Grooming gangs inquiry chair FINALLY named after months of delay

Keir Starmer pays tribute to British armed forces member after 'tragic' death in Ukraine

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer sent his “deepest sympathy and condolences” to the family of a member of the UK armed forces who was killed in Ukraine.

“Their service and sacrifice will never be forgotten," Sir Keir added.

Defence Secretary 'devastated' after British armed forces member killed in Ukraine  

Defence Secretary John Healey has shared he was 'devastated' to learn a member of the British armed forces has died in Ukraine.

The Ministry of Defence confirmed the serviceman had been killed in a “tragic accident” whilst observing the testing of new defensive capabilites in Ukraine

"Devastated by the death of a UK service person in Ukraine," the Defence Secretary wrote on X.

"My thoughts are with their family, friends and colleagues as they grieve for a loved one. Our hearts go out to them," he added.

Downing Street remains neutral over latest Trump and Sadiq Khan spat

Downing Street has chosen to sit on the fence after US President Donald Trump and London Mayor Sadiq Khan once again exchanged verbal blows.

“The Prime Minister has a strong relationship with the US president and a strong relationship with the Mayor of London and on both is committed to working together to deliver stronger outcomes for the British people right across the country,” a No 10 spokesman said.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Sadiq Khan hits back at 'obsessed' Trump as row rumbles on

London Mayor Sadiq Khan has hit back at President Donald Trump after the US leader branded him “vicious and disgusting” in a fresh row.

“He’s a horrible mayor. He’s an incompetent mayor, but he’s a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor. I think he’s done a terrible job. London’s a different place,” Mr Trump slammed.

“I think the one part that President Trump has got right is that London is becoming a different place. We are the greatest city in the world," Sir Sadiq responded.

“I suspect that’s one of the reasons why we have record numbers of Americans coming here to holiday, coming here to live, coming here to invest, or coming here to study.

“I literally have no idea why President Trump is so obsessed with this mayor of London. I’m not sure what he’s got against a liberal, progressive, diverse, successful city like London,” the London Mayor added.

It is the latest in a years-long spat between the two men that has spanned both of Trump's terms in the White House.

Badenoch warns ‘jobs are disappearing’ ahead of minimum wage rise 

Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch has warned “jobs are disappearing” as she slammed Labour’s increase to the minimum wage.

The national living wage will increase by 4.1 per cent to £12.71 in April for people aged over 21, and 18 to 20-year-olds will see the rate increased by 8.5 per cent to £10.85.

“We need to listen to what businesses are saying. It’s not government ministers that create jobs, it’s business that creates jobs.

Asked if it was set at the right level, Mrs Badenoch said: “Right now the Government has set what the Low Pay Commission has said that they should set it (at), but let’s look at what businesses are saying.

“I don’t think that we should be raising it any more, for example, we’ve seen that too many businesses can’t pay for it.

“You can make the minimum wage £1,000 per hour, if businesses can’t pay it, none of us are going to have a job... The jobs are disappearing. So, that’s clearly not the problem

“We need to make sure that we set the minimum wage at a good level, but we also need to make sure that their other burdens, their business rates, their corporation taxes, all of the things they do – the endless regulation, the Employment Rights Bill: they’re just sick and tired of so much happening. Let’s lighten that burden,” Ms Badenoch told the BBC.

Shabana Mahmood declares there is “nothing Muslim or Islamic” about grooming gang crimes

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood has said that there was “nothing Muslim or Islamic” about grooming gang crimes.

Father of the House Sir Edward Leigh, the Conservative MP for Gainsborough, asked: “What is it about these Muslim men that they felt they could behave in this way, and can she explain that this is a – if it is – a very small minority?”

Ms Mahmood told the Commons: “Let me say to him as a personal perspective, and based on my own constituency experience, that of my family, my friends, the community that I belong to back home in Birmingham – there is nothing Muslim or Islamic about the acts that these evil men have perpetrated.

“It is not behaviour that any of us would accept or tolerate.

“All of these things are crimes and I don’t know anybody that doesn’t believe that these people should be locked up for a very, very long time.”

The Home Secretary also said: “We should always pursue justice without fear or favour because in the end, that is the only way to maintain confidence in our system of justice but also to make sure that we don’t inadvertently harm community relations, which is what I think has happened because of the actions of those who looked the other way when these crimes were being committed.”

Trump launches fresh attack on ‘vicious and disgusting’ Sadiq Khan 

President Donald Trump has launched a fresh attack on London Mayor Sadiq Khan as he blasted European leaders for failing to control immigration.

Referring to Sir Sadiq, the US Leader said: “I mean, look at… your mayor of London. He’s a disaster. He’s a disaster.

“He’s got a totally different ideology of what he’s supposed to have. And he gets elected because so many people have come in.”

The president added: “He’s a horrible mayor. He’s an incompetent mayor, but he’s a horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor. I think he’s done a terrible job. London’s a different place.”

Mr Trump said European leaders were concerned with being “politically correct” and should “get the people out that came into the country illegally”.

“I think they’re weak, but I also think that they want to be so politically correct… I think they don’t know what to do,” he told Politico podcast The Conversation.

Chris Philp demands apology on behalf of PM and says it should 'not have taken another six months' to appoint grooming gang inquiry chair 

It should not have taken six months to find a chairwoman for the grooming gang inquiry, the shadow home secretary has said.

Speaking in the Commons, Chris Philp called for an apology from the Prime Minister for “disgracefully smeared those calling for an inquiry as 'far right'".

He said: “Will the Home Secretary please apologise on behalf of the Prime Minister for what he said last January.

“The truth is, this should not have taken several months and the threat of a vote in parliament to agree to this inquiry in the first place, and it should not have taken another six months to appoint a chair.”

Mr Philp, who read out the sentencing remarks of several court cases involving grooming gang victims, added: “The fact is, these crimes were deliberately covered up by those in authority who were more interested in so-called community relations, and in avoiding being called racist, than they were in protecting young girls.”

Policing and research into grooming gangs to receive £3.6million funding boost, Home Secretary announces 

Policing, research and survivor support related to grooming gangs will see a £3.65million boost, Shabana Mahmood said.

The Home Secretary told the Commons: “Alongside investment in the inquiry itself, I can announce today that a further £3.65million will be committed this year to the policing operation, survivor support, and research into grooming gangs.

“This work is essential, but without truth, there can be no justice.”

New grooming gang inquiry chair 'honoured' to be appointed in role 

Baroness Longfield has said she feels "honoured" to be named chair of the grooming gangs inquiry.

Speaking following her appointment, she said: "The findings in Baroness Casey’s report were truly shocking, and I recognise that behind every heinous crime is a person, a child, a teenager, a family. I will never lose sight of this.

"The Inquiry owes it to the victims, survivors and the wider public to identify the truth, address past failings and ensure that children and young people today are protected in a way that others were not.

"The Inquiry will follow the evidence and will not shy away from difficult or uncomfortable truths wherever we find them."

Baroness Longfield will be joined in the national inquiry by panellists Zoe Billingham CBE and Eleanor Kelly CBE.

Baroness Longfield will resign Labour whip after being chosen to chair grooming gangs inquiry

Former children’s commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield will resign the Labour whip after she was chosen to chair the national inquiry into grooming gangs.

On Lady Longfield’s appointment, Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood told the Commons: “She has devoted her life to children’s rights, including running a charity supporting and protecting young people and working for prime ministers of different political parties.

“In recognition of her service, Baroness Longfield was elevated to the Lords earlier this year.

“At that point, she took the Labour whip, which on taking up this appointment, she will now resign.”

WATCH: Shabana Mahmood officially announces Baroness Longfield as grooming gang inquiry chair 

Money lost to Covid fraud 'belongs to British taxpayers', says Rachel Reeves 

Money lost to Covid-19 fraud “belongs to the British people”, Rachel Reeves has said.

Speaking at Treasury Questions, the Chancellor told the Commons: “Covid fraud and error under the previous government’s mismanagement cost the taxpayer £10.9billion.

“They played fast and loose with the public purse and left the front doors wide open to fraud.”

She said the Government is doing everything to recover taxpayers’ money, and they will respond to the Commissioner’s independent report in the new year.

“We have already got back around £400million, with more to come,” she said.

“That money belongs to British people in our communities and in our NHS.”

She added: “We all know what happened, the Tories dished out contracts to their friends and their donors, money that never belonged to them.

"This Government will leave no stone unturned, because that money belongs to taxpayers, not with cronies or crooks.”

Covid-19 fraud cost taxpayers £10.9billion, new report finds

Fraud and error linked to financial support programmes during the coronavirus pandemic cost taxpayers £10.9billion, a report has found.

The authors warned that only £1.8billion has been recovered and said “much of the shortfall is now beyond recovery”.

The final report by the Covid counter fraud commissioner, Tom Hayhoe, found that many schemes, including Eat Out To Help Out and Bounce Back Loans, were rolled out quickly with significant risks.

Mr Hayhoe, who was tasked by Chancellor Rachel Reeves with trying to recover the public money lost to fraud, said in his report that controls were “inadequate” and only improved later in the pandemic.

The Conservative government, which was led by Boris Johnson as prime minister during most of the pandemic, introduced policies designed to support many UK firms and workers amid the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, such as wage furlough, bounce-back loans and the Eat Out To Help Out programme.

The report said there are still areas where it is “worthwhile” investing to recover more money paid out incorrectly, recommending that work continues.

Tories will 'get Britain working again', says Kemi Badenoch

The Conservatives will "get Britain working again", leader Kemi Badneoch has said.

Speaking on her Party's plans at a press conference in London, Mrs Badenoch said: "Every person who gets off benefits and into work is a double-whammy for growth. We stop paying them to sit at home and they start paying into the system.

"This is how we reduce the tax burden, especially on businesses who are then able to go out, create more opportunity and more jobs.

"This is the opposite of Labour's current doom loop where they raise taxes and kill jobs so they then need to raise more taxes - that is not going to fix anything."

She added that members of her shadow cabinet will next year review "some of the most challenging and complicated aspects of work and welfare" in order to "figure out how we can get millions more people into work".

The Tory leader later added that her Party will turn Britain from a "welfare state into an opportunity state".

Kemi Badenoch says more children growing up in non-working households in UK than entire population than Estonia: 'This is crazy!' 

Kemi Badenoch has said there are more children in the UK growing up in non-working households than the "entire population of Estonia".

The Conservative leader said: "This is crazy. It is also heartbreaking and the Government should be doing everything in their power to fix it but we all know they don't know how.

"I could spend all day listing all the things Labour is doing wrong, it is really fun and we can sit back and count them one by one but it is too easy.

"Our job is not to moan, our job is to fix and I worry about what the country is gong to look like after four more years of Labour. I know we are going to have to be ready to deal with the mess they leave behind."

Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves 'more interested in saving their own jobs than creating jobs', Tory leader says 

Kemi Badenoch has accused Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves of being "more interested in saving their jobs" than creating employment opportunities.

Speaking at a Conservative press conference in central London, she said: "The fact is Labour do not have the ideas to create growth and get Britain working again so they have retreated into their comfort zone.

"And now, because of the political pressure that Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are under, we can all see they are more interested in saving their jobs than creating jobs. They are retreating back into that comfort zone."

Kemi Badenoch says benefits system is 'economic suicide' as she delivers speech on welfare 

Kemi Badneoch is delivering a speech on her Party's plans for welfare, as she labelled the number of working aged people on benefits "completely crazy".

The Conservative leader said: "Labour sent a very clear message that if you work hard and do the right thing you will get less, but if you are on benefits you will get more.

"Right now, in Britain, there are more than six million people of working age who are claiming benefits instead of working.

"That is more than the entire population of Norway that we are paying to sit at home. This is completely crazy.

"And where is the money coming from to pay these people to sit at home? How are we funding that?

"We are funding it by taxing businesses, taxing jobs, taxing wealth creators - the people in our country who get out of bed and make things happen, we are making it harder for them. This is economic suicide."

WATCH: Lib Dems call on MPs to back bill calling for bespoke UK-EU customs union 

Union Jack-inspired trains unveiled as transport secretary pledges to 'reform the railway' 

Trains will be given a Union flag-inspired red, white and blue paint job as part of the Government’s rail-nationalisation plans.

State-owned company Great British Railways is set to roll out the new-look trains rom next spring.

Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said: “I’m immensely proud to unveil the new look for Great British Railways as we deliver landmark legislation to nationalise our trains and reform the railway so it better serves passengers.

“This isn’t just a paint job, it represents a new railway, casting off the frustrations of the past and focused entirely on delivering a proper public service for passengers."

WATCH: Government 'dragging their feet' over grooming gangs inquiry, says shadow work and pensions secretary   

Former PM Tony Blair booted out of Donald Trump's Gaza 'peace council' 

Sir Tony Blair has been removed from consideration for Donald Trump's Gaza "board of peace" after a mass backlash from a string of Arab and Muslim states.

The former Prime Minister was the sole individual named when Mr Trump revealed his 20-point plan to conclude the Israel-Hamas conflict in late September.

Mr Trump had praised Sir Tony as a "very good man" at the time.

In return, the former Labour boss called the proposal "bold and intelligent" and suggested he would be happy to serve on the board, which Mr Trump himself would chair.

But regional opposition then broke out due to Sir Tony's reputation in the Middle East over Iraq.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Rachel Reeves to set for grilling from MPs in the Commons 

Rachel Reeves is set to face questions from MPs in the House of Commons today.

According to the order paper, the Chancellor will be quizzed on her Budget delivered at the end of last month and what she is doing to help tackle rising household bills.