News

Rachel Reeves is “right” about misogyny in politics, James Cleverly said while discussing the “abuse” he has seen his female colleagues endure.Ahead of her Budget announcement, the chancellor told Labour MPs: “I don’t think even I had recognised the misogyny that still exists in public life.”Speaking to Times Radio on Tuesday (25 November), the former home secretary said he agreed with Ms Reeves’ observation, stating that “women, without a shadow of a doubt, get it a lot worse in politics”.He said that he used to think he “got it bad” but stories he has heard from female politicians makes “the abuse I’ve received in my career pale in comparison”. More

Shabana Mahmood has said she finds it “deeply offensive” when MPs quote Tommy Robinson at her in the Commons, after the far-right activist backed the government’s sweeping asylum reforms.Asked about his comments, the home secretary told the BBC’s Political Thinking podcast: “I find it so offensive actually, in the chamber, when people were quoting that particular person at me.“This is a person who hates me because I’m a Muslim, who thinks that I’m a lesser kind of human being because I’m a Muslim… So it’s deeply offensive”, she said. More

Wes Streeting has condemned Donald Trump’s “piggy” jibe towards a female journalist who asked the US president a question about the Epstein files.After a Bloomberg reporter tried to follow up on her question, Mr Trump snapped, “Quiet! Quiet, piggy,” in a sing-song voice, while jabbing his finger.Speaking on ITV’s This Morning on Wednesday (19 November), the health secretary remarked: “It’s not right… I wouldn’t want my sisters being spoken to like that”, admitting he’d be “surprised” if any leading UK politician “ever spoke to a woman in our press lobby like that”. More

Sir Keir Starmer has marked International Men’s Day with a touching letter to his son.In a video posted to Instagram on Wednesday (19 November), he told his 17-year-old son that he is “so proud” of him, describing him as a “confident, kind, wonderful young man”.Opening up on his relationship with his own father, Sir Keir said the pair “never really got to know each other”, but has been “determined” to make sure his relationship with his own child would be different.During the video, which comes as the government launches its first comprehensive men’s health strategy, he discussed the difficulties of young men “growing up in this day and age”. More

If you are experiencing feelings of distress and isolation, or are struggling to cope, The Samaritans offer support; you can speak to someone for free over the phone, in confidence, on 116 123 (UK and ROI), email jo@samaritans.org, or visit the Samaritans website to find details of your nearest branch.Luke Charters, Labour MP for York Outer, made a candid mental health admission during Prime Minister’s Questions (PMQs) to mark International Men’s Day.Speaking about his own challenges in the House of Commons on Wednesday (19 November), Mr Charters opened up on a “dark cloud” settling over him after almost losing his wife during the birth of his first child.Thanking him for his honesty, Sir Keir Starmer highlighted his government’s new men’s health strategy “to tackle challenges that disproportionately affect men”. More

Defence secretary John Healey issued a stern warning to Vladimir Putin, after he said the Russian spy ship Yantar, operating on the edge of UK waters, directed lasers at pilots of surveillance RAF aircraft monitoring its activities.Mr Healey told a press conference on Wednesday (19 November) that the ship, designed for gathering intelligence and mapping crucial undersea cables, is loitering off the northern coast of Scotland, having entered wider UK waters over the last few weeks. A Royal Navy frigate and RAF P-8 planes were deployed to monitor and track the vessel, during which the Yantar directed lasers at RAF pilots, he added.In a message to the Russian leader, Mr Healey said: “We see you. We know what you are doing.” More

Home secretary Shabana Mahmood swore in the House of Commons as she defended her proposed major overhaul of the asylum system.Ms Mahmood referenced her own experiences of being called a racial slur, which she repeated, while emphasising “how divisive the issue of asylum has become” on Monday (17 November).The home secretary announced plans to change how the European Convention on Human Rights is interpreted by UK judges, making it easier to deport foreign criminals and small boat migrants.The reforms have been labelled “repugnant” by Labour backbenchers, and Ms Mahmood has faced accusations of “chasing Reform”.Ms Mahmood said Nigel Farage can “sod off” when Sky News highlighted that the Reform UK leader said it seemed as if she was “auditioning” for a place in his party. More

Reform’s head of policy, Zia Yusuf, clashed with a Sky News presenter during a debate on immigration, after being asked about his parents’ decision to move to the UK from Sri Lanka in the 1980s.Matt Barbet posed the question to Mr Yusuf on Sunday evening’s show (16 November) after he criticised the cost of illegal immigration to British taxpayers. Asked why his parents had chosen to settle in the UK, Yusuf replied: “I don’t think that’s particularly relevant,” adding that the question implied, “there is a limit to how restrictive an immigration policy I can advocate for because my parents happen to be immigrants.”Barbet denied the allegation, saying he was merely asking whether the UK was viewed at the time as a compassionate and welcoming country.The exchange followed comments from home secretary Shabana Mahmood, who announced that asylum seekers could lose their automatic right to housing support under Labour. More