Indy TV

Jeremy Hunt insisted prioritising tackling inflation was the “right thing to do” after the UK slid into a recession.“We always expected growth to be weaker while we prioritised tackling inflation, that means higher interest rates, and that is the right thing to do because you can’t have long-term healthy growth with high inflation,” the Chancellor said today (Thursday).Mr Hunt continued: “The underlying picture here is an economy that is more resilient than most people predicted, inflation is coming down, real wages have been going up now for six months.“If we stick to our guns, independent forecasters say that by the early summer, we could start to see interest rates falling and that will be a very important relief for families with mortgages.” More

Sir Keir Starmer said he took “tough” and “decisive” action to withdraw support for Labour’s Rochdale by-election candidate, after a storm of criticism about remarks Azhar Ali made about Israel.The Labour leader insisted the party had “changed” under his leadership after it was confirmed on Monday (12 February) that Mr Ali, who is understood to be suspended pending an investigation, would have Labour’s backing withdrawn.Mr Ali had apologised after he was recorded in a meeting of the Lancashire Labour Party suggesting that Israel had taken the October 7 Hamas assault as a pretext to invade Gaza.Labour, however, said it moved to end its backing of the candidate “following new information about further comments”. More

David Cameron has said that Israel should “stop and think very seriously” before taking further action in the city of Rafah The British Foreign Secretary was speaking to reporters in East Kilbride, Scotland on Monday (11 February).The comments came after airstrikes in southern Gaza killed over 100 Palestinians, according to local health officials.The city is the last refuge of around one million displaced civilians. “We are very concerned about the situation and we want Israel to stop and think very seriously before it takes any further action. But above all, what we want is an immediate pause in the fighting and we want that pause to lead to a ceasefire,” Lord Cameron said. More

Rishi Sunak insisted his views on issues facing transgender people are “not controversial” after facing criticism for a jibe during Prime Minister’s Questions last week.The prime minister faced backlash after accusing Sir Keir Starmer of not being able to “define a woman” while Esther Ghey, the mother of murdered transgender teenager Brianna Ghey, was visiting Parliament.Speaking to the public during a GB News forum on Monday, Mr Sunak said: “When it comes to questions over women’s safety… biological sex is important”I really don’t think that anything I just said is controversial.” More

Rishi Sunak accused Sir Keir Starmer of standing by Labour Rochdale by-election candidate Azhar Ali as he spoke to members of the public during a GB News forum on Monday, 12 February.The prime minister said the Labour leader “stood by” the politician and “sent cabinet ministers to support him, until literally five minutes before I walked on tonight under enormous media pressure.”Labour withdrew its support for Mr Ali following criticism of remarks he made about Israel.Mr Ali apologised after he was recorded suggesting that Israel allowed the October 7 Hamas assault and used it as a pretext to invade Gaza.”The Labour Party hasn’t changed. It’s a con,” Mr Sunak added. More

Protesters calling for a ceasefire in Gaza gathered outside 10 Downing Street on Monday, 12 February, after Rafah was hit by airstrikes overnight.Two Israeli hostages were rescued from the town on the border with Egypt overnight following a raid on a heavily guarded apartment which killed at least 67 people, according to a spokesperson for the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza.Benjamin Netanyahu has signalled his intention to carry out a ground offensive on the city, now home to 1.4 million Palestinian refugees who have fled fighting elsewhere. More

This is the moment Michael Gove makes an awkward phone blunder during a live TV interview with Laura Kuenssberg on Sunday (11 February).The Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Secretary appeared on BBC One’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg. As Ms Kuenssberg introduces Mr Gove at the start of her live show, he can be seen looking at his mobile phone.Mr Gove then appears to realise he is live on television and smiles at the camera.Ms Kunessberg posted a clip of the moment on X, formerly Twitter, on Sunday. She captioned her post: “Nice of you to join us, Mr Gove.” More