UK Politics

Sometimes a hushed Commons chamber greets a statement of great significance – the death of a national figure, a resignation statement by a senior minister, war or a tragedy.But this was not the case for Liz Kendall whose statement to the House on last minute changes to her much criticised welfare bill was met with a prickly uncomfortable silence and barely an audible sound of approval from the Labour benches behind her.The work and pensions secretary had in essence been forced to come to the Commons a day early to outline her changes to the welfare bill made in desperation because more than 130 Labour MPs had signed an amendment which would kill it.Starmer with Kendall More

A cabinet minister has rallied to the defence of Keir Starmer ahead of a crunch vote on his welfare reforms widely seen as a test of his authority.Bridget Phillipson insisted the prime minister would lead her party into the next general election, amid growing questions over his future. In an interview with The Independent days before Labour marks its first year in power, the education secretary also said government had its “ups and downs” and suggested better times were ahead. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson (Anthony Devlin/PA) More

Related video: Angela Rayner insists welfare cuts vote will happen on TuesdayThe government has admitted that Sir Keir Starmer’s benefit cuts will still push 150,000 people into relative poverty, despite the prime minister watering down the measures.An assessment of the impact of the welfare reforms says 150,000 additional working-age adults will face relative poverty because of the cuts.A previous assessment, before Sir Keir was forced to U-turn on some of the changes, said 250,000 people, including 50,000 children, would face poverty as a result of the measures.Pressure is mounting on the prime minister as he launches a last-minute attempt to win over dozens of Labour MPs rebelling against his welfare reforms.He is still facing the prospect of around 50 MPs rebelling in a crunch vote on Tuesday, despite offering concessions on the legislation last week.The original welfare bill proposed to introduce a higher bar for eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment (Pip), and cut the health-related element of universal credit.But after more than 100 Labour MPs called for these changes to be scrapped, the government said its proposed rules will now only apply to new claims from November 2026, and also rowed back on universal credit plans.Some changes to bill confirmedLiz Kendall is outlining concessions made to the welfare bill in the Commons now.“We have listened carefully and we are making positive changes as a result,” she said.She confirmed that the government’s proposed rules will now only apply to new claims from November 2026.“We will now ensure the new 4 point requirement will only apply to new claims from November 2026, this means no existing claimants will be affected by the changes in this bill,” she said.Athena Stavrou30 June 2025 15:44Watch live: Live: Labour introduces changes to Welfare Bill ahead of crucial vote[embedded content]Athena Stavrou30 June 2025 15:41Liz Kendall begins statement Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall is now addressing MPs in the Commons.She is updating MPs on changes made to the government’s controversial welfare reforms, in a bid to quell a Labour rebellion.She began by saying: “This government believes in equality and social justice.”( More

The BBC has said it “should have pulled” its coverage of punk duo Bob Vylan’s “death to the IDF” chant at Glastonbury on Saturday.After days of backlash against the performance and its broadcast, the BBC said it contained “utterly unacceptable” and “antisemitic sentiments”. “Millions of people tuned in to enjoy Glastonbury this weekend across the BBC’s output but one performance within our live streams included comments that were deeply offensive,” the corporation said. The performer led crowds on the festival’s West Holts Stage in chants of ‘death, death to the IDF’ More

A hard-right lawmaker was sworn in Monday as Greece’s migration minister, replacing a fellow right-wing political heavyweight who resigned following accusations of involvement in the distribution of European Union farm subsidies.Five high-ranking government officials, including the previous migration minister, Makis Voridis, three deputy ministers and a secretary general, resigned last Friday following allegations they were involved in a scheme to provide EU agriculture subsidies to undeserving recipients.The funds, which were handled by a government body known by its Greek acronym OPEKEPE, were allegedly given to numerous people who had made false declarations of owning or leasing non-existent pastures or livestock.Thanos Plevris, 48, succeeded Voridis and is expected to maintain Greece’s hard line in migration policy. Both Plevris and Voridis joined the conservative New Democracy party in 2012, from the right-wing populist Popular Orthodox Rally, or LAOS, party.Voridis has denied any involvement in the alleged farm subsidy fraud and said he resigned in order to clear his name. The European Public Prosecutor’s Office, which has investigated the case, passed on a hefty file to the Greek Parliament last week that includes allegations of possible involvement of government ministers. Lawmakers enjoy immunity from prosecution in Greece that can only be lifted by parliamentary vote.On Sunday, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said his New Democracy party had failed to stamp out graft.“Significant reform efforts were made,” Mitsotakis said in a social media post. “But let’s be honest. We failed.”He said anyone found to have received EU funds they were not entitled to would be ordered to return the money.“Our many farmers and livestock breeders who toil and produce quality products, and all law-abiding citizens, will not tolerate scammers who claimed to have non-existent pastures and livestock, or those who enabled them to do so,” Mitsotakis said. More

Sir Keir Starmer’s £3bn U-turn on his planned welfare cuts does not go far enough, a leading rebel who quit her frontbench job over the changes has warned. The prime minister is still facing the prospect of around 50 Labour MPs voting against his welfare reforms, with former government whip Vicky Foxcroft among those calling for fresh concessions. Ms Foxcroft dramatically quit this month in protest at the plans, saying she could not back cuts that will harm disabled people.And, in an interview with The Guardian after Sir Keir’s U-turn, she said it was “good to hear that people won’t be losing their benefits who are currently on them” but said there were “areas where I still think there’s need for movement”.She has not decided whether to back the government’s plans on Tuesday, and around 50 Labour MPs are still expected to vote against the welfare shakeup even after the U-turn. Keir Starmer has been warned his welfare concessions do not go far enough More

The NHS is to use AI to analyse hospital data and sound the alarm on potential patient safety scandals early, in what will be a world-first. Patterns of deaths, serious injuries, abuse or other incidents that go otherwise undetected will be identified. The move, part of a new 10-year plan for the health service, follows a series of scandals in the NHS. These include Mid Staffs, where an estimated up to 1,200 patients died as a result of poor care, and the Countess of Chester Hospital, for which nurse Lucy Letby is serving 15 whole life orders after she was convicted of killing seven babies and attempting to murder seven more. The waiting list for treatment at NHS hospitals in England has fallen to its lowest level in two years (William Barton/Alamy)Earlier this month, health secretary Wes Streeting announced a national investigation into “systemic” failures in maternity care, after families were “gaslit” in their search for the truth.Mr Streeting said the AI plan would make it easier to spot danger signs earlier.A new maternity AI system will launch across NHS trusts from November, using “near real-time data” to flag higher-than-expected rates of death, stillbirth and brain injury.Mr Streeting said: “While most treatments in the NHS are safe, even a single lapse that puts a patient at risk is one too many.”Behind every safety breach is a person, a life altered, a family devastated, sometimes by heartbreaking loss.”By embracing AI and introducing world-first early warning systems, we’ll spot dangerous signs sooner and launch rapid inspections before harm occurs.”This technology will save lives, catching unsafe care before it becomes a tragedy.”It’s a vital part of our commitment to move the NHS from analogue to digital, delivering better, safer care for everyone.”Health secretary Wes Streeting (Lucy North/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer has demanded the BBC explain how “appalling” chants of “death to the IDF” were broadcast as part of its coverage of Glastonbury. Police are assessing footage of sets by Bob Vylan, who led crowds in chants of “free, free Palestine” and “death, death to the IDF” (the Israeli Defence Force), and Irish rap trio Kneecap, who suggested fans “start a riot” outside one of the band member’s upcoming court appearance.The prime minister said: “There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech… The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.” His comments come after politicians and former BBC staff lined up to say the broadcaster and the festival both had questions to answer.The Independent understands the row is expected to be discussed when MPs on the Commons culture committee meet on Tuesday, raising the spectre that BBC bosses, such as the director general Tim Davie, could be called to give evidence to parliament.Bob Vylan performing at Glastonbury More