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Former Labour MP Zarah Sultana challenged Rachel Reeves, who “has accepted £7,500 worth of free clothing and recently took freebie tickets to see Sabrina Carpenter”, on whether Wednesday’s spring statement represents the “change” promised at last year’s general election.Zarah Sultana, now the independent MP for Coventry South, told the Commons today (26 March): “Since Labour came into power, 25,000 more children have been pushed into poverty due to the two-child benefit cap and now, according to the government’s own impact assessment, over 250,000 people will be pushed into poverty as a result of these cuts, including 50,000 children.”Ms Reeves responded by saying young people are to be given “targeted support”. More

Rachel Reeves unveiled a £14bn package to repair finances, which included cuts to welfare, in her spring statement on the state of the UK economy on Wednesday, 26 March.The chancellor’s announcements included changes to universal credit, as well as measures to help people back into work.Ms Reeves also promised a boost for the UK’s defence spending.It comes after the UK’s budget watchdog warned last week’s reforms would save over £1bn less than forecast.Here are six key takeaways from today’s announcement. More

John Healey was challenged on whether national defence comes “even before the most vulnerable in society” as Rachel Reeves is set to cut benefits further in her spring statement on Wednesday, 26 March, while defence will see a boost in spending.The chancellor is set to announce an extra £2.2 billion to be spent on the UK’s defence over the next year.Ms Reeves is set to cut the benefits bill by £5bn, as she scrambles to find savings to meet her own strict borrowing rules.Speaking to Sky News, the defence secretary insisted defence is “The foundation for a stable, secure economy.” More

A disability advocate has warned that planned welfare cuts will push disabled people into poverty ahead of today’s spring statement. Labour announced welfare reforms last week, including stricter eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), to save £5 billion by the end of this parliamentary term.TV personality Kerry Riches, who lives with relapsing remitting MS, told Sky News on Wednesday (March 26) that the changes mean around “half of claimants” won’t access PIP. “They’ve made it so difficult, pushing a lot of disabled, vulnerable people into poverty.” She added, “I wouldn’t want to do Rachel Reeves’ job… I think she’s targeting the wrong people.” More

Protesters stormed the House of Lords on Thursday, 20 March, demanding that the unelected chamber be abolished.Demonstrators began with chants of “Lords out, people in” before throwing yellow leaflets around the room.The leaflets, apparently modelled on a Sex Pistols album, had written on them: “Never mind the Lords here’s the House of People.”Protesters said they were acting on behalf of Assemble, an organisation that campaigns for the Lords to be abolished and replaced by a citizens’ assembly.A debate was adjourned as the protesters were escorted out. More

Sir Keir Starmer made a rare secret visit to one of Britain’s nuclear submarines ahead of a crucial meeting of military figures in the UK to discuss peacekeeping in Ukraine.The prime minister maintains that Vladimir Putin fears Britain’s nuclear weapons, saying that Trident continues to be a crucial deterrent as Russia resists efforts for peace in Ukraine.Sir Keir secretly joined submariners returning home to loved ones, boarding the boat as it returned to UK waters in what is known as “a Day Zero.” He is the first Prime Minister to do so in more than a decade. More

Sir Keir Starmer hit out at Nigel Farage during Wednesday’s Prime Minister’s Questions, saying he “can’t even lead a party that fits in the back of a taxi”.The prime minister was responding to a question from Reform UK MP Lee Anderson, who asked how much the earth’s temperature would decrease if Britain reached net zero tomorrow.Answering his question, Sir Keir said: “Net zero is of course not easy, but it’s a huge opportunity to boost our growth, our jobs our economy. And so he knows my views on that.“But, they’d have better ideas if they stopped fawning over Putin. And I understand the member for Clacton [Farage] wants to be prime minister, but he can’t even lead a party that fits in the back of a taxi.” More

Sir Keir Starmer was asked “What is the point” of Labour if it cuts disability benefits during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, 19 March.Colum Eastwood, an MP from Labour’s sister party SDLP in Northern Ireland, outlined the case of a local constituent who will lose their financial support.It comes as the government faced condemnation from unions, charities and some Labour MPs for making “cruel” and “immoral” cuts and seeking to balance the public finances on the backs of some of the poorest people in society.The Resolution Foundation said the tightening of Pip eligibility would mean between 800,000 and 1.2 million people losing support of between £4,200 and £6,300-per-year by the end of the decade. More