More stories

  • in

    ‘Will you shut up’: Farage’s anti-Macron speech drowned out by hecklers

    Nigel Farage was drowned out by hecklers as he criticised Emmanuel Macron during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, 9 July.As the Reform UK leader stood up, jeers rang out across the House of Commons.He went on to say that the reason the UK voted for Brexit was because “we wanted to take back control of our borders”.Mr Farage told Sir Keir Starmer that the country demands “that you are not dictated to by an increasingly arrogant, anti-Brexit French president.”The prime minister responded by insisting that Labour are “fixing the mess that we inherited.” More

  • in

    Minister insists ‘those with broadest shoulders should carry greatest burden’ over wealth tax

    Labour’s Transport Secretary Hedi Alexander has refused to rule out a wealth tax when pressed on whether it is being considered.“We’ve always been clear as a government that those with the broadest shoulders should carry the greatest burden,” the minister told Sky News on Tuesday morning (8 July).Ms Alexander added that scrapping the non-dom tax status is one example of measures taken to tax the most well-off, along with imposing VAT on private school fees and introducing higher taxes on private jets.“We believe that even if you are born elsewhere, but you live in the UK, you should be paying your fair share of tax,” she said. More

  • in

    The 10 moments that defined Keir Starmer’s first year in office

    Sir Keir Starmer celebrates his first year as prime minister with the largest parliamentary majority in a quarter of a century — a commanding mandate that has brought both opportunity and scrutiny. His tenure so far has been defined by cautious reform and major international resets.From securing a landmark US-UK trade deal with Donald Trump and a string of policy U-turns that have tested party discipline, here are the 10 most significant moments to reflect on his first year. More

  • in

    Jeremy Corbyn outlines plan for new political party and pledges: ‘I am here to serve the people’

    Jeremy Corbyn has outlined his plans for a new “alternative” political party, pledging he will “serve the people” as he has “always done”.Appearing on Peston on Wednesday (2 July), Mr Corbyn was questioned on whether he would turn The Independent Alliance, a parliamentary faction formed in September 2024, into a formal party.He said that the faction of five MPs “work very well together” and that they will “come together” to form an “alternative group”.Mr Corbyn said the group will “deal with poverty inequality and a foreign policy based on peace rather than war”. More

  • in

    Annoyed Clacton resident tells Farage he’s ignoring town – before Reform leader forgets his name

    Watch as Nigel Farage is grilled by his constituent for not being active in Clacton, before then forgetting his name.Appearing on Nick Ferrari at Breakfast on LBC on Thursday (3 July), the Reform UK leader was taking questions from callers when he received a telling-off from listener Jamie.Jamie claimed that many Clacton residents’ queries have gone ignored by Mr Farage, before asking him directly “how much time do you spend per week on constituency matters and how many emails do you answer?”The Reform UK leader began to list off his upcoming plans to be in Clacton before addressing Jamie as “Kevin”, which Mr Ferrari stepped in to correct. More

  • in

    Starmer admits to ‘tough’ few days as prime minister addresses Reeves crying

    Sir Keir Starmer has admitted the past few days have been “tough” as he discusses Rachel Reeves crying during parliament on Wednesday (2 July).Speaking to Nick Robinson on BBC Radio 4 on Thursday (3 July), the prime minister said: ”I’m not going to pretend the last few days have been easy, they’ve been tough.”The Chancellor was spotted sobbing as she sat behind Sir Keir during Prime Ministers Questions, where Kemi Badenoch commented that she “looks miserable”.Sir Keir refused to speculate on the cause of Ms Reeves’ tears, stressing it was a “personal matter” and dismissing rumours that she was on the chopping block.“That’s absolutely wrong”, reiterating that she has done an “excellent job as Chancellor”. More

  • in

    Rachel Reeves is resilient and will bounce back, says Wes Streeting

    Health secretary Wes Streeting has publicly backed his cabinet colleague Rachel Reeves, asserting she is “resilient and will bounce back” amid swirling speculation about her future in government. His full support comes a day after Ms. Reeves was seen wiping away tears in the House of Commons during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday (July 2). The emotional moment followed leader of the opposition Kemi Badenoch telling the Commons Ms. Reeves looked “absolutely miserable.” Labour minister Ellie Reeves was seen holding her sister’s hand as she left the chamber. More

  • in

    Rachel Reeves appears emotional at PMQs after Starmer refuses to guarantee she will stay on

    Rachel Reeves appeared emotional during Prime Ministers Questions on Wednesday (2 July), with Kemi Badenoch saying she looks “absolutely miserable”.The Chancellor sat next to Sir Keir Starmer whilst he took a grilling from the Commons on his watered-down welfare bill, which was passed yesterday in a crunch vote.Before the 30-minute session Ms Reeves appeared visibly upset, with Ms Badenoch saying that the Chancellor is “toast” and a “human shield” for Sir Keir’s “incompetence”.Ms Badenoch then suggested that the prime minister had failed to confirm whether Ms Reeves would retain her position, saying: “How awful for the Chancellor that he couldn’t confirm that she will stay in place.”A spokesperson for the Chancellor later said that she was dealing with a “personal matter” and Downing Street quickly confirmed she was “going nowhere”. More