UK Politics

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorLabour has come under renewed pressure in its ongoing ‘freebies’ row after it was revealed that Sir Keir Starmer accepted £20,000 in accommodation costs to help his son study for his GCSEs.The donation was declared to Parliament by the prime minister somewhat cryptically as “accommodation.” The nature of the massive donation from Labour donor Lord Waheed Alli had remained a mystery until Sir Keir was asked by the BBC about its purpose.He told the broadcaster: “At the beginning of the election, which we didn’t know when it was going to be called, my boy was in the middle of his GCSEs.“I made him a promise that he’ll be able to get to his school, do his exams without being disturbed.”The revelation marks the latest episode in the Labour row as all MPs come under scrutiny for their record on gifts – despite the prime minister’s attempt to shoot down the criticism as “silly.”It was recently revealed that Sir Keir has accepted £107,000 in gifts since 2019, more than two and a half times more than any other MP. During the campaign trail, he was given £55,122.28 by donor Lord Waheed Alli, including work clothing, accommodation – and £2,485 for “multiple pairs of glasses.” Sir Keir Starmer has accepted thousands of pounds worth of tickets to football matches, including a game between Arsenal and Brighton in April 2024 (Gareth Fuller/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorTom Tugendhat has been criticised for “deeply distasteful” remarks, after he said that taking part in the invasion of Iraq in 2003 was the naughtiest thing he’s ever done.Asked about the naughtiest thing he has ever done in an interview with the Spectator, alongside his fellow leadership rivals, Mr Tugendhat said: “I invaded a country once which was a few years ago, 2003; I was part of the invading army in Iraq”Mr Tugendhat served in both Iraq and Afghanistan More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseOur mission is to deliver unbiased, fact-based reporting that holds power to account and exposes the truth.Whether $5 or $50, every contribution counts.Support us to deliver journalism without an agenda.Louise ThomasEditorThe Windrush scandal had its origins in laws that were specifically designed to strip Black and Asian people of their rights to live in the UK, according to a new report.The Conservative government refused to publish the report in 2022 but, following a decision by a tribunal judge last year, the Labour administration today published it in full.The report, The Historical Roots Of The Windrush Scandal, concludes that the scandal was the culmination of three decades of racist immigration laws designed to reduce the UK’s non-white population and disenfranchise Black people.It highlights that the “deep-rooted racism of the Windrush scandal” is a result of government policies designed to reduce the proportion of people living in the United Kingdom who did not have white skin – specifically major immigration legislation in 1962, 1968 and 1971.“Every single piece of immigration or citizenship legislation was designed at least in part to reduce the number of people with Black or brown skin who were permitted to live and work in the UK,” the report reads.It adds: “The Windrush Scandal was caused by a failure to recognise that changes in immigration and citizenship law in Britain since 1948 had affected Black people in the UK differently than they had other racial and ethnic groups.“As a result, the experiences of Britain’s Black communities of the Home Office, of the law, and of life in the UK have been fundamentally different from those of white communities”.It says the relationship between the Home Office and race relations was dysfunctional in the second half of the twentieth century. “The work of various governmental bodies in combatting discrimination in the UK was separate from the task given to the Home Office to reduce immigration. This led to a paradoxical situation in which immigration policy assumed that too many immigrants from a minority ethnic background were bad for society, but race relations policy promoted the idea of racial equality.”The Home Office, under the previous Conservative Party led by Boris Johnson, had refused to publish despite requests under the Freedom of Information Act, arguing that publication may result in communities’ trust in government being negatively impacted.Priti Patel was the Home Secretary who presided over this report’s suppression.However, a tribunal judgement declared last September that the department must disclose the report to the requester, while the new Labour government decided instead to publish the report in its entirety.The Windrush scandal erupted in 2018 when British citizens were wrongly detained, deported or threatened with deportation despite having the right to live in Britain.Many lost homes and jobs, as well as being denied access to healthcare and benefits.Following the report’s publication, Home Office Minister Seema Malhotra said: “Greater transparency from the Home Office will be accompanied by a commitment to listen and learn. For too long you have gone unheard, but that will not happen on my watch. “As the Home Secretary did in opposition, we will continue to meet with victims, families, and stakeholders from the outset. As a department, we need to hear from communities first-hand if we are to deliver on our promises to the Windrush generation for a fundamental reset,with respect and dignity at its very core. “As a government, we are determined to make good on the commitments we made in opposition to reviewing the Home Office’s continued response, by ensuring the compensation scheme is delivered effectively and that lasting cultural change is embedded across thedepartment.”Home Secretary Yvette Cooper will outline the first steps she has set for the department to “build trust and deliver the change” owed to the Windrush generation and the country, Minister Malhotra added. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentSir Keir Starmer recorded a Covid-era broadcast urging the public to work from home from a Labour donor’s £18 million penthouse.The Christmas message, broadcast in December 2021, was reportedly filmed at a flat belonging to Lord Waheed Alli – a donor who has handed hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Labour Party over the last two decades. It came five days after the previous Conservative government presided over new guidance to limit the spread of a new Covid-19 variant, including recommendations to work from home when possible.Sir Keir Starmer recorded a Covid-era broadcast from what appears to be a Labour donor’s £18 million penthouse More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentA £10 billion US investment in a new artificial intelligence data centre will create 4,000 jobs in the UK, the Government has announced.The deal with private equity giant Blackstone will create Europe’s biggest AI data centre in Blyth, Northumberland.Sir Keir Starmer, who is in New York attempting to woo US bosses, said the investment showed the UK is “open for business”.The number one mission of my government is to grow our economy, so that hard-working British people reap the benefits – and more foreign investment is a crucial part of that planPrime Minister Sir Keir StarmerAs a result of the deal, facilitated by the Government’s Office for Investment, around 1,200 jobs will be dedicated to the construction of the Blyth site.Blackstone will also put £110 million into a fund for skills training and transport infrastructure in the area.The site was bought by Blackstone after the collapse of Britishvolt which had planned to build electric car batteries.The plan for Blackstone to develop the site was first revealed in April, before Sir Keir’s election win.Sir Keir said: “The number one mission of my government is to grow our economy, so that hard-working British people reap the benefits – and more foreign investment is a crucial part of that plan.“New investment such as the one we’ve announced with Blackstone today is a huge vote of confidence in the UK and it proves that Britain is back as a major player on the global stage and we’re open for business.”Blackstone’s president Jon Gray said: “The UK is a top investment market for Blackstone because of its powerful combination of talent and innovation along with a highly transparent legal system.We are making significant commitments … This includes a projected £10 billion investment to build one of Europe’s largest hyperscale data centres supporting 4,000 jobs. Blackstone is committed to BritainBlackstone’s president Jon Gray “We are making significant commitments to building social housing, facilitating the energy transition, growing life sciences companies and developing critical infrastructure needed to fuel the digital economy.“This includes a projected £10 billion investment to build one of Europe’s largest hyperscale data centres supporting 4,000 jobs. Blackstone is committed to Britain.”Sir Keir is meeting a series of US business chiefs including Mr Gray while in New York for the UN General Assembly.Other executives at a roundtable hosted by the Prime Minister on Thursday in New York include: Adebayo Ogunlesi of Global Infrastructure Partners, Shemara Wikramanayake of Macquarie Group, Robin Vince of BNY, William Huffman of Nuveen, Brian Moynihan of Bank of America, Carlyle Group’s Harvey Schwartz, JPMorgan’s Mary Callahan Erdoes, Citigroup’s Jane Fraser and Brookfield Asset Management’s Hadley Peer Marshall,This comes ahead of the UK’s international investment summit in October, which the Government hopes will attract hundreds of leading chief executives and financiers. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentChancellor Rachel Reeves and deputy prime minister Angela Rayner were among five cabinet ministers to attend a Labour Party conference fringe event to show solidarity with Israel and the remaining 101 hostages held by Hamas.Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) on Tuesday evening had one of the most significant and largest turnouts by senior ministers for the entire event, as Palestinian flag-waving protesters remained outside the conference in Liverpool all week.It was a powerful symbolic gesture for a party where LFI has come under huge criticism from pro-Gaza supporters, and Starmer’s government has been facing demands from party members for a much more anti-Israel response to the crisis.Labour lost MPs at the election, including frontbencher Jon Ashworth, because of the refusal to back down over support for Israel.Angela Rayner addresses the Labour Friends of Israel group at party conference More

Union members stage protest ahead of Labour winter fuel allowance debate at the party conference in LiverpoolYour support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseMy recent work focusing on Latino voters in Arizona has shown me how crucial independent journalism is in giving voice to underrepresented communities.Your support is what allows us to tell these stories, bringing attention to the issues that are often overlooked. Without your contributions, these voices might not be heard.Every dollar you give helps us continue to shine a light on these critical issues in the run up to the election and beyondEric GarciaWashington Bureau ChiefSir Keir Starmer has left the Labour Party conference to join world leaders at the United Nations in the US to deliver his first speech as prime minister. He will use his address to the UN General Assembly to promise that his government will deliver “global leadership” as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out conflict and the bloody war in Ukraine grinds on.On a tough week after calling for the return of “sausages” in Gaza during a conference gaffe, Sir Keir has been defeated in a vote to reverse the cut to the winter fuel payments. The non-binding motion, named An Economy for the Future and tabled by Sharon Graham of the Unite union and the Communication Workers Union (CWU), was passed by a show of hands in a rowdy hall at the Labour Party annual conference. In a show of defiance, Unite’s general secretary Sharon Graham called Labour members to rebel against the policy as she shouted: “This is not what people voted for.”The motion called for means testing of the winter fuel allowance to be scrapped and for an end to fiscal rules which prevent borrowing to invest, as well as the introduction of a wealth tax.eShow latest update 1727276155Starmer: We will listen carefully to Zelensky’s demands for Ukraine military aidUkraine’s desire to use western missiles to strike targets in Russia will not be the “sole issue” in Volodymyr Zelensky’s “victory plan”, Sir Keir Starmer said.The US and UK have so far refused to give Kyiv permission to use the missiles they have supplied against targets in Russia, despite repeated pleas from Mr Zelensky.The Ukrainian president has said that he is having to fight with his hands tied because he is unable to use the weapons to strike Russian airfields and military facilities which President Vladimir Putin is using to launch deadly air raids, missiles and drones.Sir Keir is in New York for the United Nations General Assembly, where Mr Zelensky will present his plan for the next stage of the war to his allies.The prime minister said: “I do think it’s going to take quite a bit of time at the UN General Assembly. And I think that’s really important, because it’s at a critical stage.“Obviously, President Zelensky has a plan that he wants to walk through with all of us – we knew that was going to happen.“The support for Ukraine is resolute. We supply quite a lot of capability already under the last government; we’ve increased that under this government – that’s not a criticism of the last government – and we will always listen very carefully to what Ukraine says it needs by way of capability.”Salma Ouaguira25 September 2024 15:551727275739Diane Abbott urges Starmer to ditch winter fuel payment cut following voteSalma Ouaguira25 September 2024 15:481727275223 Why can Starmer still axe winter fuel payments after losing key vote?Labour delegates have voted in favour of a non-binding motion calling to reverse the controversial cut to the winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners.In an embarrassing blow to prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, he now faces mounting pressure over the policy that has been criticised for being disproportionately harmful to the poorest pensioners.The motion, tabled by Sharon Graham of the Unite union, was narrowly carried by a show of hands in a rowdy hall at the Labour Party annual conference.The outcome of the vote will now test Starmer’s ability to manage dissent within the party. Questions remain about whether he will reverse the policy or not:Salma Ouaguira25 September 2024 15:401727274023Escalation in Israel-Hezbollah war ‘deeply troubling’, Swinney saysScotland’s First Minister has said the escalation of violence in the Israel-Hezbollah war is “deeply troubling” and that any Scots caught up in the “awful conflict” should have safe passage out of Lebanon.UK citizens are being urged to leave Lebanon as Israel launched an intense series of air strikes earlier this week.Hezbollah today fired a ballistic missile at Tel Aviv, the first time it has targeted central Israel since the exchanges broke out around Israel’s northern border.Speaking to journalists, John Swinney said the Scottish government would work with the UK government to ensure any Scots in Lebanon can leave safely.He said: “I’m deeply concerned about the situation in Lebanon, as I have been about the situation in Gaza for almost a year.”Mr Swinney added: “The escalation in violence is deeply troubling and the loss of innocent life is unconscionable.“So, we need to have a solution to the Middle East conflict. We need to have a de-escalation of the conflict.”Salma Ouaguira25 September 2024 15:201727272856Windrush report expected to reveal roots of scandal after delays to publicationThe long-awaited publication of a report into the roots of the Windrush scandal is key to reinforcing transparency around government, a campaigner has said.The Home Office previously refused to publish the Historical Roots Of The Windrush Scandal report after a request under the Freedom of Information Act.Earlier this month, a First-Tier Tribunal judgment said the department must disclose the report to the requester, but it is understood Labour has decided to go further and is expected to publish the report on the government website soon.In 2022, the Guardian said that, according to a leaked copy of the document, the report concluded the origins of the “deep-rooted racism of the Windrush scandal” lie in the fact that from 1950 to 1981 “every single piece of immigration or citizenship legislation was designed at least in part to reduce the number of people with black or brown skin who were permitted to live and work in the UK”.During this year’s election campaign, Labour pledged to offer “a fundamental reset moment for the Windrush generation, with respect and dignity at its very core”.Party leader Sir Keir Starmer said in June that if elected he would ensure “urgent reform” of the compensation scheme to make it more efficient, a restoration of the Windrush Unit to the Home Office, and a Windrush commissioner “to be the voice of families affected”.Labour Party leader Sir Keir Starmer attends a coffee morning with members of the Windrush generation at a school in Vauxhall, London More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFind out moreCloseAs your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn’t have the resources to challenge those in power.Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November electionAndrew FeinbergWhite House CorrespondentWatch live as world leaders take part in the 79th annual UN General Assembly high-level debate on Wednesday 25 September.Sir Keir Starmer is expected to deliver a speech later in the day on conflicts in Gaza, Ukraine and Sudan.The prime minister is in New York for the General Assembly this week, where Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky will also present his plan for the next stage of the war to his allies.Sir Keir has suggested the UK will listen carefully to Mr Zelensky’s demands for military aid, and said that Kyiv’s desire to use western missiles to strike targets in Russia will not be the “sole issue” in their “victory plan”.The US and UK have so far refused to give Ukraine permission to use the missiles they have supplied against targets in Russia, despite repeated pleas from Mr Zelensky.The Ukrainian president has said that he is having to fight with his hands tied because he is unable to use the weapons to strike Russian airfields and military facilities which Vladimir Putin is using to launch deadly air raids, missiles and drones. More