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Ed Balls told security minister Dan Jarvis to “stop waffling” as the pair clashed over Labour’s plans to release prisoners early.The security minister appeared on Good Morning Britain on Thursday (11 July) to discuss his party’s plans to release prisoners early.Mr Balls asked how releasing prisoners is going to make people safer and told Mr Jarvis to “stop waffling” with his answer.The security minister replied: “We have inherited a situation where our prisons are in crisis.”Mr Jarvis added: “No one who is a risk to public safety will be released.” More

Sir Keir Starmer stepped out of Nato meetings on Wednesday 10 July to watch Harry Kane score a first-half penalty in England’s Euro 2024 semi-final.The Three Lions went 1-0 down to the Netherlands early in the match, before the captain was caught late inside the box.After a VAR check, referee Felix Zwayer awarded England a spot kick.Kane stepped up and smashed his penalty home, much to the delight of Sir Keir, who was watching from Washington DC.“Picked the right moment to pop out from Nato meetings and check the score,” the prime minister wrote, sharing footage of himself celebrating the equaliser.England went on to win the match 2-1 in dramatic fashion. More

A Labour MP protested against the monarchy as he was sworn into the House of Commons on Wednesday 10 July.Clive Lewis, who represents Norwich South, said prior to his affirmation: “I take this oath under protest and in the hope that one day my fellow citizens will democratically decide to live in a republic.”The MP then shared footage of his protest on social media.“To be sworn in as an MP, you have to make an oath to the King,” Mr Lewis wrote, captioning the footage.“This is what I decided to say, in protest.” More

Sir Keir Starmer and Germany’s chancellor, Olaf Scholz, were on Capitol Hill on Wednesday 10 July, meeting with a bipartisan group of Senate leaders on the sidelines of the Nato summit.Joe Biden welcomed leaders to Washington yesterday by celebrating the bloc’s unity against Russia’s aggression in Ukraine and underscoring America’s ironclad commitment to the alliance under his watch.The message seemed aimed at bucking up his own wobbly Democratic supporters as much as allies confronting the prospect of a return to the White House of Nato skeptic Donald Trump.This week’s summit will give Mr Biden his first chance to meet face-to-face with Sir Keir at the White House. More

Reform UK chairman Richard Tice dismissed theories that one of his party’s candidates was an AI bot, describing claims as coming from “lefties who can’t believe we did so well.”Online commentators had speculated that a picture of Mark Matlock, who stood in the Clapham and Brixton Hill constituency, was computer-generated.Mr Matlock spoke to The Independent on the phone on Monday.“This is the lefties who can’t believe we did so well, they still [propagate] nonsense and lies and fibs,” Mr Tice said of the theories during an appearance on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, 10 July. More

Suella Braverman described government buildings flying the Progress version of the rainbow Pride flag as “occupied territory” in a speech at the National Conservatism conference in Washington DC on Monday, 8 July.The 2018 version of the flag was developed by non-binary American artist and designer Daniel Quasar to celebrate the diversity of the LGBT+ community and call for a more inclusive society.In her speech on Monday, the former Tory home secretary claimed the flag symbolised support for “the mutilation of children in our hospitals”, something which she said “physically repulsed” her. More

Jeremy Corbyn was caught on a House of Commons microphone as MPs were sworn in to serve after the 2024 general election.The independent member for Islington North approached Marie Rimmer MP, jokingly instructing her to read her lines correctly.He then uttered, “This is such a load of nonsense.”The Commons welcomed 335 new members today (9 July) in a major shakeup for UK politics, featuring a majority of Labour MPs, as well as Lib Dem, Green and Reform UK members. More

Nigel Farage claimed that former House of Commons speaker John Bercow tried to ‘overturn’ Brexit, in his first speech since becoming MP. The leader of Reform UK is the new representative for Clacton and will be joined in parliament by four others from the party.Before last week’s general election, Mr Farage had sought to become an MP several times without success. He was, however, a member of the European parliament for 20 years, during which time he campaigned fiercely for the UK to leave the EU.Reform came second in 98 seats in the 2024 election, many of which are now held by Labour, and Mr Farage has set his sights on the new government, saying it “could be in trouble pretty quickly”. More