UK Politics

Amid widespread predictions of tax hikes to come at the autumn budget, Labour has said it remains committed to its pledge not to raise taxes on working people.This means no increases to the headline rates of VAT, national insurance, or income tax.Rachel Reeves has, however, warned of “harder” choices to come ahead of the crunch fiscal event at Labour’s party’s conference in Liverpool. This has led economists to speculate that changes could be made to tax on property, ISAs, or even pensions.Government borrowing in August was the highest in five years, official figures revealed, with higher tax receipts offset by higher spending and debt. In light of this stark picture, some economists have predicted the chancellor may need to find as much as £40bn at the Budget.Chancellor Rachel Reeves said she would ‘not take risks with Britain’s economic stability’ (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer has scrapped the target for 50 per cent of pupils to go to university, instead pledging that Labour will aim to see two-thirds of children complete a degree or do a “gold standard apprenticeship”.The prime minister said he no longer believed the pledge, which was made by Tony Blair in 1999, was “right for our times”.Sir Keir told the Labour party conference: “Some politicians say, ‘I want every child to have the same opportunities that I had’.The prime minister spoke about university in his speech to the Labour conference More

Patients will be seen faster from the “comfort of their own home or their desk” thanks to a new NHS online hospital which gives access to specialists around England, the Health Secretary has said.Wes Streeting told the PA news agency people will be able to use a “virtual hospital” from 2027 to speak to specialists, while those who prefer face-to-face appointments will still be able to have them.Sir Keir Starmer also mentioned the online shift in his speech at the Labour party conference, saying NHS Online will deliver “millions of appointments” digitally.Announcing the new service, the Prime Minister said the Government would “never” take away a face-to-face consultation “for those who want it”.He said: “Think about a single mum juggling kids, trying to find time to speak to a specialist, or someone in their later years, living in a rural community miles from a hospital, who needs a check-up for a suspected eye condition.“Why not have a doctor see you at home in your living room on an iPad, talking to you? No queues, no three-hour bus trip, no cancellation letters arriving after the appointment date.”Earlier, Mr Streeting told PA: “This is a Labour Government that’s not just getting our NHS back on its feet, but modernising it so that it’s fit for the future.“NHS Online is our new virtual hospital.“It will mean that, for some patients with some conditions where it’s safe and appropriate, patients will be given the opportunity – instead of being sent around the houses to their GP, then to hospital, then for checks and scans, then back again – they’ll be seen faster and more conveniently from the comfort of their own home or their desk at work by someone who will be able to get a sense of their condition, give them a course of action, which might be going to a community diagnostic centre or they might be given a course of treatment, and it’s faster, convenient and easier for patients.“The exciting thing about NHS Online is that we’re taking an approach that’s been proven to work in some hospitals, and rolling it out across the country.“So in Southampton, for example, they’ve trialled this for patients with chronic bowel inflammation and, by taking that approach, patients are being seen more quickly, conveniently, online, given the support they need.“It’s much better for them, and frees up hospital face-to-face appointments for those who need them.“If it’s good enough for Southampton, why isn’t it happening everywhere?“Of course, it’s only for those conditions where it’s safe and effective.“And of course, there’ll be some people who always say, ‘Well, I want to see someone face to face’.“And the good news is about this, everyone wins.“For those who are seen online and want to be, it’s faster and more convenient, and for those who want to see someone face to face, well, the extra capacity we’re creating means that those people also get the better service.”The Government estimates the move to a virtual hospital will generate an extra 8.5 million appointments over three years.Moorfields Eye Hospital in London is also among those which Mr Streeting said “has really great online triage for some of its patients, much faster access to the right care”.The new system will work by using teams to triage patients through the NHS App once they have had an appointment with a GP.People will be able to book a first appointment with a specialist from around the country online, and then chat to them using video or via phone if they prefer.NHS England said using country-wide specialists will help to spread out demand, with patients no longer held back by long local waiting lists.Patients will also be able to book in for recommended tests or scans and be able to track their prescriptions.Initially the focus will be on a small number of planned treatment areas with the longest waits, NHS England said, but will expand to other areas over time.Dr Jeanette Dickson, chairwoman of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, said of NHS Online: “This is a novel and potentially game-changing way of improving equity and speed of access to NHS services, which would reduce health inequalities.“Obviously, we need to make sure that those who aren’t digitally enabled are not penalised in any way, but if this approach can be delivered safely and effectively, freeing up capacity in bricks and mortar hospitals at the same time, then it could potentially be a really good thing.”Dr Becks Fisher, from the Nuffield Trust, said: “It is sensible to give patients a free choice to opt in or out of these new digital services.“This should mean that the NHS will not shut out those who want care in person.“But there are some difficult questions looming about how this new service will be implemented: will doctors and nurses for this service be able to take on this work without it impacting on existing face-to-face work?“And how will they pass patients who need care from digital to physical services?“This service will only be safe and suitable for certain patients.“How will we make sure it is kept to them?”Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, said the online hospital service could be a “very significant” development. 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Starmer takes aim at Farage during Labour conference speechSir Keir Starmer has launched a fresh attack on Nigel Farage, accusing the Reform UK leader of being an “enemy of national renewal” over his immigration plans.In his keynote address at the Labour Party conference, the prime minister said: “When was the last time you heard Nigel Farage say anything positive about Britain’s future? He can’t.”He doesn’t like Britain, doesn’t believe in Britain, wants you to doubt it as much as he does and so he resorts to grievance. They all do.”Taking to the stage, Sir Keir called for unity, telling the crowd at Liverpool: “We can all see our country faces a choice, a defining choice. Britain stands at a fork in the road.“We can choose decency. Or we can choose division. Renewal or decline.” He also took the fight to Reform, reclaiming the Union Jack flag and calling for stronger borders and controlled migration. Despite the cheers that greeted him, one Labour figure was notably absent as Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham was pictured leaving the conference shortly before the speech. The PM has faced a turbulent month, losing to scandal key figures in his team and facing open opposition from within his party, all against the backdrop of Reform outperforming Labour in the polls following a summer of protests against illegal immigration. Badenoch says Starmer has ‘all but confirmed’ tax rises Kemi Badenoch said the Prime Minister had “all but confirmed” that taxes would increase at the Budget in November.The Conservative leader said: “Keir Starmer has all but confirmed that tax rises are coming.“The Prime Minister could have used his speech to own up to the mistakes he’s made on the economy, admit the country was living beyond its means and set out a plan to avoid further punishing tax hikes this autumn, but he did not.“In Labour’s first year, inflation has doubled, economic growth has halved and unemployment has risen almost every single month. Everyone in Britain will now pay the price for Starmer’s weakness with a smaller economy and higher taxes.”Holly Evans30 September 2025 15:54Reform will teach Starmer a lesson in May, Farage vowsNigel Farage has promised to teach Sir Keir Starmer a lesson in May “that British political history will never forget”.The Reform UK leader said he is “more determined than ever” to trounce Labour in the local elections, particularly in Scotland and Wales, after a series of attacks on his character throughout the party’s conference.He said: “I am now, as a result of this week, and the abuse that has been heaped upon our supporters and our voters, more determined than ever.“Don’t underestimate that.” Holly Evans30 September 2025 15:51Farage: Starmer’s attacks are direct threat to our safetyNigel Farage has said Sir Keir Starmer’s personal attacks on him and Reform UK are a direct threat to the safety of its MPs and activists.Responding to the prime minister’s conference speech, which was laden with personal criticisms of Reform, Mr Farage said: “It directly threatens the safety of our elected officials and our campaigners.“Frankly, in the wake of the Charlie Kirk murder, it is an absolute disgrace.“I used to think the prime minister was a decent man… I am completely shocked at his behaviour.“I hope that when he wakes up tomorrow morning, he feels ashamed of what he has done.”Mr Farage added that it is “a desperate last throw of the dice from a prime minister deeply in trouble” and said he no longer believes Sir Keir is fit to be prime minister. Archie Mitchell30 September 2025 15:50David Lammy says Farage has ‘brass neck’ for incitement of violence claim Deputy Prime Minister David Lammy said Nigel Farage has a “brass neck” for accusing Labour of inciting violence against his party.The Reform UK leader is expected to make the claim in a response to Sir Keir Starmer’s conference speech.Asked about it, Mr Lammy told the BBC: “I think he’s got a bit of a brass neck, hasn’t he, Nigel Farage?“This story goes back a long way. This is calling out his policies, his policies that would line people up who have a right to be in this country, who might be Indian, who might be Nigerian, and send them home. It’s not British. It doesn’t respect our values.“And Keir Starmer was very articulate about that.”Asked whether he thought Mr Farage was a racist, Mr Lammy stressed that his policies were racist.“I’m not going to play the man. I’m playing the ball, as our leader did. I will leave it for the public to come to their own judgments about someone who once flirted with Hitler Youth when he was younger.”Holly Evans30 September 2025 15:42Former Labour shadow chancellor describes Starmer speech as ‘extremely policy light’John McDonnell, the party’s former shadow chancellor, told the Independent the speech was “full blown rhetorical flourish but extremely policy light, exemplified by denunciation of child poverty but sadly no announcement on scrapping the two-child limit”.Mr McDonnell was only given the party whip back last year after he was suspended as part of a row over the two-child benefit cap. Kate Devlin30 September 2025 15:35Starmer vows to ‘fight with every breath’ for working peopleSir Keir Starmer said he would “fight with every breath I have” for “working people” and “the tolerant, decent, respectful Britain I know”.The Prime Minister told Labour conference: “The Tories – remember them?“I don’t know if they believed in grievance politics.“Maybe they do now, when you see them turning away from the rule of law. It’s honestly hard to tell.Sir Keir Starmer addressing flag-waving delegates in Liverpool (Danny Lawson/PA) More

A Labour MP has blamed Brexit for Rachel Reeves’ tax-hiking Budget last October, adding that he hopes Britain rejoins the European Union in his lifetime.Andrew Lewin said leaving the EU has left Britain £40bn poorer per year, adding that “were we still members… there would not have been a single tax rise”.The Welwyn Hatfield MP cited research showing that 16,000 smaller businesses have stopped trading with the EU since Brexit. And, speaking at a fringe event at Labour’s conference on the future of Britain’s relationship with the bloc, he said: “Economists agree we are £40bn poorer as a country because of the Brexit deal. “And what does that practically mean? Wind back the clocks 11 months to last year’s Budget, where the chancellor had to raise taxes to the tune of about £40bn. “In a scenario where we are still members of the European Union, there would not have been a single tax rise, because we would have that growing productivity as part of the biggest democratic trading bloc in the world.” Mr Lewin also blamed Brexit for soaring food prices in shops, arguing that barriers to trade are pushing up inflation. The Welwyn Hatfield MP also said Brexit was to blame for soaring food prices in shops More

The education secretary has said that lifting the two-child benefit cap is “definitely on the table”, amid growing pressure on the government to scrap the controversial policy. Bridget Phillipson, who is in the race to succeed Angela Rayner as deputy leader of the party, argued there is “absolutely” more to do when it comes to tackling child poverty, adding that she will “make it happen”.Speaking on the fringes of the Labour conference in Liverpool, Ms Phillipson said: “I am determined and will guarantee by the end of this parliament that child poverty will come down. And the two-child limit, yes, is definitely on the table.”Bridget Phillipson is in the race to succeed Angela Rayner as deputy leader More

Wes Streeting has called for Angela Rayner to return to government just weeks after she resigned for not paying enough tax.To a huge cheer, the health secretary told the Labour party conference in Liverpool: “We need her back.”He also hit out at Reform UK leader Nigel Farage, labelling him a “con artist” and a “snake oil salesman”. His praise for Ms Rayner came as he unveiled £500m investment for the first ever “fair pay agreement” for care workers. Streeting was unveiling a £500m investment for a ‘fair pay agreement’ for care workers More