UK Politics

On Wednesday, Sir Keir Starmer took everyone by surprise when he suddenly announced a U-turn on Labour’s controversial winter fuel payment cuts. The response to what appeared to be a planted question from a loyal backbencher during Prime Minister’s Questions certainly wrong-footed Tory leader Kemi Badenoch and meant that Labour MPs left the chamber with smiles on their faces.But the shock move came as Sir Keir was having to act to shore up power with MPs, senior party figures and trade unionists who have been openly plotting to remove him.After a turbulent 10 months, the prime minister’s migration announcement earlier this month, where he laid out plans to clamp down on the number of people coming into the UK, was seen as a “watershed moment” for the party – not least because it had echoes of the late right-wing Tory MP Enoch Powell’s infamous “Rivers of Blood” speech.Now, a large number of MPs from the so-called “soft left” of the party are organising to try to force a change of direction, with allies of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner urging her to organise a leadership contest. Keir Starmer signals a partial U-turn on restricting winter fuel payments earlier this week More

Hundreds of thousands of children with special needs are at risk of losing their entitlement to support in schools, as the government refused to rule out scrapping key documents that families rely on to guarantee specialist help. Education, health and care plans (EHCPs) are statutory documents which outline the support needed to help children with special needs and disabilities achieve key life outcomes. But speaking to the Guardian, Catherine McKinnell, the school standards minister, declined to rule out narrowing or replacing EHCPs altogether as she confirmed officials were developing a new system for SEND support. Changes to the EHCP system could force thousands of pupils out of mainstream education, campaigners have warned More

Sir Keir Starmer is facing the biggest rebellion of his premiership as more than 150 MPs are preparing to vote against his forthcoming welfare cuts.It is understood that there is growing upset among both parliamentary private secretaries (PPSs) and even government ministers, who are said to be considering quitting if the government doesn’t water down its proposals. It comes amid deep concern over the impact of the proposed changes, which will see personal independence payments cut for around 800,000 people. One PPS told The Independent she is horrified by the direction of the government, claiming that the prime minister simply doesn’t care what his MPs think. Prime minister Keir Starmer signalled a partial U-turn on restricting winter fuel payments earlier this week More

Kemi Badenoch is facing an inevitable leadership challenge, Boris Johnson’s former director of communications has warned, amid reports that the Tory party is plotting to oust her. Guto Harri, who worked for Boris Johnson during his time in No 10, also warned the Conservatives against selecting frontrunner Robert Jenrick as their next leader, dubbing him a “pale imitation” of Reform UK. It comes after The Independent revealed that Tory MPs are plotting to remove Mrs Badenoch as panic grows over the future of the party following Reform’s success in the local elections and continued disastrous results in the polls. Kemi Badenoch is facing questions over her leadership after the disastrous local election results More

Nigel Farage’s Reform UK have hit 30 per cent for the first time in the weekly tracker poll conducted by Techne UK for The Independent.After a massive victory in May’s local elections where the party won 10 councils and 677 seats, Reform’s climb in the polls continues while the slide continues for both Labour and the Tories.Ahead of the local elections on 1 May Reform were tied with Labour on 25 per cent each but have gained five points in the last month while Labour have fallen three points to 22 per cent.Meanwhile, the Tories who were on 23 per cent just before the local elections have seen their support collapse six points in a month to 17 per cent, now just one point ahead of the Lib Dems on 16 per cent. The Greens have also benefited rising by two points to 9 per cent.Techne UK’s chief executive Michela Morizzo said: “It seems the political landscape in the UK is evolving more rapidly in a totally new direction than ever before in history.”This week’s polling revealed that voters aged over 45 are more likely to support Reform with backing for Farage increasing the older people get.Voters aged 35 to 44 are evenly split at the top between Labour and Reform while voters under 35 are more likely to support Labour.More than half (52 per cent) of Tory voters from last year’s election have now switched to Reform. However only 10 per cent of Labour’s 2024 election voters back Reform now with more (12 per cent) going to Lib Dems.The figures will only add to questions about Tory leader Kemi Badenoch’s ability to survive while they also appear to have pressured Sir Keir Starmer into a U-turn on winter fuel. Since Sir Keir Starmer’s government took over, Labour have seen a decline in support. The Conservatives, too, have been unable to keep momentum in opposition, and have fallen to 21 per cent support. Meanwhile Reform, which won an unprecedented 14.3 per cent of the vote in the July general election, has continued to make steady gains, overtaking the Tories in January, and now sit alongside Labour at the top. It is important to note, however, that national voting intention polls do not tend to accurately reflect the picture at local elections, but they can provide a useful snapshot of political sentiment. For some voters, political parties play little part in their choice for local councillors, while others might vote solely based on party affiliation. More

Labour has delayed a flagship plan designed to cut child poverty until the autumn, in a move that could leave tens of thousands on the brink. Just weeks after coming to power, ministers said they would consider ditching the “cruel” two-child benefit cap in a bid to head off a backbench Labour revolt.But the overall strategy in which the policy was expected to be included has now been pushed back, despite fears of another rebellion on welfare cuts within weeks. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer signalled a partial U-turn on restricting winter fuel payments earlier this week (Thomas Krych/PA) More

Donald Trump has taken aim at Sir Keir Starmer’s government just weeks after the two leaders appeared to put the “special relationship” back on track with a much-lauded trade deal. The US president hit out at one of the Labour leader’s flagship strategies, on net zero, telling him to “stop with the costly and unsightly windmills” and instead forge ahead with more drilling for oil in the North Sea. Mr Trump, who has been vocal in his opposition to wind turbines for many years, used a post on his social media platform Truth Social to say: “Our negotiated deal with the United Kingdom is working out well for all. “I strongly recommend to them, however, that in order to get their Energy Costs down, they stop with the costly and unsightly windmills, and incentivize modernized drilling in the North Sea, where large amounts of oil lay waiting to be taken.”Trump has hit out at Keir Starmer’s use of ‘windmills’ More

Angela Rayner wanted to force middle-class families to lose child benefit in a bid to avoid welfare cuts for the disabled and a squeeze on public spending, a leaked memo has revealed. The deputy prime minister’s proposal would have forced families where the top earn has a salary of £50,000 or more to pay back any child benefit they receive through their tax returns.The scheme was originally introduced as an austerity measure by George Osborne in 2010, but the band was raised to a salary of £60,000 or more by former Tory chancellor Jeremy Hunt just before the last general election.Angela Rayner (Jonathan Brady/PA) More