Labour row erupts as Keir Starmer slaps down Sadiq Khan’s claim that ‘from the river to the sea’ chant is NOT antisemitic

Rachel Reeves issued tax warning after economist forecasts 'hell of a lot of work' to be done

Rachel Reeves has been slapped with a spine-tingling warning after an economist said there is still a "hell of a lot of work" to be done ahead of the looming autumn Budget.

With the Budget scheduled to take place on November 26, fears and suspicions that Britons could be in for a fresh wave of tax hikes have been quickly mounting.

Speaking to GB News, Mitchell Palmer from the Adam Smith Institute gave the chilling verdict that "the numbers don't look great".

"The Government left itself very little headroom at the last Budget."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Man accused of passing information to China issues statement

Christopher Berry, an English teacher accused of passing secrets to China, has said he finds himself “unfairly subjected to a trial by media” amid the government fallout after the Crown Prosecution Service dropped its case against him and Christopher Cash.

Both Mr Berry and former parliamentary researcher, Mr Cash, deny any wrongdoing.

“I pleaded not guilty to the charge, and I have been acquitted,” Mr Berry said in a statement given to the BBC on Thursday.

“I have consistently denied any wrongdoing and continue to do so yet I find myself now unfairly subjected to a trial by media, caught in the middle whilst various groups seek to use the case to their political advantage."

Lib Dems accuse Labour of 'kicking can down the road' in postponing decision on China's 'monster embassy'

The Liberal Democrats have accused the Government of “kicking the can down the road” by delaying a decision on the new Chinese embassy in central London.

Calum Miller, the party’s foreign affairs spokesman, said: “This week we have seen the extent of China’s espionage efforts laid bare.

"But instead of blocking the monster embassy for good, the Government is kicking the can down the road in the hope no one will notice if it approves it at a later stage.

“It’s beyond time this embassy proposal was put out of its misery – and that the Government send a signal to China that we will no longer roll over in the face of their industrial espionage.”

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said the “detailed nature” of concerns around China’s plans for the so-called “super embassy” had resulted in postponement of a decision on whether to approve it.

The spokesman said: “Given the detailed nature of the representations that have been provided, and the need to give parties sufficient opportunity to respond, MHCLG (The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government) consider that more time is needed for full consideration of the applications.

“You are aware that this is a quasi-judicial decision, independent from the rest of Government. It wouldn’t be appropriate for me to comment further when the case is before MHCLG ministers.”

The new December 10 deadline date for a decision is “not legally binding”, the spokesman added.

PM orders review of antisemitism in the NHS as he says 'some case not being dealt with' 

The Prime Minister has ordered a review of antisemitism in the NHS, saying there are too many cases “simply not being dealt with”.

Sir Keir Starmer said Lord John Mann, the Government’s independent adviser on antisemitism, would lead the review as part of a wider crackdown on antisemitism in the UK.

During a visit to the Community Security Trust (CST), which provides protection for Jewish communities in the UK, Sir Keir also announced a £10million boost for security at sites including synagogues and Jewish schools.

He told the CST: “We have heard loud and clear in the last few days and weeks that words are not enough, action is what matters.”

Announcing Lord Mann’s review, he said: “We’ve already put in place management training in relation to the NHS, but I think we need a wider review.

“Because in some cases, clear cases are simply not being dealt with.”

Government delays decision on whether to give China green light for 'super embassy'

The Government has postponed a decision on whether to grant China permission for a new London “super embassy”.

The planning decision for the proposed site near the Tower of London was called in so ministers would make the final decision and had been expected on October 21.

It comes after a parliamentary committee urged Housing and Planning Secretary Steve Reed to block the plans, saying they would harm the UK’s security and economic resilience.

The new deadline for Mr Reed to take the decision is December 10.

The Joint Committee on the National Security Strategy (JCNSS) wrote to the minister on Monday saying that approving the embassy at its proposed site near the Tower of London was “not in the UK’s long-term interest”.

Committee chairman Matt Western MP wrote to Mr Reed saying that the proposed location presents “eavesdropping risks in peacetime and sabotage risks in a crisis” due to its proximity to fibre-optic cables, data centres and telecoms exchanges serving Canary Wharf and the City.

He also noted reports of plans for basement rooms and tunnels and that the security services have warned that allowing Beijing to set up the biggest embassy in Europe would create a hub for the country to expand its “intelligence-gathering and intimidation operations”.

Kemi Badenoch accuses Labour of being 'too weak to stand up to China' 

Kemi Badenoch has accused Labour of being "too weak to stand up to China" over the collapse of the alleged China spy case.

The Conservative Party leader said: "[The Government] were informed that the spy case was collapsing.

"They could have intervened to stop it. They didn’t, because they’re too weak to stand up to China."

She accused Sir Keir Starmer’s administration of trying to "blame the last government”, adding that "it’s failing, and the witness statement is proving that what they have done has misled Parliament".

Responding to the release of deputy national security adviser Matt Collins’s witness statements, Mrs Badenoch said: “They should have provided the evidence to the CPS that showed that China was a threat. We had loads of evidence. We’ve made repeated statements about that.

“There are examples that they could have pointed to about China hacking into Whitehall government systems. They did not provide any of that.

“Instead, what they provided was a lovely statement about how great China was. That’s an embarrassment.”

Kemi Badenoch tells Labour MPs to boot ‘inept’ Keir Starmer out of office

Kemi Badenoch has urged Labour MPs to "remove" Sir Keir Starmer from office over his "incompetence" in handling the China spy scandal.

Speaking on GB News, the Conservative Party leader told her Labour counterparts that if they had "any sense", they would be making moves to ensure the Prime Minister is sent packing.

The Prime Minister confirmed on Wednesday that the Government will publish the witness statements "in full" submitted to the Chinese espionage trial.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

New poll has Labour and Greens level as Tories leapfrog into second place behind Reform

A damning new poll has shifted Labour into third place, drawing level with the Green Party, pushing the Tories into second.

The poll, from FindOutNow, has Reform UK maintaining a healthy lead on 32 per cent, with the Tories on second on 17 per cent.

Labour come in joint third with Zack Polanski's party, both on 15 per cent.

The Liberal Democrats are unchanged in last place on 12 per cent.

Britain needs to 'defend itself robustly' against Chinese security threats, MI5 boss warns

The UK needs to "defend itself robustly" against security threats from China, the head of MI5 has warned, as he revealed the agency "intervened operationally" against Chinese related activity in just the past week.

GB News has been told that operation does not involve a state threat to the UK’s parliament or any parliamentarian.

In his annual assessment of the range of security threats facing the UK, Sir Ken McCallum said that a more hostile world was "forcing the biggest shift in MI5’s mission since 9/11."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Caerphilly residents tell GB News what they want from crucial Senedd  by-election

A week before the by-election to elect a new Member of the Senedd, residents in Caerphilly have told GB News they want their next representative to be "honest."

A by-election to elect a new member of the Senedd was called after the sudden death of former Labour member Hefin David.

GB News reporter Jack Carson has been to the Gwent town to hear what the people have to say about the upcoming by-election.

READ JACK'S REPORT FROM THE TOWN HERE.

Rachel Reeves urged to be 'bold' over tax and spending or face 'Groundhog Day' Budget

Rachel Reeves has been urged by the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) to deliver significant tax increases in her November Budget, or risk long-term fiscal instability.

The think tank warned that without bold action, Britain could enter a cycle of recurring tax rises.

The IFS have highlighted how the Chancellor’s decision to maintain minimal fiscal headroom left her exposed to predictable forecast changes.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Former Conservative minister suspects China spied on him

A former Conservative minister has suggested China spied on him, having been sanctioned by Beijing back in 2021.

Tim Loughton, who was MP for East Worthing and Shoreham from 1997 to 2024, told the BBC: "I've been involved with China for a long time.

"I've called out China's human rights abuses, I was one of those who put forward amendments to make sure Chinese government companies weren't involved in our infrastructure projects, as a result of which I'm a subject of interest to them."

Foreign ministry spokeswoman in Beijing Lin Jian strongly denied the rumours, saying: "We firmly oppose peddling China spy narratives and vilifying China."

Tom Tugendhat rages 'this isn’t a democracy any more' in Commons outburst

Tom Tugendhat has criticised Cabinet Office minister Chris Ward’s answers to questions about the Official Secrets Act case, saying "clearly, this isn’t a democracy any more."

Raising a point of order, the former Security Minister told MPs: "Given that the Government’s position is that the bureaucrats run the Government, the bureaucrats are in charge of everything, may we dissolve this House and save the taxpayer the money?

"Because clearly, this isn’t a democracy any more."

Speaker Sir Lindsay Hoyle replied: "I’m sure (Mr Tugendhat) doesn’t want to give up his seat quite so quickly."

Richard Tice presses Government over China threat

Reform UK deputy leader Richard Tice had asked: "Does the Government view China as a national security threat? Yes or no?"

Mr Ward told the Commons: "The evidence throughout sets out the threats China poses multiple times.

"There is complete consistency between the two. Obviously there are very serious threats, I read them out in my statement. Yes."

Government left 'bemused' by position of Tories over China

Mr Ward said: "This was a matter for the CPS independently, an important principle of this Government."

He added: "I find this so confusing about the opposition because on Monday they accused the Government of political inference, including from the national security adviser. The Prime Minister has made clear this is completely untrue.

"On the other hand they’re also saying there should have been more, there should have been political interference, and the Prime Minister should have directed or tried to help the CPS.

"The Prime Minister made it very very clear that that is not the case, and the Prime Minister will not, and no Government would interfere with the CPS, it’s entirely their decision to charge."

Tom Tugendhat brands cabinet minister 'petty little man' in Commons clash

Former security minister Tom Tugendhat has branded a Cabinet Office minister a "petty little man", as he urged the Government to "stop playing politics."

Chris Ward invited the Conservative Party to clarify whether any minister or special adviser was involved in the Official Secrets Act case during a previous administration.

Mr Ward told the Commons: "I want to reiterate, as the Prime Minister said yesterday, that under this Government, no minister or special adviser played any role in the provision of evidence.

"The Prime Minister cannot say if that is the case under the previous government, but I once again invite the party opposite to clarify that."

From his seat, Conservative MP for Tonbridge Mr Tugendhat shouted: “Stop playing politics, you petty little man.”

Emily Thornberry says she 'cannot understand' why CPS dropped China case

Dame Emily Thornberry saif she "cannot understand why" the CPS dropped the case against two men charged with spying for the Chinese.

The former Shadow Foreign Secretary told the Commons: "20 years as a former criminal barrister has given me absolute faith that the jury would have spent no time on how many angels can dance on the top of a pin.

"But [it] would simply have looked at whether or not China was an enemy and would have found it very easy to decide that that's exactly what they were, and then move on to whether or not these men have been spying on behalf of China.

"It does seem to me that the decision should have been left to a jury."

Independent city councillors in mass defection to Reform UK 

Four independent city councillors have defected to Reform UK en masse.

Derek North, Russell Simpson, Matthew Cordy, and Chris Dike were members of the Portsmouth Independent Party on Portsmouth City Council but have confirmed they were all moving to Reform UK.

It means Reform UK now has six councillors on the council which is currently run as a minority administration by the Liberal Democrats.

Mr Dike said the party was a "genuine opportunity to deliver change locally and nationally".

Reform UK becomes the third biggest party on the council, which is currently run as a minority administration by the Liberal Democrats.

Labour minister faces brutal GB News grilling after Keir Starmer comments

GB News host Stephen Dixon has brutally grilled a top Labour Minister after he claimed that the Government has shown "huge amounts of transparency".

Defending Sir Keir Starmer's response to the controversy over the collapse of the alleged China spying case, Stephen Kinnock claimed he has "clearly shown" the position of the Government.

The Prime Minister confirmed on Wednesday that the Government will publish the witness statements "in full" submitted to the Chinese espionage trial.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Reform UK opens narrow lead over Plaid Cymru in key Welsh by-election

Reform UK has opened a narrow lead over Plaid Cymru in a crunch by election for the Welsh Senedd.

The poll, commissioned by Camlas Public Affairs and conducted by Survation, places Reform on 42 per cent of the vote in Caerphilly with Plaid just behind on 38 per cent.

Labour trails on 12 per cent in a dramatic collapse in a region where Sir Keir Starmer's party has dominated.

WATCH: Stephen Kinnock on the state of the UK's economy as Rachel Reeves arrives in Washington for summit

China 'stole' classified state secrets and it was 'covered up', says Dominic Cummings

Dominic Cummings has claimed that China breached high level systems to obtain "vast amounts" of classified government information for years.

Boris Johnson’s former adviser said he and the then-Prime Minister were told about the breach in 2020 and that it involved so-called Strap material, a government classification for highly sensitive intelligence material.

He said that fundamental infrastructure for transferring sensitive data around the British state was compromised "for years."

Mr Cummings did not say how the system had been breached but that he would be willing to share what he knew with MPs if they were to hold an inquiry.

He told The Times: "What I’m saying is that some Strap stuff was compromised and vast amounts of data classified as extremely secret and extremely dangerous for any foreign entity to control was compromised.

"Material from intelligence services. Material from the National Security Secretariat in the Cabinet Office. Things the government has to keep secret. If they’re not secret, then there are very, very serious implications for it."

A Cabinet Office spokesman said: "It is untrue to claim that the systems we use to transfer the most sensitive government information have been compromised."

One former Whitehall official told The Telegraph Mr Cummings’s characterisation of what happened was "utter nonsense" but agreed that security breaches had occurred.

Urgent question granted on China spy witness statements

The Commons has confirmed the Conservatives have successfully tabled an urgent question on the China spy case at 10.30am.

Conservative MP and shadow minister Neil O’Brien has tabled the question, asking for a statement "on the three witness statements in relation to alleged breach of Official Secrets Act on behalf of China."

A minister will respond in the Commons.

WATCH: Mel Stride argues that the Chancellor will blame absolutely everybody except herself for her Budget

Labour minister 'disappointed' China prosecutions didn't go ahead

A Labour minister has said he is "disappointed" prosecutions into the China case did not go ahead.

Minister for Care, Stephen Kinnock was asked by GB News about whether meeting minutes and official documents would be published .

He told GB News: "There are Government processes around this, we have to be very careful about info that gets released as it may compromise national security."

WATCH: Charlie Rowley gives his view on reports that Rachel Reeves will raise taxes in her upcoming Budget

Mel Stride says China has been getting hold of secrets 'for quite some time'

Sir Mel Stride has suggested China has been getting hold of British secrets 'for quite some time' when pressed on comments made by Dominic Cummings.

The Shadow Chancellor told GB News: "I think with the Cummings comments there seems to be quite a bit of uncertainty as to what may or may not happen."

When told the reports were backed up by Tom Tugendhat, Sir Mel said: "I think Tom was speaking in general terms the idea that China has been getting hold of secrets of our country, which is of course something we know China has been up to for a very long time."

"What we know from information released was the Government was entirely negligent."

China espionage case: What you need to know

Yesterday, Sir Keir Starmer published a senior official's evidence in the prosecution of two men charged with spying for China.

The Government is looking to prove that the case did not collapse because of Government manipulation.

Last month, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) dropped charges against two British men who both deny passing politically sensitive information to a Chinese intelligence agent.

The CPS said the case was dropped because it needed evidence showing that the UK considered China a threat to national security, but the government had not provided it after months of requests.

While the newly published documents detailed Chinese malign activity, they did not unequivocally state that China posed a threat to UK national security.

Sir Keir had earlier said the fault lay with the previous Conservative administration which was in power when the men were charged and which had only described Beijing as an "epoch-defining challenge".

Rachel Reeves insists there 'won’t be a return to austerity'

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has insisted there "won't be a return to austerity" as the Autumn budget draws ever closer.

Ms Reeves is attending the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) in Washington today.

She told The Guardian: "In the budget next month, there won’t be a return to austerity. We know that we face a changing global environment in terms of the economy at the moment.

"But last year, I put investment in, to reduce waiting lists, to build housing, to build the energy infrastructure to get people’s bills down sustainably, not through quick fixes, and we’ll stick to that course."

Kelvin MacKenzie: Labour get 'applause' for echoing Reform UK

Kelvin MacKenzie has hit out at the "hypocrisy of this socialist shower" over comments about Britain's broken borders.

The former Editor of The Sun has said he is "beyond frustrated" with the current state of the country and Labour's approach to the border system.

GB NEWS MEMBERS CAN READ KELVIN'S ANALYSIS HERE.

UK economy GROWS in August in boost for Rachel Reeves with Britain 'finding its feet'

Britain's economy grew in the three months to August, following a zero growth month for July, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has said.

This will come as a relief to Labour, as growth was central to their core manifesto pledges, an improvement on the economic data for July.

Figures saw a slight increase following growth of 0.1 per cent compared to the figures in July.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.