Indy TV

Jeremy Hunt has responded to Rachel Reeves’ accusation that he is a “liar” over almost £22bn of unfunded commitments that she said were “covered up from the country”.The chancellor has announced that 10 million pensioners will lose out on winter fuel payments in an attempt to fill the black hole, while public sector staff will receive a pay rise.Ms Reeves’ Tory predecessor told Sky News on Tuesday (30 July) that her comments were “disappointing.””It discredits politics when people call each other liars. I thought more highly of Rachel Reeves,” Mr Hunt added as he described feeling insulted. More

Rachel Reeves called Jeremy Hunt a “liar” after accusing the previous government of leaving almost £22bn of unfunded commitments that it had “covered up from the country”.The chancellor has announced that 10 million pensioners will lose out on winter fuel payments in an attempt to fill the black hole.Ms Reeves also announced that Labour has made a 22 per cent two-year pay offer to junior doctors while teachers and NHS staff will receive a 5.5 per cent rise.Ms Reeves told Sky News on Tuesday that her predecessor “knowingly and deliberately” hid the true state of public finances.”He lied, and they lied during the election campaign about the state of public finances,” she added. More

The chancellor has suggested the Conservatives “put party before country” as she blamed Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt for a black hole in public finances.Rachel Reeves told the House of Commons on Monday 29 July that the previous government “continued to make unfunded commitment after unfunded commitment, knowing that the money was not there”.“The scale of this overspend is not sustainable. Not to act is simply not an option,” she added, saying the Tories “hid” the true extent of Treasury overspend from the public.Her claim was met with a disgruntled look from Mr Hunt, the former chancellor. More

Six senior Tories will battle it out to replace Rishi Sunak as the Conservative Party seeks to rebuild after its worst-ever general election result.Kemi Badenoch is the leadership favourite but Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly, Dame Priti Patel and Mel Stride hope to upset the odds.MPs will vote off two of the contenders before the final four go to the party’s conference in Birmingham to make their leadership pitch.Here, we take a look at the six hoping to succeed Mr Sunak, and the process that will unfold. More

Mel Stride offered a four-word response when asked why he should be the next Conservative Party leader.The former work and pensions secretary has become the fourth MP to announce they are joining the race for the Tory leadership.He told BBC Breakfast on Friday 26 July he has been “fully nominated” as a candidate, joining Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick in the race to replace Rishi Sunak.Mr Stride was also quizzed on why he should be the next leader despite being the “broadcast face” of the “failed Tory general election campaign”.“I’m a team player,” he responded. More

Martin Lewis has cleared up confusion over the two-child benefit cap as Labour defeated an amendment to scrap the controversial measure.The cap prevents parents from claiming universal credit or tax credit for their third child.It came into place under a Conservative government April 2017 and applies to children who were born after 6 April 2017.The Tories said the measures were designed to encourage benefit recipients “to make the same choices as those supporting themselves solely through work.”It is a separate payment to child benefit, which does not have a limit on the number of children it can be claimed for. More

Baby of the House Sam Carling addressed his young age as he made his first speech in the House of Commons on Wednesday, 24 July, aged 22.The first MP to be born in the 21st Century ousted Conservative Shailesh Vara by just 39 votes to win the seat in the 2024 general election.In his debut speech, Mr Carling explained how the cancellation of his A-Level exams during the coronavirus pandemic politicised him.“I grew up in a deprived rural area and was concerned from a young age to see a progressive decline in local high streets, alongside growing problems in public services, notably within schools,” Mr Carling told fellow MPs. More