News

Sir Keir Starmer has become the first western prime minister to take a public HIV  test in an effort to destigmatise testing for the virus.The prime minister took an at-home test at 10 Downing Street alongside soul singer Beverley Knight, to mark HIV Testing Week which starts today (10 February)Sir Keir said: “It’s really important to do it and I’m really pleased to be able to do it. It’s very easy, very quick.”During HIV Testing Week, which runs from February 10 to 17, members of the public can order one of 20,000 free, confidential, at-home tests which Sir Keir and singer Beverley Knight demonstrated in Downing Street. The test provides a result in 15 minutes. More

The UK government would oppose any effort to move Palestinians in Gaza to neighbouring Arab states against their will, a Foreign Office minister has said after Donald Trump claimed the US would take over the territory.Responding to an urgent question, Anneliese Dodds told the House of Commons: “Palestinians must determine the future of Gaza with support from regional states and the wider international community.“There must be no forced displacement of Palestinians nor any reduction in the territory of the Gaza Strip.”It comes after the US president said his nation would have “a long-term ownership position” and turn what he called a “hell hole” into “the Riviera of the Middle East”.Labour responds to Trump plan to displace Palestinians and turn Gaza into ‘Riviera of the Middle East’ More

Ed Miliband, once infamous for the way he ate a bacon sandwich, has given his verdict on Kemi Badenoch’s opinions regarding lunch.The Conservative leader told the Spectator that sandwiches are “not real food” and declared lunch as “for wimps.”“What’s a lunch break? Lunch is for wimps. I have food brought in and I work and eat at the same time. There’s no time… Sometimes I will get a steak… I’m not a sandwich person,” she added.The energy secretary weighed in on the debate, saying he needed to persuade Ms Badenoch “of the delights of a bacon sandwich.” More

Sir Keir Starmer compared Kemi Badenoch to “an arsonist complaining about the person putting the fire out” in a heated immigration debate during Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday, 11 December.Attacking his record as Director of Public Prosecutions, the Conservative leader said the prime minister backed criminals instead of law-abiding British people, arguing that Sir Keir voted against more than 100 migration control measures and said it was wrong when the previous government revoked Shamima Begum’s citizenship.Sir Keir defended his record by declaring he “dedicated 5 years of his life to law enforcement” and described Ms Badenoch’s accusations he has not done anything were like “an arsonist complaining about the person putting the fire out.” More

Labour’s plans for fast-tracking prison building would involve overruling the objections of local authorities, justice secretary Shabana Mahmood appeared to accept.When asked by BBC Breakfast if the government would override the objections of local people and local councils, the MP for Birmingham Ladywood replied: “Yes, so our manifesto commitment was that we consider prisons to be of national importance.“These are critical infrastructure projects, they are absolutely necessary to make sure the country doesn’t run out of prison places.”In the future, a new prison building would take place according to the crown development route and the decision would go to Angela Rayner, the Housing, Communities and Local Government Secretary, Ms Mahmood explained. More

Nigel Farage squirmed in a heated interview as he was questioned on a Reform UK MP’s assault conviction for kicking his former girlfriend 18 years ago.The party leader described James McMurdock as someone who has “picked himself up from a terrible situation and made a big success.”The former investment banker did not publicly disclose his conviction for assault before being elected and claimed he had “pushed” his partner.The Times later obtained information about his sentencing from the courts, which said he was locked up for 21 days in a young offenders’ institute for kicking the victim “around four times” in 2006 when he was a teenager.Mr Farage dismissed the “discrepancy” between Mr McMurdock’s comments about the incident and the official record as an issue for constituents. More

Angela Rayner insisted “I hate failure” as she remained defiant over Labour’s new homes target.The deputy prime minister said she is determined to meet her 1.5 million new homes target, but wouldn’t guarantee it, when she appeared on Sky News with Trevor Phillips on Sunday (8 December).The housebuilding commitment was one of the six “milestones” Sir Keir Starmer set out in a wide-ranging speech on Thursday (5 December), against which the public can measure the Government’s performance.Ms Rayner said the Government was “tackling the housing crisis we inherited head-on with bold action” as it worked towards building 1.5 million homes over five years. More