy First scheme, launched in England earlier this year, which allows patients to access some simple treatments via their pharmacy without having been to a GP first.For the latest on the general election – follow our live blog by clicking hereRishi Sunak is pledging 100 more GP surgeries in the Tories first major health offer of the general election More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailLabour has restated its pledge to reform the existing apprenticeship levy, promising firms more flexibility about how they spend government money.Bridget Phillipson, the shadow education secretary, said that a new growth and skills levy would give businesses “greater flexibility to invest in training courses that meet their skills needs, turbocharging investment in skills for the future”. She said that businesses are “crying out for help to tackle skills shortages”.The announcement comes days after Labour was seen courting bosses, asking them to declare their support for the reformed levy, according to Sky News.On Tuesday, a public letter in support of the party which 120 company chiefs signed caused a row over Labour’s claim to be the “party of business”, after some signatories were allegedly associated with dormant firms.Bridget Phillipson has restated Labour’s pledge to reform the existing apprenticeship levy More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailRishi Sunak’s election campaign has been dealt another hammer blow as a new poll shows Labour’s lead is at its highest level since Liz Truss’s premiership.A survey by Opinium has Sir Keir Starmer’s party up four points to 45 per cent, with the Tories down two to 25 per cent, putting Labour on course for a landslide victory.The poll, conducted between 29-31 May at a time of turmoil in Labour’s campaign, suggests that the prime minister’s eye-catching announcements on mandatory national service and tax cuts for pensioners have failed to land with voters.And it is likely to fuel concerns in Tory high command that, after 14 years in power, the public has stopped listening to the party.Labour’s lead has increased to 20 points, according to one poll More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailA defiant Liz Truss has insisted she was not the worst prime minister – as she handed the unwanted accolade to Tony Blair.The 48-year-old, Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister, oversaw the disastrous mini-Budget in 2022 that sent the markets into freefall during her 49 days in office.But the South West Norfolk MP has claimed that three-time election winner Tony Blair was instead the worst leader the country had ever had.In an interview with her local newspaper, Ms Truss also again refused to accept responsibility for her downfall, blaming “unelected officials” in the Bank of England and other forces for her exit from No 10.“I campaigned in a leadership election on policies that got the support of Conservative party members, policies that in my view were the right policies. I was thwarted in delivering that,” she told the Eastern Daily Press.Liz Trus went down in history as Britain’s shortest-serving prime minister when she resigned on 20 October in 2022 More

Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inboxGet our free View from Westminster emailThe Conservatives launched a desperate bid for funding on Saturday after complaining of a slump in online donations in recent days. A begging letter sent to supporters warns the party will have to curtail its election campaign without an injection of cash. The plea comes amid grassroots fury at claims the prime minister’s allies are parachuting advisers and backers into winnable seats. An email sent to members on behalf of senior Tory Alan Mabbutt claimed “tough” decisions would have to be made within 48 hours if the party’s finances did not improve.Rishi Sunak on his campaign battle bus More