UK Politics

Starmer takes six new pledges in attempted Labour relaunchYour support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreSir Keir Starmer has insisted his new milestones are not confusing as he was repeatedly asked to clarify his party’s “plan for change”.In an attempted Labour relaunch, the prime minister gave a major speech this morning listing six milestones he pledged to achieve over the course of this parliament on the way to fulfilling the “missions” he set for himself before the election.Sir Keir was forced to defend his milestones, insisting they are not confusing for the public to understand and to explain that they are not a reset of his priorities.The speech also raised questions over migration targets, with Kemi Badenoch accusing the PM of including “nothing concrete on immigration”.Responding to Sir Keir’s speech, which she branded an “emergency reset” after a challenging five months in office, the Conservative Party leader also accused him of dropping economic growth as a key target.Sir Keir had promised the first milestone to be reached by the end of the parliament would be “higher living standards in every region of the country”, adding that the UK was aiming for the “highest sustained growth in the G7, so working people have more money in their pocket”.Other milestones included building 1.5 million new homes and introducing 150 major infrastructure projects, putting more police on the beat with a view to making Britain’s streets safer, giving every child the “best start in life”, achieving clean power by 2030, and cutting NHS backlogs.Comment | Keir Starmer has declared war on whoever has been in charge since JulyToday’s event in Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire looked and sounded like the launch of a manifesto. Anyone tuning in without being told might think that the petition for an immediate general election had been successful, and that Keir Starmer was campaigning against whoever had been in charge since July.He complained that productivity in the public sector had declined – a decline that would not be tolerated in the private sector. “I’m not going to subsidise it with ever-rising taxes on the British people,” he said, having just raised taxes on the British people.But the more strenuously he proclaimed his “huge” and “ambitious” plan for change, the more striking was the contrast with the confusion, uncertainty and caution of the past five months.John Rentoul writes:John Rentoul5 December 2024 14:30PM denies watering down green energy pledgeSir Keir Starmer has denied watering down a green energy pledge after setting a target for the UK to be “on track” to deliver 95 per cent clean power by 2030. The “milestone” in Sir Keir’s new “plan for change” pledges a measure in line with advice from the National Energy System Operator (Neso) aiming for 95% reliance on “low carbon generation”.The Prime Minister denied there was a shift in position while announcing his plan at Pinewood Studios.Sir Keir said: “The clean energy pledge is today exactly what it was in the election; that has always been central to our mission.”He added: “The mission hasn’t changed from the day I launched it nearly two years ago.“In terms of where we need to get to on clean energy by 2030, it’s exactly the same as it always was.“There’s always going to be a mix but that is the pledge that we made two years ago. That is the mission and we’ve not changed it today.”Alex Croft5 December 2024 14:14New law may see driver’s blood tested without consent after fatal collisionsChanges to the law may allow a driver’s blood to be tested without consent after fatal road traffic collisions, commons leader Lucy Powell has suggested.A Labour MP raised the case of six-year-old Sharlotte-Sky Naglis who died after being hit by a drunk driver in Stoke in 2021. The driver, John Owen, spent 11 weeks in a coma after the accident and his blood could not be tested for evidence by police without his consent due to current legislation.Claire, Sharlotte’s mother, is calling for section 7A of the Road Traffic Act 1988 to be amended so blood can be tested without consent after fatal collisions.In the Commons, Ms Powell told Stoke-on-Trent North MP David Williams that the government is “considering some possible changes to motoring offences to cover situations like this”.Alex Croft5 December 2024 14:01In full: Keir Starmer’s six milestones for change Prime minister Sir Keir Starmer has set out the six milestones in his “plan for change”.Here they are in full:Delivery of higher, real, household disposable income and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita by the end of the Parliament. This is part of the goal of having the highest sustained economic growth in the G7. At 1.5 million homes to be built in England and planning decisions on at least 150 major economic infrastructure projects to be fast-tracked.To meet the NHS standard of 92 per cent of patients in England waiting no longer than 18 weeks for elective treatment.An additional 13,000 police officers, PCSOs and special constables in neighbourhood roles in England and Wales with a named officer for every community.A record of 75 per cent of five-year-olds ready to learn by the time they school. Putting the UK “on track” to at least 95 per cent clean power by 2030. Alex Croft5 December 2024 13:45Watch: Keir Starmer delivers Labour’s ‘plan for change’ in major speech[embedded content]Alex Croft5 December 2024 13:31PM suggests successful delivery of government’s plans could counter rise of populist politicsThe prime minister suggested that successful delivery of the Government’s plans could counter the rise of populist politics.In his speech given earlier, Sir Keir Starmer said: “Everyone can see there’s a growing impatience with traditional politics. Everyone can see how people are tired with those who fail to get the job done.“Now, populism isn’t the answer to Britain’s challenges. Easy answers won’t make our country strong.“But nobody can deny that this kind of politics feeds off real concerns.”He added: “What people want from their politics, that hasn’t changed.“They want a stable economy, they want their country to be safe, their borders secure, more cash in their pockets, safer streets in their town, opportunities for their children, secure British energy in their home and an NHS that is fit for the future.“That is why we’ve set these missions. Missions to make our country strong, missions to make working people better off, missions this Government will deliver.”Tara Cobham5 December 2024 13:09‘These milestones aren’t a clear route to real change’: Green Party’s verdict on Starmer’s speechThe Green Party’s co-leader has said “these milestones aren’t a clear route to real change” as he gave his verdict on Sir Keir Starmer’s speech.Adrian Ramsay said: “These milestones aren’t a clear route to real change. Today’s listicle, while pointing in the right direction on a handful of issues, is missing the wholesale ambition and drive that a Government elected on a change agenda needs.“We have a country reeling from severe flooding and facing more storms this weekend, a country where people are struggling to heat their homes this winter, and a country worried about finding the school places and doctor appointments that those they love need.“Instead of listing out a few priorities, suggesting that these will be delivered at the expense of other important issues, we wanted today to see a gear change in this government where they accept that we need to ask the very richest to pay more tax so we could properly fund all our frontline public services.”Green party co-leaders Carla Denyer and Adrian Ramsay (right) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreToday marks five months since Sir Keir Starmer became Prime Minister, giving his first address at Downing Street on July 5.By no coincidence, it is also the day that Sir Keir will be announcing his “plan for change” in a speech this morning; setting targets on the economy, NHS, public safety, energy security, and social mobility to enact before the next general election.Sir Keir’s first five months in power, after a 14-year Labour hiatus, have been marked with challenges. Just weeks into his time as prime minister, race riots erupted across the UK following the Southport stabbings, with more than 1,000 arrests and 300 sentences in the aftermath. Sir Keir’s chief of staff, Sue Gray, resigned amid controversy over her £170,000 salary, and the prime minister himself has faced scrutiny over gifted tickets, clothes, and accommodation.More recently, an estimated 10,000 people descended on Westminster to protest the decision to introduce inheritance tax to include some farm estates. But what do the numbers show on the first five months of a Labour government; and from Bills to tax rises, how does Sir Keir compare to his predecessors?After inheriting a £22bn “black hole” from the Tories, the Labour government revealed an effective £40bn increase in taxes in its hotly anticipated Autumn Statement. The lion’s share of these tax rises – £25bn – will fall on employers in the form of increased national insurance contributions.Other tax hikes included increases to capital gains tax, abolition of non-dom status, and the controversial decision to expand inheritance tax to pensions and farms.While it is difficult to compare the exact monetary value of tax rises or cuts over the years, the Institute for Financial Studies (IFS) has found that Labour’s proposals will represent the highest relative tax increases in 30 years. IFS calculations show that the Autumn Statement introduces a tax change of +1.21 per cent, as a proportion of national income.The last time a tax change was this high was in John Major’s 1993 budget; though the recent Tory government is close behind. During his time as chancellor in 2021, Rishi Sunak delivered a budget which contained tax rises of +1.05 per cent, which at the time was the biggest hike of the 21st Century, according to IFS estimates.This included an income tax freeze which placed the tax burden on workers, dragged 1.3 million people into paying taxes for the first time, and froze the higher tax bracket of 40% on any earnings over £50,270.As a result, workers have been “stuck” in higher tax bands despite wages growing rapidly in the past few years; the current untaxed personal allowance has remained at just £12,570 since 2022.The current Labour government has decided not to extend the Conservatives’ income tax freezes, which means that salary thresholds for different levels of taxation will be adjusted from 2028-29.Starmer’s satisfaction has tumbled downwardsSince Keir Starmer was elected prime minister in July, the public has become less and less satisfied with his performance.According to polls from More in Common, Sir Keir’s approval has dropped by 35 points in just five months; from +5 per cent on election day, to -30 per cent in late November.The most dramatic fall came between late July and late August (a drop of ~25 per cent), although Parliament was not in session during this period.But Sir Keir is far from alone in his unpopular turn. Over the last 15 years, all prime ministers have suffered an unpleasant honeymoon period, though some worse than others.According to separate polling archives from Ipsos, when asked how satisfied they were with the prime minister at the time, the public has tended to become gradually more unhappy as time goes on. Theresa May, who was appointed prime minister in July 2016, was the most successful in retaining her popularity five months in, at +15 per cent satisfaction.Meanwhile, Liz Truss, who did not make it to the five-month mark, saw satisfaction plummet from -2 to -51 per cent between September and October alone. Both Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak, neither of whom were elected at the time, started with an already negative satisfaction rating. By the time Johnson faced election in December 2019, satisfaction had dropped to -20.Though public dissatisfaction with Keir Starmer is not a record low, it is a significantly high drop in such a short period of time, and higher than most other prime ministers on record.Inflation remains stable After a high period of inflation, the consumer price index (CPI) has been generally decreasing since its peak in November 2022. While CPI was at 2 per cent in June this year, it jumped by 0.2 per cent in July, the month of the general election.Inflation went down significantly to 1.7 per cent in September, a record low in over three years (since April 2021).However, inflation rose again in October, with latest CPI figure at 2.3 per cent.In the context of extremely volatile inflation in the past few years, the first few months of a Keir Starmer leadership have been relatively stable.Government billsIt can be hard to measure the productivity of a government — particularly one which was elected just before Parliament’s summer recess. The House of Commons was out of action between 31 July and 1 September. Nonetheless, the first five months of this Labour government have been a busy period. Since the 5th of July, when Sir Keir became prime minister, the Government has introduced 26 bills into parliament. Two more bills were carried over, according to analysis from Parallel Parliament. Three bills have been enacted into law so far; the Budget Responsibility Act, Passenger Railway Services Act, and Supply and Appropriation Act. This does not include the dozens private members bills which have been introduced in this period, by MPs and Lords, such as the controversial Assisted Dying Bill which passed last week. By comparison, predecessor Rishi Sunak’s government introduced just 14 bills in his first five months as prime minister. When Boris Johnson became an unelected prime minister in July 2019, his government also introduced just 14 bills in the first five months. However, once Mr Johnson was then elected in December of that year, his government introduced 29 bills in the same time period. Tackling immigration After latest immigration figures were released, Sir Keir criticised the Tory government’s failure to get immigration in check, accusing his predecessors of running an “open borders experiment”. The Labour government have not yet committed to any specific immigration targets themselves. However, fresh data revealed deportations soared in the first three months of Starmer’s government (July 1st to September 30th 2024).In the third quarter of this year, both enforced and voluntary deportations were higher than any other period in the last five years. In particular, an unprecedented number of Brazilian migrants were deported under the first few months of Sir Keir’s prime ministership (1,473).According to a freedom of information request in the Observer, more than 600 of these deportations were spread over three chartered Home Office flights this summer — the largest in history.There were 2,061 enforced returns between July and September this year alone, a 29 per cent increase year-on-year and a 12 per cent increase from the previous quarter.There were also 6,247 voluntary returns in the same period. This allows illegal migrants, asylum seekers, or people who overstayed their visas to get support to leave the UK voluntarily.Migrants can be incentivised to leave voluntarily with up to £3,000 in financial support, and cost of airfare. For this reason, the use of voluntary returns has been on the rise in recent years, with enforced returns costing upwards of £15,000 per person.The first quarter under Labour leadership may show that Sir Keir is serious about tackling illegal immigration. More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreThe use of ankle tagging and curfews will increase under Labour’s push to increase punishment capacity, Yvette Cooper has suggested.She said the inheritance from the previous Tory government has left the country in a “complete prison crisis”.It came after the National Audit Office said the prisons overcrowding crisis is down to the failure of the previous government to make sure policy changes bringing in longer jail sentences and boosting police numbers matched the space available in prisons to hold criminals.While the new government will seek to boost the number of prison places, Ms Cooper said minister will also make increasing use of other punishments like curfews and ankle tagging.Home Secretary Yvette Cooper (Jordan Pettitt/PA) More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreSir Keir Starmer has refreshed a pre-election pledge to restore policing to Britain’s streets as he tries to relaunch his government just five months after winning the election.The prime minister will announce on Thursday that he plans to put “a named police officer in every neighbourhood” as he tries to win back the trust of voters after a difficult start to his time in Downing Street.His “plan for change” comes as the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) issues a report raising serious doubts over whether Sir Keir can succeed in his number one mission of creating economic growth.The prime minister will make a speech in the south of England with a pitch to voters that Labour is on the side of “hard-working British people and grafters” with support for his party plummeting in the polls.As well as addressing police numbers, it is understood Sir Keir will attempt to pivot his government’s economic policy away from growth and towards raising the standard of living.It comes after a bumpy start for Labour in which the prime minister, his ministers and even his wife were caught up in a freebies scandal; the departure of his first chief of staff Sue Gray; the forced resignation of a cabinet minister Louise Haigh; and a barage of criticism over a Budget with a record £40bn of tax rises.Keir Starmer prepares to reset his government More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreKeir Starmer’s plan to reset the UK’s post-Brexit relationship with the European Union has suffered a blow with the loss of a key ally. French prime minister Michel Barnier lost a no-confidence motion after he pushed a controversial budget through without a vote.Mr Barnier will have to tender his resignation and that of his government to President Emmanuel Macron, making the politician, who was in post for less than three months, the shortest serving French PM in modern times. That would mark a setback for Sir Keir, who has worked with Mr Barnier since his time as the EU’s chief Brexit negotiator in the years after the UK voted to leave the bloc.Keir Starmer and Michel Barnier More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreBritain’s first female Sikh MP has brought forward a bill which she hopes will end decades of discrimination against Jews and Sikhs in the UK.Preet Kaur Gill, Labour MP for Birmingham Edgbaston, tabled her legislation in the Commons in a 10-minute rule bill, aimed at forcing the authorities to start to recognise Jews and Sikhs as ethnic groups not just religious ones.Jews and Sikhs are two of the top three ethnic groups to experience hate crimes in the UK yet do not have data collected to help the police and other authorities tackle discrimination.Added to that there is a concern that the NHS is also not collating data of health issues related to the ethnic groups leading to worse outcomes. The issue became accute during the covid pandemic when data about other ethnic groups was being tracked by health services.Preet Kaur Gill brought forward a bill to end discrimination against Jews and Sikhs More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreKeir Starmer is under increasing pressure to scrap the controversial two child benefit cap after the SNP announced it will abolish the limit in Scotland. The move would lift 15,000 youngsters out of poverty, Scottish finance secretary Shona Robison said. Labour has so far stuck with the cap, one of George Osborne’s ‘austerity’ measures, but pledged to ‘do the sums’ on how much abolition would cost. But the policy, hated by many within Labour, triggered the first rebellion of his premiership earlier this year. Keir Starmer is under increasing pressure to scrap the controversial two child benefit cap More

Your support helps us to tell the storyFrom reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.Your support makes all the difference.CloseRead moreA Labour MP has become the first to break ranks and declare he would rebel against his party’s controversial ‘farm tax’. The move will increase pressure on the chancellor Rachel Reeves to U-turn on her inheritance tax raid, which critics say could sound the death knell for many family farms.Markus Campbell-Savours, the Labour MP for Penrith and Solway, said he was “not prepared to break my word” to farmers in his constituency. As MPs prepared to vote on a non-binding Conservative motion against the tax, he added: “If today was the real vote I would vote against the government’s plans.” Farmers protesting in central London over the changes to inheritance tax rules (Andrew Matthews/PA) More