Labour MP claims banning the burka is 'un-British' in staggering attack against Robert Jenrick

Jeremy Corbyn calls on Lisa Nandy to retract comments over Maccabi Tel Aviv ban

Jeremy Corbyn has called on Lisa Nandy to retract her comments over the banning of Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, deeming them a "shameful misrepresentation".

Mr Corbyn called the Israeli football team's support a "risk to public safety".

He said: "I requested that we must avoid the dangerous conflation of the behaviour of a group of football fans from 'the wider question of how everybody - whether Jewish, Muslim or anything else - must be safe to walk the streets of this country'.

"This is about a group of football fans with a history of racism and violence. This is not about banning Jewish people - and you know full well that none of us would support such a ban.

"Any attempt to conflate these two issues is not just grossly misleading; it is irresponsible and represents a shameful attempt to exploit the fears and anxieties of Jewish people."

Sir Keir Starmer among European leaders accusing Vladimir Putin of 'stalling' over Ukraine peace talks

Sir Keir Starmer has joined a series of European leaders accusing Russia of "stalling" over talks to end the war with Ukraine.

The leaders, including France's Emmanuel Macron, Germany's Friedrich Merz, Italy's Giorgia Meloni and European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, said: "We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force.

"We are all united in our desire for a just and lasting peace, deserved by the people of Ukraine.

"We strongly support President Trump's position that the fighting should stop immediately, and that the current line of contact should be the starting point of negotiations.

"We remain committed to the principle that international borders must not be changed by force"

They said that Mr Putin continues to "choose violence and destruction", and it's "stalling tactics have shown time and time again that Ukraine is the only party serious about peace".

Reform continues to lead the way in the polls as the Green Party surges

Reform UK continue to lead the way in the polls with 26 per cent of the vote, however will be noting the surge in popularity for the Green Party, who are up by five points since September 1.

Zack Polanski's party are now tied with Sir Ed Davey's Liberal Democrats on 15 per cent, just a couple of points behind the Tories.

It is the highest figure the Greens have reached in a YouGov poll.

Rapists and murderers to be released from jail early under Labour's new 'progression model'

Killers and rapists could have their prison sentences cut short under Labour's new sentencing plan, the Tories have claimed.

Due to be debated by MPs, the Government's Sentencing Bill is aimed at easing the crisis in prison places.

It will restrict the use of short sentences and strengthen community punishments.

The bill will also include an "earned progression scheme", which allows convicts who demonstrate good behaviour to be freed earlier.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Pair of Western Balkan nations refuse to host 'return hubs' for failed asylum seekers

Albania and Montenegro have refused to host "return hubs" for failed asylum seekers ahead of a summit with Sir Keir Starmer.

Talks are currently ongoing, but both nations rejected the suggestions.

At an event at Chatham House, Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama said: "When it comes to the hubs, or whatever they are called, I've said it, and I repeat - never in Albania."

Montenegro's Prime Minister Milojko Spajic said his country was not part of the Western Balkans smuggling route because the railway infrastructure is not developed enough.

He said: "Montenegro is not part of the migrant routes through the Balkans."

Mr Rama noted that his country would host a hub if the UK "would invest €10billion (£8.67billion) into building railways".

The UK is working with partners in North Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo as part of Labour's pledge to "smash the gangs".

'It's my budget and they are my choices': Rachel Reeves hits out at speculation surrounding her budget

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has hit out at the "ridiculous" speculation surrounding her budget next month.

When questioned about whether she will stick to her promise in not raising taxes, Ms Reeves said: "There's a lot of people who claim to know what is going to be in that budget and what the numbers will say.

"They don't. It's my budget and they are my choices.

"And, frankly, some of the speculation is both ridiculous and in some cases damaging, because it's encouraging people to make decisions that are not the right ones, based on speculation rather than facts."

Israeli embassy 'deeply concerned by the hostility and incitement' leading to Maccabi Tel Aviv not accepting tickets for team's fixture against Aston Villa

The Israeli embassy in the UK said it is "deeply concerned by the hostility and incitement" that led Maccabi Tel Aviv to say it would not accept tickets for the team's match against Aston Villa.

A statement from the embassy said: "It is regrettable that extremists have turned football, a sport meant to unite, into a platform for intimidation, driving Jewish and Israeli fans away from UK stadiums.

"Equally troubling is the inflammatory and, at times, racist rhetoric voiced by some members of Parliament and local councils. The rise in antisemitism, fuelled by hateful chants and the ostracising of Jews for displaying the Star of David, is deeply concerning.

"The embassy condemns all attempts to exclude Israeli teams or Jewish fans and expects UK authorities to ensure their safety and full participation in public life."

Robert Jenrick deemed 'anti-British' for backing ban of the burka

Robert Jenrick has been accused of being "anti-British" after backing calls to ban the burka.

Asked if he would ban the burka, he said: "I probably would."

Mr Jenrick referred to Italy and its Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, introducing a ban on the burka, saying on TalkTV: "I think there's definitely a strong argument for it.

"There are basic values in this country and we should stand up and defend them, and and where you're seeing them fraying at the edges or frankly being completely destroyed, whether it's sharia courts or wearing of the burka, these are issues we're going to have to confront if we want to build the kind of society that we want to hand on to our kids and grandkids."

Labour MP for Bishop Auckland, Sam Rushworth, described Mr Jenrick's comments as "anti-British", saying: "It goes against what our nation stands for."

Rachel Reeves says her budget will be 'based on the world as it is, not necessarily the world as I might like it to be'

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has said the November 26 budget will be "based on the world as it is, not necessarily the world as I might like it to be".

When questioned about her promise not to deliver another tax-raising statement, Ms Reeves said, "We're still awaiting the final forecast from the Office for Budget Responsibility, and I'll set out the budget next month.

"There's a lot of people who claim to know what is going to be in that budget and what the numbers will say. They don't. It's my budget and they are my choices. And, frankly, some of the speculation is both ridiculous and in some cases damaging, because it's encouraging people to make decisions that are not the right ones, based on speculation rather than facts.

"I think everybody recognises that the inheritance that we faced from the last Government in terms of the state of the public finances, but also the state of our public services, required a budget last year to put both our public finances and our public services, particularly the NHS, back on a firm footing. We did that last year.

"I'll set out all my plans based on the world as it is, not necessarily the world as I might like it to be, in the budget on November 26."

Claire Coutinho calls on Government to publish its advice on Islamophobia definition

The Shadow Equalities Minister Claire Coutinho has called on the Government to publish its advice about the definition of Islamophobia.

Speaking to GB News, she said: "What they (Labour) said is they are going to ditch the headline term of Islamophobia and replace it, we hear with anti-muslim, racism hostility.

"But there is still a definition coming, and what we don't know is what is in that definition, who it will silence, how it will affect people.

"It's really important that we know this because the entire process of coming up with this definition has been shrouded in secrecy from start to finish."

WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW WITH CLAIRE COUTINHO ABOVE

Rachel Reeves blasts Brexit as Chancellor plots £25billion tax raid to fill blackhole

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has taken a swipe at Britain's departure to leave the European Union after being warned she "must raise taxes by £25billion" to balance the books.

The Chancellor said: "I don’t think that the past has to define our future. That’s why we are doing things differently.

"That’s why we are deregulating. It’s why we’re overturning the planning system.

"It’s why we are backing all regions of the UK with the capital spending that we’re putting in.

"Because I’m determined to defy those projections [from the OBR] and grow our economy quicker.

"We also know – and the OBR, I think, is going to be pretty frank about this [in its next report on the state of the economy, published to coincide with the budget on November 26] – that things like austerity, the cuts to capital spending and Brexit, have had a bigger impact on our economy than even was projected back then.

"That’s why we are unashamedly rebuilding our relations with the European Union to reduce some of those costs that were, in my view, needlessly added to businesses since 2016 and since we formally left a few years ago."

The warning comes as the Chancellor looks to raise taxes in her upcoming Budget.

John Wyn-Evans, an analyst at Rathbones, suggested that Ms Reeves will need to increase levies by as much as £25billion to plug a blackhole in Britain's finances.

He said: “When we factor in the probable downgrade to long-term growth estimates from the OBR, which will inform the Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s Budget decision-making, it looks as though taxes will need to rise somewhere in the order of £25billion or more.

“Much as many would like that number to be lowered by spending cuts, the mood within the Labour Party does not appear to support much hope on that front.”

Rape gangs row erupts as Jess Phillips grilled by MPs after grooming inquiry plunged into chaos

Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips has promised that Labour will remain "laser focused" on grooming gangs after Chris Philp demanded a statement from her in an urgent question in the Commons.

The comments come after Fiona Goddard and Ellie Reynolds, both survivors of grooming gangs, announced yesterday that they were resigning as advisers amid concerns that Sir Keir Starmer’s Government was not listening to victims.

Chris Philp asked the minister to "appoint a judge" to lead the inquiry after the recent criticism.

The Shadow Home Secretary said: "This scandal arose because young, mainly white, girls were systematically gang raped and this was covered up by those in authority because the perpetrators were mainly of Pakistani origin.

"This makes it all the more shocking that when calls for a national inquiry became public in January, the Prime Minister smeared campaigners of jumping on a far-right bandwagon.

"Comments like that are a disgrace, and are what lead to a scandal like this being covered up in the first place."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Boris Johnson denies 'dereliction of duty' in Covid inquiry

Boris Johnson has denied there had been a "dereliction of duty" in failing to plan for school closures during the pandemic, but said officials had been "overwhelmed by the speed of events".

The former Prime Minister accepted the "full horror" of coronavirus was "slow to dawn on Government".

He told the Covid-19 inquiry: "We didn’t know the effect this disease had on kids. We didn’t know much about the transmissibility of the disease. There were all sorts of things that were simply unknown and difficult to plan for.

"And the thing was moving very fast. And from the point of view of No10, we were focused very much on trying to stave off, trying to avoid an appalling public health crisis."

He added: “It felt to me as though there had been abundant discussions about closing schools, and it felt to me, to the best of my recollection, as though the department was aware of this, and I assumed that they were planning for it.

"When I look at that document of March 15, it seems to me to suggest that a great deal of work and thought had gone into the key issues.

"So I’m not, respectfully, I’m not inclined to accept the idea that people fell down gravely in their duty.

"I think people were overwhelmed by the speed of events, and when the facts changed, they had to change policy, and I had to change policy."

Cutting red tape to save £6billion a year, Rachel Reeves claims

Rachel Reeves has claimed plans to scrap paperwork and cut red tape for thousands of UK businesses will save firms almost £6billion a year by the time of the next election.

The Chancellor also set out measures to reform the company merger process, regulations for drones and reforms for artificial intelligence.

The Civil Aviation Authority will set out steps towards launching commercial drone operations, which could allow unmanned aerial vehicles to be widely used for tasks from "surveying sites for development to delivering blood supplies for the NHS".

Panels reviewing company mergers will be reformed to "provide greater certainty on whether transactions will be subject to merger control".

Rachel Reeves admits 'economy not working as it should'

Rachel Reeves has acknowledged that the economy is "not working as it should" before vowing to use next month’s Budget to "take the necessary steps" to secure stability.

Addressing the Regional Investment Summit in Birmingham, the Labour Chancellor said: "Our economy is not broken but I do accept that for too many people it’s not working as it should.

"Bills are too high. Businesses often don’t have the tools that they need to succeed, and people are feeling that they put more in, but they’re getting less out.

"That has to change. At the Budget last year we fixed the foundations of our economy, returned stability to our economy.

"And at the Budget next month we will take the necessary steps to secure those foundations and that stability for the future.

"It is a future that we must build, and we will build, hand-in-hand with business, setting direction through our modern industrial strategy and our 10-year infrastructure strategy, a new relationship between business and Government to tackle barriers to our competitiveness and to provide certainty for investment."

'Disgrace!' Robert Jenrick blasts Keir Starmer as grooming gangs probe plunged into chaos

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has blasted Sir Keir Starmer after the Prime Minister was accused of "sabotaging" the national grooming gangs inquiry.

Speaking to GB News, Mr Jenrick said: "It's a total disgrace. Let's be honest, Keir Starmer never wanted this inquiry in the first place.

"His MPs voted against it time and again, when we pushed them on into the beginning of this year.

"Eventually, he agreed to do it. Now, he's spent four months setting it up. It doesn't even exist today.

"All he's managed to do so far is set up this panel. And now some of the bravest of the brave, the survivors who were on this panel beginning the preparatory work for the inquiry, have resigned.

"Why? Because they said they're being demeaned. They're being treated appallingly by the Home Office and the Ministers there.

"They're having to submit questions in advance. They can't even speak their own minds in public.

"The scope of the inquiry is being distorted so that it's not actually just going to focus on grooming gangs, this very particular national scandal, it's being diluted so that it doesn't even focus on the religious element of this

'She wants it right!' Labour Minister defends Home Office over grooming gangs chaos

Business Secretary Peter Kyle has defended the Home Office amid fears Labour is "sabotaging" the process.

Speaking to GB News, Mr Kyle said: "We are determined to get to the truth.

"Nobody more than Shabana Mahmood wants to get this inquiry right."

Mr Kyle also denied the suggestion Labour is "sabotaging" the process, adding: "We need to get it right."

'Matters for the King!' Labour Minister refuses to comment on Prince Andrew's dukedom

Business Secretary Peter Kyle has refused to say if he supports the removal of Prince Andrew's dukedom.

Speaking to GB News, Mr Kyle said: "These are matters for the King.

"My concern today, particularly on a day where we learn more revelations based on the book on Virginia Giuffre, that all of our thoughts are with the victims of Epstein."

SNP tables amendment to strip Prince Andrew of dukedom

Legislation to remove Prince Andrew’s dukedom must be put forward without “any further excuses and any further delay”, the Scottish National Party has said.

The SNP is putting forward a motion to pressure Sir Keir Starmer’s Government to strip Andrew of the title, which would require an Act of Parliament.

Stephen Flynn, the SNP’s Westminster leader, said that “power and privilege” has protected those in the Epstein scandal for far too long and that the legislation to remove the title must be brought forward.

Mr Flynn has submitted an early day motion (EDM) which allows MPs to express an opinion, publicise a cause or support a position. It is rare for them to be debated.

Andrew relinquished his Duke of York title last week after further fallout from the Jeffrey Epstein scandal and the publication of Virginia Giuffre’s posthumous memoir.

However, he continues to hold his royal title.

Business Secretary to speak to GB News Breakfast - follow live 

Business Secretary Peter Kyle will be speaking to GB News Breakfast in a matter of minutes.

You can follow Mr Kyle's grilling at the hands of Eamonn Holmes and Ellie Costello live HERE. We'll also bring you all the top lines on this live blog.

Last night's breaking news: Chagos Islands deal passes in Commons - with formal 'surrender' now expected in just months

The Chagos Islands "surrender" deal cleared its final Commons hurdle on Monday night, paving the way for the territory to be formally handed to Mauritius by the end of this year.

MPs voted through the Diego Garcia Military Base and British Indian Ocean Territory Bill on its third reading by a 320-171 margin shortly before 11pm - following a testy debate in the chamber.

Reform UK's Danny Kruger had raised fears of a "secret deal with China" lying behind the handover deal as he warned just how "baffling" the decision to give the islands away would be.

The deal, if it passes the Lords, will see the British Indian Ocean Territory formally ceded to Mauritius.

Britain will then pay to rent back Diego Garcia, the archipelago's largest island and home to a joint UK-US military base.

READ THE FULL STORY ON THE HANDOVER HERE

On Labour's agenda: Rachel Reeves to lay out plans to slash red tape for thousands of British businesses

Rachel Reeves will today promise to slash Government red tape from thousands of British businesses in a bid to persuade the budget watchdog to upgrade the UK's growth forecasts.

In a new slate of measures to be announced on Tuesday, ministers will outline plans including letting AI firms to release new products - even if they don't comply with existing rules and regulations.

The Government will also tell all regulators, including environmental quangos, they have a paramount duty to prioritise economic growth in their decision-making.

Every regulator will be set targets to speed up the reduction of red tape, with performance league tables to be made public in a bid to name-and-shame those lagging behind.

The Chancellor will tell the Regional Investment Summit in Birmingham: "Our mission is clear: to create the right environment for investment through our regulatory reforms, to crowd in capital through our public financial institutions, to break down silos to collaboration on local projects, and to support innovation and growth throughout the UK."

Keir Starmer to jet off to Brazil for COP climate summit in 40th overseas trip as PM

Sir Keir Starmer will be jetting off to Brazil for the Cop30 climate summit next month in his 40th foreign trip as PM, No10 has confirmed.

The PM is set for a transatlantic trip to port city Belem in November to hobnob with world leaders on climate change and net zero.

Last night, his official spokesman said Sir Keir would travel in a bid to restore the UK as "a global leader for climate action and green growth".

Net zero, the spokesman said, is "the economic opportunity of the 21st century", could "reignite our industrial heartlands" and "create good jobs for the future".

Elsewhere, he will also travel thousands of miles to South Africa in November - this time for a G20 summit.