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Suella Braverman described government buildings flying the Progress version of the rainbow Pride flag as “occupied territory” in a speech at the National Conservatism conference in Washington DC on Monday, 8 July.The 2018 version of the flag was developed by non-binary American artist and designer Daniel Quasar to celebrate the diversity of the LGBT+ community and call for a more inclusive society.In her speech on Monday, the former Tory home secretary claimed the flag symbolised support for “the mutilation of children in our hospitals”, something which she said “physically repulsed” her. More

Jeremy Corbyn was caught on a House of Commons microphone as MPs were sworn in to serve after the 2024 general election.The independent member for Islington North approached Marie Rimmer MP, jokingly instructing her to read her lines correctly.He then uttered, “This is such a load of nonsense.”The Commons welcomed 335 new members today (9 July) in a major shakeup for UK politics, featuring a majority of Labour MPs, as well as Lib Dem, Green and Reform UK members. More

Nigel Farage claimed that former House of Commons speaker John Bercow tried to ‘overturn’ Brexit, in his first speech since becoming MP. The leader of Reform UK is the new representative for Clacton and will be joined in parliament by four others from the party.Before last week’s general election, Mr Farage had sought to become an MP several times without success. He was, however, a member of the European parliament for 20 years, during which time he campaigned fiercely for the UK to leave the EU.Reform came second in 98 seats in the 2024 election, many of which are now held by Labour, and Mr Farage has set his sights on the new government, saying it “could be in trouble pretty quickly”. More

Rishi Sunak gave a gracious first speech to parliament as the leader of the opposition in the House of Commons on Tuesday (9 July).Mr Sunak started his speech by congratulating Sir Keir Starmer on his general election victory.The Conservative leader said: “In our politics, we can argue vigorously, as the prime minister and I did over the past six weeks, but still respect each other, and whatever disputes we have in this parliament, I know that everyone in this house will not lose sight of the fact that we are all motivated by our desire to serve our constituents, our country, and advance the principles that we honourably believe in.”Mr Sunak also described being an MP as the “greatest honour, privilege and responsibility”. More

Sir Tony Blair has blasted the lack of focus on real issues during the general election campaign.The former prime minister appeared on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on Tuesday morning (9 July) to discuss why the UK should “fully embrace” artificial intelligence, before referencing the coverage of Tory gaffes over the last six weeks.“If you think of this election campaign and how many days we spent on Rishi Sunak and his wet suit, and then how many days we spent on D-Day and him missing that ceremony, and how many days we spent on betting… in the end, none of those things will determine the future of this country,” Sir Tony said. More

Sir Tony Blair has urged the Labour government to “fully embrace” artificial intelligence to fuel growth and productivity.The former prime minister is set to say that the modern technological revolution means “there has never been a better time to govern” in a major speech in London on Tuesday 9 July.He will also set out how a package of measures including private and public sector adoption of AI, preventative healthcare, digital ID and embracing technology in education could boost growth and generate savings.Speaking to BBC Radio 4 ahead of his speech, Sir Tony suggested the “good news” is that Britain is already in a strong position globally when it comes to AI. More

Nigel Farage arrived at parliament on Tuesday 9 July for his first day in the House of Commons at the head of Reform UK’s first elected MPs.The group of five men, including party chairman Richard Tice and former Tory MP Lee Anderson, had been expected to stage a Reservoir Dogs-style entrance to Westminster, referring to the Quentin Tarantino film about a failed diamond heist.The other new arrivals were Rupert Lowe, former chairman of Southampton FC and now MP for Great Yarmouth, and James McMurdock, a 38-year-old former banker who unexpectedly edged the contest in South Basildon and East Thurrock by 98 votes. More

Sir Keir Starmer appeared to swerve a journalist’s question when asked if he accepts there is a problem between the Labour Party and British Muslims.When asked the question during a visit to Wales on Monday (8 July), the prime minister said: “Very many people voted Labour in that General Election who’ve never voted Labour before.“We now hold seats in parts of the country that have never had a Labour MP, so this is an incredibly strong mandate.“Of course, wherever we weren’t able to secure votes, I’m concerned about that.”He added that where his party did not secure the votes it would work to “address that”. More