UK Politics

Sir Keir Starmer has warned Labour rebels that he will not budge any further on plans to slash disability benefits.With dozens of backbenchers threatening a revolt over plans to cut personal independence payments (PIP) and other benefits, the prime minister is facing his next big test with his own party.Already, there had been rumblings about economic policy during the run-up to the spending review, with a number of MPs supportive of a proposal by deputy prime minister Angela Rayner to impose eight new wealth taxes on the super-rich and corporations instead of making cuts.Keir Starmer on a visit with Liz Kendall to the Bridge Cafe in Bolton More

Fewer than half of young men believe abortion should be legal, far less than the general population, a shocking new poll has found. Just 46 per cent of 18 to 36-year-old men believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, compared with 71 per cent among the general population. Amid concerns about the rise of the manosphere – a growing online community of hypermasculine influencers – the Ipsos poll showed a stark drop in support for abortion in those aged under 36. More than a third of young men think abortions should be illegal More

Wes Streeting has said he will consider leaning more heavily on the private sector as he bids to clear NHS waiting lists.The health secretary said he will not be “bound by outdated ideological battles” when tackling the crisis in the service, where 7.39 million people are currently waiting to be seen by doctors. He said it would be “foolish to turn away” from the private healthcare sector, but cautioned that “we must see it for what it is”. Wes Streeting said he would not be ideologically opposed to expanding the use of the private sector in the NHS More

Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he will not agree to recognise a unilateral Palestine as a state, as a civil war over the issue threatens to erupt in his party.With tensions mounting in the Middle East, given the ongoing blockade of Gaza by Israel and the region on the brink of all-out war between Israel and Iran, Sir Keir made it clear that the UK government will not budge.The prime minister said: “Our position on recognition of Palestine as part of the process hasn’t changed for us. I hold very strongly to the belief that the only long-term solution to the conflict in the Middle East is a two-state solution. However hard that may seem at the moment in the current circumstances, that is the only way to peace. So that continues to be our position.”His comments came as the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Labour’s biggest financial backer, issued a joint statement with its Canadian and French counterparts calling on the UK government to change its position.The prime minister is not currently planning to change his position on Palestinian recognition More

Rachel Reeves has insisted Britain is not at war despite sending more RAF jets to the Middle East amid devastating strikes between Iran and Israel. The chancellor said the UK could play a military role defending Israel from ongoing Iranian attacks, but said moves so far “do not mean we are at war”. Speaking to Sky News, she said: “We have, in the past, supported Israel when there have been missiles coming in. I’m not going to comment on what might happen in the future, but so far, we haven’t been involved, and we’re sending in assets to both protect ourselves and also potentially to support our allies.” Rachel Reeves said Britain is not at war More

Keir Starmer is to put trading relations with Canada back on track with a rebuke to Donald Trump and the tariffs which have sent global trade into turmoil.The prime minister has flown out to Ottawa for a bilateral meeting with newly elected Canadian PM Mark Carney ahead of a G7 summit in Alberta next week.Downing Street has made a point of wanting to “retain Britain’s status as a free and open trading nation”, as Sir Keir flew across the Atlantic.The line was a direct rebuke to the strategy pursued by Donald Trump with his tariffs ahead of an expected bilateral meeting with the US president at the summit.Sir Keir Starmer welcomed Prime Minister of Canada Mark Carney to 10 Downing Street More

Keir Starmer is to launch a statutory national inquiry into the grooming gang scandal, following months of mounting pressure over the issue.The prime minister told journalists on the flight to the G7 in Canada that he had accepted the new recommendation from Louise Casey, who led the original review into the grooming gang scandal, which has hit communities all around the UK.Sir Keir and Labour ministers, including Jess Phillips, the minister for domestic abuse, have faced criticism for previously refusing to commit to such an inquiry. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer spent Friday speaking to world leaders about the situation in the Middle East More

There may not be enough maple syrup in Canada to sugarcoat any diplomatic misstep by Keir Starmer as he joins arguably the most important international summit of his premiership so far.The last time the word “Canada” passed the prime minister’s lips on a trip to North America, it caused a diplomatic storm with one ally even as he was carefully trying to get another one on side.This weekend, the prime minister joins fellow leaders from the world’s biggest economies, including Donald Trump, for the G7 summit in Alberta.While the leaders, hosted by recently reelected Canadian PM Mark Carney, will discuss a number of issues, top of the real agenda will be the hot topics of US tariffs, the war in Ukraine and now the combustible situation in the Middle East with Israel’s America-backed attacks on Iran.Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump announced a UK-US trade deal at the start of May More