UK Politics

Downing Street has failed to rule out tax rises to pay for a potential U-turn on Sir Keir Starmer’s £5bn welfare reform as the prime minister remains locked in crisis talks to stave off a Labour rebellion. Sir Keir is considering concessions in a bid to save his benefit cuts after more than 120 Labour MPs signed an amendment that would effectively kill them off. But there are growing questions over how a climbdown would be funded.Asked whether the government accepts it would be forced to hike taxes, the prime minister’s official spokesperson said ministers wanted to get the changes “right”, adding that the chancellor would take tax decisions “in the round in the future”. The row comes as top economists warned that failing to pass the reforms would wipe out the chancellor’s financial headroom ahead of her Budget this autumn, meaning hike taxes or cuts to spending elsewhere would be needed to plug a black hole. Sir Keir doubled down on the need for the reforms on Thursday, warning benefits claimants were “failed every single day” by a “broken system” but admitted Labour MPs want to see “reform implemented with Labour values of fairness”. However, rebels told The Independent that any concessions would have to be wide-ranging if they were to be accepted.Keir Starmer is locked in crisis talks More

Kemi Badenoch has suffered a blow to her authority after a Tory MP openly criticised her in the House of Commons and appeared to challenge her to suspend him. The row erupted after the Conservative leader hit out at Keir Starmer for “evading” Prime Minister’s Questions, to attend the Nato and G7 summits. Opposition MPs lined up to criticise the beleaguered Ms Badenoch, already under fire over her lacklustre leadership from some within her party. However, in an extraordinary moment in the House of Commons, one of her own MPs, Conservative Mark Pritchard, openly criticised her, saying partisan politics should be kept out of national security issues. He added: “Who knows, I may get the whip withdrawn for saying that, but so be it, there are things that go beyond party politics.” Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch (Stefan Rousseau/PA) More

Sir Keir Starmer is locked in last-minute talks with Labour rebels as he paves the way for a major climbdown on his planned benefit cuts. The prime minister is having a “busy day”, Downing Street said, as he desperately tries to win back the support of disgruntled backbenchers and stave off a humiliating rebellion over his flagship welfare reforms. After more than 120 of his MPs signed an amendment threatening to kill the welfare reform bill ahead of its second reading on Tuesday, the prime minister said conversations “will continue in the coming days”.While he doubled down on the need for change, saying benefits claimants “are failed every single day” by a “broken system”, he admitted that MPs want to see “reform implemented with Labour values of fairness”. Douglas Alexander said ‘everyone agrees welfare needs reform’ More

Dominic Cummings, Theresa May’s “Nick and Fi” – prime ministerial advisers rarely last as long as the PM they work for, as they become lightning rods for criticisms of the administration. And with anger growing over Labour’s welfare cuts, will the same now be true for Keir Starmer’s background fixer Morgan McSweeney?Labour MPs are calling for “regime change” in Downing Street, with some hitting out at the “over-excitable boys” in Sir Keir’s top team.Many blame Sir Keir’s chief of staff, the softly spoken Irishman Mr McSweeney, for ignoring the rising concerns of a huge number of Labour backbenchers over his plans to deny welfare payments to hundreds of thousands of disabled people in a bid to save £5bn a year.Downing Street chief of staff Morgan McSweeney More

Ministers are considering stricter restrictions on alcohol advertising to bring them closer in line with junk food ads.The government said it is exploring “partial restrictions” which could include a ban on alcohol advertising before the 9pm watershed.The plans could be introduced in the ten-year NHS plan set to be revealed in July.Health secretary Wes Streeting is set to announce radical reforms for the NHS in England after the recent spending review allocated £29 billion to the health service.Under current plans for unhealthy food set to be implemented in January 2026, adverts will be banned if the products are classified as “less healthy” using a government scoring system based on salt, fat, sugar and protein content.If the alcohol restrictions follow the same guidelines as the unhealthy food ban, it may mean television ads will only be allowed after 9pm.Wes Streeting is set to announce radical reforms for the NHS in England after the recent spending review allocated £29 billion to the health service More

Sir Keir Starmer has admitted his Budget tax hikes piled massive pressure on British businesses. The prime minister said his government “asked a lot” of firms in the UK after coming to power in last year’s general election, as Rachel Reeves imposed £25bn of tax rises on companies through her employer national insurance increase. But, addressing business chiefs at the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) conference, he said, in doing so, Labour had “wiped the slate clean and stabilised the economy”. Keir Starmer said Labour has ‘wiped the slate clean’ and will now ‘back business to the hilt’ More

Reform UK would become Britain’s largest party if a general election was held tomorrow, a major new poll shows, putting Nigel Farage on course to become prime minister. The insurgent right-wing party would jump from having just five MPs to 271, with Mr Farage poised to form a minority government.Labour would collapse from holding 403 seats now to just 178, with Sir Keir Starmer’s popularity having plummeted since the general election due to a series of disastrous policies and chaotic U-turns. Reform enjoyed major success at May’s local elections More

The UK must prepare for the possibility of a “wartime scenario” on home soil, a major new government review has warned.The National Security Strategy, published on Tuesday, has issued the grim warning as events in the Middle East and Russia’s war with Ukraine continue to add to international instability.It comes just 48 hours after Iran threatened to target UK bases following the US attack on its nuclear facilities, before a ceasefire was announced last night.The strategy also recommends that UK citizens undergo “national resilience exercises” in preparation for attacks at home.“For the first time in many years, we have to actively prepare for the possibility of the UK homeland coming under direct threat, potentially in a wartime scenario,” the strategy warns.It added: “The years ahead will test the United Kingdom … The direction it takes – and the decisions we take – will reverberate through the decades.” It said the UK will need “agility and courage to succeed”, but adds the country should be optimistic in part because of the “determination of the British people themselves”. “After all, we do not need to look too far into our history for an example of a whole-of-society effort, motivated by a collective will to keep each other safe. We can mobilise that spirit again and use it both for our national security and the building of our country.”Starmer arrives at Amsterdam Schiphol airport ahead of attending the Nato summit at The Hague More