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Journalist Nick Robinson has revealed the moment he thought a “furious” prime minister was going to hit him.The BBC presenter recalled attending a G20 summit in 2009, with the then prime minister Gordon Brown.Robinson discussed the moment with No. 10 communications director Simon Lewis on the BBC Radio 4Today podcast on Friday (16 August).He said: “It’s the closest I have ever come to a serving politician hitting me. I genuinely thought Gordon Brown was going to hit me at one stage, he was so furious.” More

Jess Phillips has said she “could have phrased” a tweet shared after gangs of men in balaclavas turned out in Birmingham “better”.The Home Office minister wrote that “rumours have been spread that a far right group were coming and it was done entirely to get Muslim people out on the street to drive this content. It is misinformation being spread to create trouble” after masked men threatened a Sky reporter in Birmingham earlier in August.Phillips’ post came after groups of men gathered outside a mosque in the Bordesley Green area following rumours that the far right were planning on targeting it.Ms Phillips later said: “We felt it wasn’t real what was being told… that people were coming to harm them was undoubtedly to cause upset and fear and that’s exactly what it did.” More

Elon Musk’s comments on far-right rioting in the UK were “unjustifiable,” justice minister Heidi Alexander has said in condemnation of the X/Twitter owner.The head of the social media network replied to a video on the platform depicting rioting in the UK with a claim that “civil war is inevitable.”Mr Musk’s comments came as violence spread across the UK following the deaths of three children in a stabbing attack in Southport last week.Rioting followed the spread of false claims online that the suspect, identified as 17-year-old Axel Rudakubana from Lancashire, was an asylum seeker who had arrived in the UK by boat. More

Jeremy Hunt has responded to Rachel Reeves’ accusation that he is a “liar” over almost £22bn of unfunded commitments that she said were “covered up from the country”.The chancellor has announced that 10 million pensioners will lose out on winter fuel payments in an attempt to fill the black hole, while public sector staff will receive a pay rise.Ms Reeves’ Tory predecessor told Sky News on Tuesday (30 July) that her comments were “disappointing.””It discredits politics when people call each other liars. I thought more highly of Rachel Reeves,” Mr Hunt added as he described feeling insulted. More

Rachel Reeves called Jeremy Hunt a “liar” after accusing the previous government of leaving almost £22bn of unfunded commitments that it had “covered up from the country”.The chancellor has announced that 10 million pensioners will lose out on winter fuel payments in an attempt to fill the black hole.Ms Reeves also announced that Labour has made a 22 per cent two-year pay offer to junior doctors while teachers and NHS staff will receive a 5.5 per cent rise.Ms Reeves told Sky News on Tuesday that her predecessor “knowingly and deliberately” hid the true state of public finances.”He lied, and they lied during the election campaign about the state of public finances,” she added. More

The chancellor has suggested the Conservatives “put party before country” as she blamed Liz Truss, Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt for a black hole in public finances.Rachel Reeves told the House of Commons on Monday 29 July that the previous government “continued to make unfunded commitment after unfunded commitment, knowing that the money was not there”.“The scale of this overspend is not sustainable. Not to act is simply not an option,” she added, saying the Tories “hid” the true extent of Treasury overspend from the public.Her claim was met with a disgruntled look from Mr Hunt, the former chancellor. More

Six senior Tories will battle it out to replace Rishi Sunak as the Conservative Party seeks to rebuild after its worst-ever general election result.Kemi Badenoch is the leadership favourite but Robert Jenrick, Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly, Dame Priti Patel and Mel Stride hope to upset the odds.MPs will vote off two of the contenders before the final four go to the party’s conference in Birmingham to make their leadership pitch.Here, we take a look at the six hoping to succeed Mr Sunak, and the process that will unfold. More

Mel Stride offered a four-word response when asked why he should be the next Conservative Party leader.The former work and pensions secretary has become the fourth MP to announce they are joining the race for the Tory leadership.He told BBC Breakfast on Friday 26 July he has been “fully nominated” as a candidate, joining Tom Tugendhat, James Cleverly and Robert Jenrick in the race to replace Rishi Sunak.Mr Stride was also quizzed on why he should be the next leader despite being the “broadcast face” of the “failed Tory general election campaign”.“I’m a team player,” he responded. More