Indy TV

Rachel Reeves will present her first Budget as the UK’s first female chancellor to the House of Commons on Wednesday (30 October).Ms Reeves is the first female to hold the second most important role in government in 803 years of the office.The Independent takes a closer look at the chancellor’s life, from being raised in southeast London by her teacher parents, to becoming a school chess champion and working at the Bank of England.We reveal all you need to know about the woman chosen to change the country. More

Wes Streeting told independent schools worried if children will be able to access them after VAT hikes in fees to “cut cloth your cloth in the way state schools have had to do.”Speaking before Labour’s first Budget for 14 years, the health secretary addressed concerns from private schools who say charging VAT on school fees will “price people out.”Headteachers of smaller, specialist private schools say they have little room to make cuts so have to hike fees by 20 per cent – and parents are turning down places as a result.“You have hiked your fees up with inflation-busting increases year after year after year since 2010 and now you’re pleading poverty,” Mr Streeting said. More

Tory leadership candidate Kemi Badenoch refused to say whether or not she wants to be prime minister.The Conservative MP, who faces Robert Jenrick in the final battle to become Tory leader, was repeatedly pressed on whether she would like to be prime minister, but refused to give a straight “yes or no” answer, when she appeared on Sophie Ridge’s Sky Politics show on Monday evening (28 October).Ms Badenoch said her interest at the moment was leading the Conservative Party in opposition.She added: “I am very well aware of how life could change for the worse.” More

Labour minister Pat McFadden clashed with BBC Radio 4’s Emma Barnett over the definition of “working people” as he predicted that this week’s Budget would be the “most honest” in years.The Today programme host accused the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster of “not being honest” as she said he could not answer her questions on who working people are.Labour faces a row over reported plans to raise employer national insurance contributions and capital gains, with critics arguing this would breach the party’s commitment to not raise taxes on “working people.”Mr McFadden said: “I think you’re going to get the most honest Budget on Wednesday that you’ve had in many years.“We’re going to end the fiscal fiction of things being announced which had no money set aside for them.” More

Sir Keir Starmer responded to a video of suspended Labour MP Mike Amesbury appearing to punch a constituent.Footage appeared to show the 55-year-old MP for Runcorn and Helsby repeatedly hitting another man as others nearby shouted “Stop it”.In a pre-Budget speech, the prime minister said: “I’ve seen the video footage. It’s shocking. We moved very swiftly to suspend him as a member and as a member of parliament.“There is now a police investigation. In the circumstances, you’ll appreciate there’s not much more I can say.”On Sunday, Cheshire Police confirmed a 55-year-old man had been voluntarily interviewed under caution in relation to the incident after officers were called to reports of an attack in Frodsham at 2.48am on Saturday.“He has since been released pending further inquiries,” the force said. More

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson has shared the latest definition of “working people” from Labour’s manifesto.Labour promised at the general election not to increase taxes on “working people” – but has been struggling to define who these people are ahead of its tax-raising Budget.Ms Phillipson was pressed for a definition of “working people” when she appeared on Sky Breakfast with Trevor Phillips on Sunday (27 October).She replied: “It is people whose main income arises from the fact they go out to work every day.” More

In an exclusive interview with The Independent, Kemi Badenoch discusses her campaign to become the next leader of the Conservatives.In a wide-ranging interview, Badenoch defends her position on a number of topics including two-tier policing, that police officers should be backed over the killing of Chris Kaba and how she thinks Britain will have to leave the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) like her opposition Robert Jenrick.Speaking with political editor, David Maddox, the Conservative MP for North West Essex also responded to comments by Sir Christopher Chope, as well as many comparing her to Margaret Thatcher. More