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Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signalled a partial U-turn on restricting winter fuel payments earlier this week (Thomas Krych/PA) More
Angela Rayner has shut down growing rumours that she is seeking to challenge Sir Keir Starmer for the leadership of the Labour Party, saying she doesn’t want to lead the party. Sir Keir’s deputy categorically ruled out holding the position at any point in the future, despite a growing belief within Labour that she would be the most likely successor as the prime minister battles plummeting approval ratings following brutal results at the local elections. It comes after The Independent revealed that a large number of MPs from the so-called “soft left” of the party are organising to try to force a change of direction, with allies of Ms Rayner urging her to organise a leadership contest.Angela Rayner has ruled out becoming leader of the Labour Party More
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner has quashed rumours that she is vying to become leader of the Labour Party, saying she has “no desire” to take on the role.It follows speculation about a potential leadership challenge after the leak of a memo outlining apparent tax rise plans, alongside media briefings suggesting she could be demoted.In an interview with Trevor Phillips on Sunday (25 May), the deputy leader said she is “honoured” to hold her current role and is not interested in becoming leader. Asked whether she could rule out ever becoming leader, she replied: “Never.”Rayner also indicated that an inquiry is “underway” into how the memo addressed to Chancellor Rachel Reeves was leaked. More
On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer took everyone by surprise when he suddenly announced a U-turn on Labour’s controversial winter fuel payment cuts. The response to what appeared to be a planted question from a loyal backbencher during Prime Minister’s Questions certainly wrong-footed Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and meant that Labour MPs left the chamber with smiles on their faces.But the shock move came as Sir Keir was having to act to shore up power with MPs, senior party figures and trade unionists who have been openly plotting to remove him.After a turbulent 10 months, the prime minister’s migration announcement earlier this month, where he laid out plans to clamp down on the number of people coming into the UK, was seen as a “watershed moment” for the party – not least because it had echoes of the late right-wing Tory MP Enoch Powell’s infamous “Rivers of Blood” speech.Now, a large number of MPs from the so-called “soft left” of the party are organising to try to force a change of direction, with allies of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner urging her to organise a leadership contest. Keir Starmer signals a partial U-turn on restricting winter fuel payments earlier this week More
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage will commit to restoring the winter fuel payments to all pensioners and scrapping the two-child benefit cap, according to reports.Farage is expected to appeal to more left-wing voters in a speech next week, according to the Sunday Telegraph.The newspaper said the Reform leader would call prime minister Sir Keir Starmer “one of the most unpatriotic prime ministers in our history and this past week has been evidence of that”, in reference to Reform’s success in recent local elections.The political party is riding high in the opinion polls after its victories in town halls and the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, according to YouGov.The latest opinion polling revealed Reform UK is the most popular party among voters at 29 per cent, followed by Labour on 22 per cent and Liberal Democrats at 17 per cent. The Conservatives are in fourth place at 16 per cent.The Clacton MP spent last week on holiday while the House of Commons was sitting. While MPs have left Westminster for recess, he is expected to return to the political arena and say: “The prime minister is out of touch with working people, he doesn’t understand what they want and how they feel about the big issues facing Britain.“It’s going to be these very same working people that will vote Reform at the next election and kick Labour out of government.”A source told the newspaper: “We’re against the two-child cap and we’d go further on winter fuel by bringing the payment back for everyone.“That’s already outflanking Labour.”This comes as Sir Keir has signalled a desire to restore the winter fuel payment to more pensioners in Prime Minister’s Questions.The payment was previously made to all pensioners, but Labour reduced it to only those receiving pension credit in one of its early acts in government.it is understood that the Goverment’s action plan to tackle child poverty – a document likely to contain proposals to scrap the two-child benefit cap – has been delayed until the autumn. The plan is likely to be aligned with the budget so it can be fully costed.New costings released recently by the Child Poverty Action Group (CPAG) show another 109 more children are pulled into poverty by the policy every day.The number affected will continue to increase until 2035 – when the first children born under the turn 18.The charity says that scrapping the cap would be the most cost-effective way to lift kids out of poverty. More
Hundreds of thousands of children with special needs are at risk of losing their entitlement to support in schools, as the government refused to rule out scrapping key documents that families rely on to guarantee specialist help. Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) are statutory documents which outline the support needed to help children with special needs and disabilities achieve key life outcomes. But speaking to the Guardian, Catherine McKinnell, the school standards minister, declined to rule out narrowing or replacing EHCPs altogether as she confirmed officials were developing a new system for SEND support. Changes to the EHCP system could force thousands of pupils out of mainstream education, campaigners have warned More
Sir Keir Starmer is facing the biggest rebellion of his premiership as more than 150 MPs are preparing to vote against his forthcoming welfare cuts.It is understood that there is growing upset among both parliamentary private secretaries (PPSs) and even government ministers, who are said to be considering quitting if the government doesn’t water down its proposals. It comes amid deep concern over the impact of the proposed changes, which will see personal independence payments cut for around 800,000 people. One PPS told The Independent she is horrified by the direction of the government, claiming that the prime minister simply doesn’t care what his MPs think. Prime minister Keir Starmer signalled a partial U-turn on restricting winter fuel payments earlier this week More
Kemi Badenoch is facing an inevitable leadership challenge, Boris Johnson’s former director of communications has warned, amid reports that the Tory party is plotting to oust her. Guto Harri, who worked for Boris Johnson during his time in No 10, also warned the Conservatives against selecting frontrunner Robert Jenrick as their next leader, dubbing him a “pale imitation” of Reform UK. It comes after The Independent revealed that Tory MPs are plotting to remove Mrs Badenoch as panic grows over the future of the party following Reform’s success in the local elections and continued disastrous results in the polls. Kemi Badenoch is facing questions over her leadership after the disastrous local election results More
