UK Politics

Welcome to an exclusive Ask Me Anything session with me, John Rentoul, The Independent’s chief political commentator.Keep scrolling for more. If you want to jump straight to the Q&A, click here.Recent attempts by Sir Keir Starmer’s leadership to tackle welfare reform have exposed deep tensions within Labour, shaking its identity to the core.The standoff over disability benefits, with dramatic rebellions from both loyalist and Corbynite MPs alike, laid bare the struggles Labour faces in balancing fiscal responsibility with social justice. Starmer’s handling of the crisis has damaged his standing – and it seems that only deputy leader Angela Rayner emerged stronger, prompting whispers about the future leadership of the party.But the question remains: can Labour survive this identity crisis? Can the party reconcile its historic commitment to working people with the tough policy decisions required in today’s political climate – and craft a credible alternative to austerity without alienating its own members?What about Rachel Reeves, Liz Kendall, and Angela Rayner? Will these recent developments change the balance of power within the party – or push one of them out entirely?Join me live at 2pm BST on Friday, 4 July to discuss Labour’s internal battles, the challenges facing Starmer’s government, and what the future holds for the party.Submit your questions in the comments below. If you’re not already a member, click “sign up” in the comments section to participate. For a full guide on how to comment, click here.Don’t worry if you can’t see your question right away – some may be hidden until the Q&A starts. See you at 2pm! More

A distressed Rachel Reeves shed tears in the House of Commons on Wednesday as Sir Keir Starmer dodged a question over her future on a day when the government appeared to be spiralling out of control.Following a damaging rebellion over welfare cuts by 49 Labour MPs, the prime minister floundered at Prime Minister’s Questions and refused to rule out new taxes to pay for the £5bn funding gap created by his welfare U-turns.A senior Labour figure said the backbench revolt – and the last-minute concessions that hollowed out the welfare bill – were “terminal” for the prime minister’s political prospects.The PM is facing pressure to sack Ms Reeves and his controversial chief of staff Morgan McSweeney, both of whom have been held partly responsible for the welfare fiasco, and there have been renewed calls for a wealth tax to balance the books.And after the Institute for Fiscal Studies revealed that the watered-down welfare reforms would end up costing money rather than saving billions as originally planned, the bond markets also became uneasy.Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves (right) cries as Keir Starmer speaks at PMQs yesterday More

MPs have backed the government’s move to ban the direct action group Palestine Action as a terrorist organisation, despite warnings that this would have a “chilling effect” on protest.Legislation passed in the Commons yesterday, as MPs voted 385 to 26, a majority of 359 in favour of proscribing the group under the Terrorism Act 2000.While security minister Dan Jarvis told MPs that Palestine Action as not a “legitimate protest group”, others criticised the move and described it as “draconian overreach” and likened the group to the Suffragettes. Zarah Sultana, the independent MP for Coventry South, told the Commons: “To equate a spray can of paint with a suicide bomb isn’t just absurd, it is grotesque. It is a deliberate distortion of the law to chill dissent, criminalise solidarity and suppress the truth.”The motion is expected to be debated and voted on by the House of Lords today before it becomes law.Meanwhile, pro-Palestine demonstrators have hit out at the government, accusing it of “hypocrisy” as it prepares to ban an activist group under anti-terror law.The decision to proscribe the group comes after two planes were vandalised at RAF Brize Norton on June 20. Pro-Palestine protesters demonstrating outside parliament More

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s office said Wednesday that Treasury chief Rachel Reeves is secure in her job after a series of government U-turns dented her revenue-raising plans.Speculation about Reeves’ future mounted after she appeared to be in tears Wednesday in the House of Commons, the day after an embarrassing reversal for the government over its plans to cut welfare spending. Many viewers observed that Reeves looked exhausted and upset as she sat behind Starmer during the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions session.The Treasury said Reeves was dealing with a “personal matter.” It would not elaborate.Starmer initially declined to say, when asked by opposition leader Kemi Badenoch, that Reeves would still have her job when the next election is called, likely in 2029.But Starmer’s press secretary later said Reeves “is going nowhere. She has the prime minister’s full backing.”On Tuesday, Starmer’s government was forced to water down plans to curb welfare spending in order to quell a rebellion by lawmakers from his own party.In something of a hollow victory, the bill passed its first big House of Commons hurdle after the government appeased Labour Party rebels by softening and delaying cuts to welfare benefits for disabled people. Even so, 49 Labour lawmakers voted against the bill.The result is a major blow to Starmer’s authority as he approaches the one-year anniversary of his election on Friday, reckoning with a sluggish economy and rock-bottom approval ratings.It also leaves the Treasury short of money it had counted on to invest in public services, making tax increases more likely. The government has promised not to raise key levies including income tax and sales tax.The government estimated that its welfare reforms would save 5 billion pounds ($7 billion) a year, but after the changes it’s unclear whether they will save any money at all.The reversal follows a decision in May to drop a plan to end winter home heating subsidies for millions of retirees, which Reeves had also counted on to raise money. More

At 5.25pm yesterday disabilities minister Sir Stephen Timms got to his feet in the Commons chamber to intervene on a speech by Labour backbencher Andrew Pakes.His purpose was in effect pull up the white flag on the government’s flagship welfare legislation, in the view that a vote in favour of the government on a completely hollowed out bill was better than defeat. They removed personal independence payments (PIPs) from a bill with the PIPs in the title.Timms is a veteran politician of 31 years in parliament, stoic and understated in nature, thoughtful and careful in speech. He was in many ways the least likely character on the stage to deliver a moment of such theatre.But the hours before that revealed that the real drama was playing out spectacularly in the corridors and corners of the Palace of Westminster, where a defeat for a government with a majority of 156 less than a year into office was becoming a shockingly strong possibility.Starmer defended his position at PMQs More

Tear rolls down Rachel Reeves’ cheek during Prime Minister’s QuestionsDowning Street has insisted Rachel Reeves has Sir Keir Starmer’s full backing after she was seen crying during PMQs.Ms Reeves wiped away tears as Kemi Badenoch told the Commons she looked “absolutely miserable”. Labour minister Ellie Reeves then appeared to be holding her sister’s hand as she left the chamber on Wednesday.It has been claimed by ministerial sources that the tears were a result of an argument with Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle prior to PMQs for which they said he has since apologised. The Speaker’s office has declined to comment.Her tears came as the prime minister came under attack in a fiery PMQs over his failure to deliver £5bn of welfare cuts, which were a crucial part of the spending review.Sir Keir refused to guarantee Ms Reeves’ future as chancellor when pressed by Ms Badenoch amid growing speculation over a reshuffle to regain his authority.He also failed to rule out tax rises.Comment: It’s hard to see how Rachel Reeves can surviveUntil lunchtime today, it appeared that humiliated Keir Starmer was the biggest political victim of the government’s welfare U-turn. The extraordinary and piteous sight of chancellor Rachel Reeves in tears in the Commons has changed that.She rightly deserves sympathy for the huge personal toll the welfare revolt has clearly had on her. From the moment Labour was elected, Reeves has staked everything on balancing the nation’s books and filling the Conservatives’ “£22bn black hole”.However, the welfare rebellion by her party has blown a further £5bn hole in her plans, making it impossible for her to keep her pledge of no further tax rises. The fact that more than 100 of her MPs were prepared, in effect, to treat her and her strategy with contempt, forcing her to rip it up, was a big enough blow to her self-esteem.Simon Walters writes:It’s hard to see how Rachel Reeves can surviveThe chancellor deserves our sympathy, writes Simon Walters, but resignation may now be inevitable. And her boss’s credibility has also taken a huge hit – the prime minister remains in office but not in powerTara Cobham2 July 2025 15:53SNP Westminster leader expresses support for Reeves after chancellor cries in PMQsThe SNP Westminster leader has expressed support for Rachel Reeves after the chancellor cried during PMQs.In a post on X, Stephen Flynn MP said: “Like almost all MPs I don’t know why the Chancellor was upset in the Chamber today, but I do hope she is okay and back to her duties this afternoon.“Seeing another person in distress is always very difficult, and we are wishing her well.”Tara Cobham2 July 2025 15:36Starmer ‘absolutely’ has confidence in his own judgement, Downing St saysDowning Street said Sir Keir Starmer “absolutely” has confidence in his own judgment.Asked the question by reporters, the prime minister’s press secretary said: “Yes absolutely. This is a prime minister who in the opposition picked the Labour Party off the floor, turned it around and secured the mandate that we received last year.“This is a prime minister who… is taking a phased approach to government. The first phase is fixing the foundations, including the £22 billion black hole the Tories left, invested record amounts in the NHS and delivered double the amount of appointments that we committed to in the election, frozen fuel duty… and now we’re delivering fairness and security through our plan for change.”Tara Cobham2 July 2025 15:30How Starmer went from defiant to defeated as he scrambled to get his bill over the lineTimms is a veteran politician of 31 years in parliament, stoic and understated in nature, thoughtful and careful in speech. He was in many ways the least likely character on the stage to deliver a moment of such theatre.The Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:2 July 2025 15:27Sources reveal reason for Rachel Reeves argument with the SpeakerThe Independent’s political editor David Maddox reports:Rachel Reeves’ tears all the way through PMQs have been the talking point of a day where the government appears to be spiralling out of control after the welfare reform debacle.It emerged that the chancellor had an altercation with Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle on her way into the chamber.Now it is being suggested that the reason for the Speaker’s ire was that Ms Reeves and her team slowed down Treasury questions on Tuesday to try to lessen the scrutiny.Neither side has formally commented on the supposed argument.Tara Cobham2 July 2025 15:16Comment | Watching Rachel Reeves crying in the Commons was quietly devastatingOur Voices Editor Victoria Richards writes: Imagine being Rachel Reeves, for a moment. You are sitting in the House of Commons, surrounded by your peers; there to help defend your government’s decisions on welfare reforms after nights of heavy in-fighting and rebellion.The weight of being the first female chancellor in British history lies heavy on your shoulders; your already watered-down plans to make savings with welfare cuts, even more so. I must not crumble, you might tell yourself.Read the full comment piece below: Jabed Ahmed2 July 2025 15:11Jenrick posts brutal social media video saying Reeves’ ‘career is dead’Robert Jenrick has released a brutal social media video saying Rachel Reeves’s “career is dead”, just two hours after the chancellor was seen crying on the Commons frontbenches.Speaking as he tore up a copy of the government’s welfare reform bill, following last night’s chaotic U-turn, the shadow justice secretary said: “Rachel Reeves’ benefits bill is dead and so is her career.”He added: “She’s been humiliated by her own backbenches and forced into her most embarrassing U-turn yet. By her own metric, she’s crashed the economy, she’s lost the confidence of the markets, and now it seems she’s lost the confidence of the prime minister too. It’s time for Reeves to go.”Millie Cooke2 July 2025 14:59Live: MPs vote on banning Palestine Action activist group under anti-terror laws[embedded content]Jabed Ahmed2 July 2025 14:43UK bonds suffer biggest selloff since October 2022 as worries build over ReevesUK government bond prices fell by the most since October 2022 and the pound has tumbled after Rachel Reeves was seen in tears during PMQs.The chancellor has repeatedly emphasised her commitment to fiscal rules, limiting the amount Britain will borrow, and, analysts said, the market moves reflected fears that she would be replaced, creating even more uncertainty.The yield on the 10-year government bond, or gilt, rose as much 22 basis points on the day at one point, to 4.681%, as investors ditched UK debt.That would be the largest one-day jump in the British benchmark yield since October 2022, in the aftermath of Liz Truss’ chaotic fiscal announcement that cost her premiership.The selloff hit the entire gilt curve. Thirty-year yields rose nearly 22 basis points, and 2-year yields rose 11 bps.Sterling dropped by more than 1% against the dollar, set for its largest one-day decline since mid-June and also weakened sharply against the Euro. Jabed Ahmed2 July 2025 14:42No10 says Starmer in constant engagement with MPsDowning Street insisted there was “constant engagement” between the Prime Minister and Labour MPs, amid calls for a reset in relations with backbenchers.The Prime Minister’s press secretary said: “There is constant engagement with the PLP (Parliamentary Labour Party).“The Prime Minister meets regularly with the Parliamentary Labour Party.”She added: “He meets regularly with the parliamentary committee, which represents backbench MPs. That engagement has been consistent and will continue to happen.”Jabed Ahmed2 July 2025 14:32 More

The UK has been accused of “hypocrisy” over its lack of high-level participation at a key global development finance summit, on top of cuts to Britain’s aid budget – while talking up its role in helping lower-income nations. The accusations have been made at the fourth Financing for Development Conference (FfD4), a once-a-decade summit happening all week in Seville, Southern Spain, where delegates are aiming to tackle the perennial problem of how to help developing countries access the money they need. Thirty-two African countries currently spend more on debt repayments than on healthcare, and 25 African countries spend more on debt payments than on education, an issue that activists say needs urgent action.Some 50 world leaders are due at FfD4, including Emmanuel Macron of France, Mark Carney of Canada, and Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission. The UK, however, has only sent a government minister in the form of Baroness Chapman, the international development minister. “A level of ambition from the UK government would have been demonstrated clearly by sending higher level participation such as the prime minister or Foreign Secretary,” Lydia Darby, a senior policy advisor at Save the Children, told The Independent. Ahead of fDf4, writing in The Independent, Baroness Chapman called for a “new era for global aid and development”, that would see developing countries helped in building their own tax systems, and greater investment in developing countries from the private sector, among other measures. Hannah Bond, Co-CEO at ActionAid UK, said that it is “hypocritical” for the UK to talk about “fair finance” while cutting overseas aid.“If the UK truly cares about fair finance, it must honour its overseas aid commitments, tackle unfair debts, and pay its fair share in addressing the climate crisis,” Bond said. “Without this, talk of fair finance is nothing more than empty PR.” Baroness Chapman’s appearance comes off the back of the UK cutting its foreign aid budget from 0.5 per cent to 0.3 per cent of Gross National Income (GNI) – which is expected to reduce foreign aid by £6.2 billion by 2025.Alex Farley, from advocacy group Bond, said that it is “impossible” to see how the UK can deliver on existing funding commitments, respond to humanitarian crisis, and tackle climate change, following he 0.5 to 0.3 per cent cut. “Let alone undo the damage these cuts have done to our reputation and credibility with countries,” he added. “It would be nice to hear the government expressing regret for its cuts to the aid budget, rather than blithely claiming that they are somehow doing developing countries a favour,” Michael Jacobs, from the think tank ODI, told The Independent. Mr Jacobs added that the claim that private sector money can substitute public funds is “silly at best, disingenuous at worst”. This is because “the private sector wants returns, while much aid – for health, schools, sanitation, climate adaptation – doesn’t make a profit, so is not investable”, he said. An attendee watches proceedings during the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development, in Seville, Spain More

Watch live as Sir Keir Starmer faces Kemi Badenoch at PMQs on Wednesday (2 July), hours after MPs voted to pass the prime minister’s watered-down welfare bill.The bill, which would see changes made to personal independence payment (PIP) and the health-related element of universal credit, went to a crunch vote on Tuesday evening.It passed its second reading by 335 ayes to 260 noes, a majority of 75, with 49 Labour MPs voting against the welfare cuts, which they believe could push people further into poverty.On Monday, in a bid to convince rebel MPs to back the changes, the PM watered down his original welfare plans to minimise the impact on existing claimants.He will likely take a grilling from the opposition leader, who slammed the bill as a “total waste of time”. Writing on X, Ms Badenoch said: “It effectively saves £0, helps no one into work, and does NOT control spending. It’s pointless.”Sir Keir, who is fresh off facing his largest Commons rebellion to date, could also see backlash from opposing Labour MPs.The bill fallout comes just days after Labour celebrates its one-year anniversary since entering government. More