UK Politics

The speaker of the House of Commons has hinted at a possible security crackdown in the wake of the China spy scandal, as he said he was speaking to officials about “access arrangements”.Sir Lindsay Hoyle said he had sought legal advice on how to “pursue this issue in other ways”, days after telling MPs he was “very angry” over the collapse of a case against two men accused of spying for China.Ministers are continuing to face questions over why prosecutors dropped the charges, which has sparked a political row over who is to blame for the failure to prosecute.Speaking in the Commons on Monday afternoon, Sir Lindsay said: “I remain disappointed by what has happened in this case. The security minister told MPs there’s ‘nothing’ Keir Starmer could have done about the case falling apart More

A senior backbench MP has called for parliament to beef up the King’s powers so that he can permanently strip Prince Andrew of his titles.Rachael Maskell, the MP for York Central, said the disgraced royal has an association with the city, citing a poll which found the vast majority of residents want him to have his Duke of York title formally removed. He has been forced to voluntarily give up his titles, but the only way Andrew can be fully relieved of them is through an act of parliament. And Ms Maskell said the monarch should be given the power to formally remove royal titles “not just for this incident, but for any future occurrence, indeed, any titles at all, including peerages”. She told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “I didn’t come into parliament to discuss princes and princesses. “But a simple clause could be added to a constitutional bill or a private member’s bill; it would take very little time at all, but would give increased powers to the monarch to be able to have those duties into the future.“We have seen the pain, heard the pain and are learning more from victims and survivors. I think as a result of that, it would be appropriate to have legislation in place for this occurrence.” Prince Andrew has given up his Duke of York title More

Piers Morgan has revealed whether he would ever get into politics as he criticised “shockingly mediocre” MPs.Appearing on BBC Breakfast on Monday (20 October), the broadcaster weighed in on whether he would ever throw his hat in the ring for prime minister, stating that “PM for PM has a certain ring to it”.The 60-year-old revealed that it has never appealed to him, though slammed the current government as “mediocre” and compared it to previous iterations that were “full of smart people who had all done things in the real world”. “I don’t get that sense any more”, he said.He added that he believes politicians should be paid very high salaries in order to deliver the best results, like in Singapore. “If you pay peanuts, you get monkeys.” More

Rachel Reeves has indicated further cuts to welfare are likely under this Labour government as she looks ahead to her second autumn Budget.The chancellor has indicated that more tax rises and spending cuts can be expected at the fiscal event, as analysis from the respected Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) finds that the Treasury will need to find at least £22bn to tackle weak economic growth.Asked about changes to the benefit system on Channel 4 News, the chancellor said: “We can’t leave welfare untouched,” adding: “We can’t get to the end of this parliamentary session and I’ve basically done nothing … We have to do reform in the right way and take people with us.”The government was forced to abandon £4bn in proposed cuts to disability benefits in July after Labour MPs mounted a backbench rebellion against the plans.While some changes to Universal Credit are still set to come into effect in April, these are unlikely to yield any major savings.Rachel Reeves has indicated further cuts to welfare are likely More

British troops will be given new powers to shoot down drones threatening UK and US military bases with plans to extend them to protecting airports.Defence secretary John Healey is set to unveil his vision on how to protect Britain’s most critical military bases in response to a growing threat posed by Russia today in his Mansion House speech.Although the new powers will initially apply only to military sites, the government was “not ruling out working to extend those powers” to other important sites like airports, the Telegraph said, citing a source.Currently, troops can use specialist counter-drone equipment, which can track incoming drones, hijack signals, and divert them.The new proposal will give soldiers or Ministry of Defence Police a “kinetic option” to shoot them on site, which they can only do now in extreme circumstances.Defence Secretary John Healey More

British holidaymakers face the prospect of pricier getaways if Rachel Reeves implements tax increases in next month’s Budget, warn the UK’s two largest tour operators. Tui’s UK managing director, Neil Swanson, warned that “holidays will become too costly for some people if the Chancellor does this”. Jet2 chief executive Steve Heapy, meanwhile, feared the Budget could raise taxes by £50 billion annually, “screwing Middle England”. Ms Reeves is exploring tax rises and spending cuts for her 26 November Budget, aiming to address an estimated £50 billion fiscal deficit.Her inaugural Budget last October saw the announcement of an additional £40 billion in annual taxes.Mr Swanson warned that travel companies would be forced to raise holiday prices if taxes on businesses were increased further.People will be priced out of the market if taxes are raised, warn travel bosses More

Four Reform UK councillors have been suspended after a video was leaked to the press showing the leader of the party’s flagship local authority telling council members to “suck it up”.Reform UK took control of Kent County Council (KCC) after winning 57 of the 81 seats at the local elections in May, overturning a 30-year Tory majority.Footage of an online meeting in which KCC leader Linden Kemkaran could be seen berating backbench councillors when they questioned her was leaked to the press on Saturday.A Reform UK spokesperson said: “Cllrs Paul Thomas, Oliver Bradshaw, Bill Barrett and Maxine Fothergill have had the whip suspended pending investigation, following evidence that they brought the party into disrepute.” Kent County Council leader Linden Kemkaran pictured with Reform UK leader Nigel Farage earlier this year More

Foreign secretary Yvette Cooper is being urged to maintain the UK’s contribution to the global fight against HIV, TB and malaria, with expected cuts potentially costing hundreds of thousands of lives. Anti-poverty charity, the ONE Campaign, put out the plea ahead of a summit to raise £13.5 billion for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria – the world’s largest funder of treatments for these diseases. The charity cited figures suggesting the British public overwhelmingly supports the government investing in the fight against the biggest killer infectious diseases.Polling by More in Common commissioned by the ONE Campaign found two-thirds of Brits, when told about the work of the Global Fund, said the UK should increase or maintain its support for the fund. The Global Fund pays for a quarter of all international HIV treatment and prevention programmes, more than half of malaria programmes and three-quarters of TB programmes. It is estimated to have saved 70 million lives in the past 20 years. It is mostly funded by contributions from more than 80 governments, as well as by private industry and philanthropy. Currently, the UK is its third-largest donor, having pledged £1bn in 2022. But, amid swingeing cuts to the overall spend on overseas aid, the UK is widely expected to reduce its contribution to the fund – despite co-hosting the fundraising event taking place in November on the fringes of the G20 summit. Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper is expected to announce the UK’s contribution to the Global Fund in the coming month (Jonathan Brady/PA) More