Indy TV

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has hinted at a “challenging” Budget as she prepares to borrow tens of billions of pounds to invest in Britain’s crumbling infrastructure.In a new video, posted on X today (24 October), Ms Reeves said next week’s Budget will “fix the foundations and deliver change”.The chancellor says: “I’m going to be honest about the scale of the challenge we inherited, a decade of sluggish economic growth, deteriorating public services and a £22m billion black hole in public finances. “But, we must not be held back by the past and instead we should look to the opportunities of the future.” More

Angela Rayner issued a defiant response after Donald Trump’s campaign accused the Labour Party of interfering in the US election.Responding to the claim on Wednesday (23 October), the deputy prime minister said political staff campaigning in the US ahead of the upcoming presidential election is something that happens within all parties.Ms Rayner’s response came after the leader of the Scottish National Party, Stephen Flynn, asked her to join him in applauding the “brave Labour staff members who travelled across the Atlantic to campaign against Trump”.She said: “People in their own time often go and campaign, and that’s what we’ve seen.“It happens in all political parties, people go and campaign and they do what they want to do with their own time, with their own money.” More

Deputy prime ministerAngela Rayner joked she would miss her Conservative counterpart Sir Oliver Dowden in their final “battle of the gingers”.The two took centre stage at Prime Minister’s Questions today (23 October) because of Sir Keir Starmer’s visit to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa.In recognition of their final despatch box exchanges, Ms Rayner joked: “I will miss our exchanges, the battle of the gingers, the late nights voting.”Shadow deputy prime minister Sir Oliver earlier asked Ms Rayner to define “working people” after Labour’s election manifesto said the party would not increase taxes on them. More

Oliver Dowden asked Angela Rayner for her definition of working people as they clashed during Prime Minister’s Question’s on Wednesday (23 October).Responding to his question, the deputy prime minister smiled and said: “First of all, let me start by welcoming (Sir Oliver) to his new place. Today’s our first exchange since he pushed for a July general election.”She added: “And the definition of working people are people that the Tory Party have failed for the last 14 years.” More

Environment secretary Steve Reed has been confronted over accepting football tickets linked to a water pollution company.In an awkward exchange, Mr Reed told Sky News host Kay Burley he was not aware the company he accepted the tickets from was linked to a UK water firm.Ms Burley confronted Mr Reed about £2,000 of football tickets he had declared from CK Hutchison Holdings, which she said owns 75 percent of CK Infrastructure Holdings, the owner of Northumbrian Water.“There was nobody from a water company that was involved in offering those tickets. There was nobody from a water company at that event,” Mr Reed said on Wednesday (23 October). More

Nick Robinson accidentally mispronounced Jeremy Hunt’s name during a live broadcast of BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme on Friday, 18 October.While interviewing employment minister Alison McGovern, the presenter said: “When the Tories announced £12bn in welfare cuts, and at the time the Labour Party condemned that, they said that Rishi Sunak and Jeremy C*** had no idea where they’d get the money, you’re going to do exactly the same aren’t you in this Budget?”Mr Robinson issued a correction around 10 minutes later and apologised.He is one of several presenters who have previously made the same error. More

Tory party leader hopeful Kemi Badenoch admitted Brexit has not been as successful as it should have been.Ms Badenoch said the UK is “too scared to take advantage of the opportunities Brexit has presented” when she took part in a Conservative leadership debate against Robert Jenrick on GB News on Thursday (17 October).She said: “One of the reasons it has not been as successful as it should have been is because we didn’t start with a plan.”Ms Badenoch also claimed “everything is blamed on Brexit” despite countries around the world facing the same challenges. More

Conservative Party leader hopeful Robert Jenrick referenced Winston Churchill as he called for Britain to leave the European Convention of Human Rights (EHCR).Mr Jenrick also called for foreign offenders to be deported as he took part in a Tory leadership debate against Kemi Badenoch on GB News on Thursday (17 October).When asked about keeping people safe, Mr Jenrick said his government would build more prisons.Mr Jenrick said: “We need to get the 10,000 foreign national offenders out of prison, that would be a good start.“When Churchill thought of the right to a family life he never thought of the idea of a foreign rapist or murderer having the right to stay in our country.” More