Robert Jenrick has lambasted Labour's latest "two-tier" policy on the sentencing guidelines which favour criminals from black and ethnic minority backgrounds.
Previously, Labour confirmed that it would introduce legislation to overrule the Sentencing Council on its guidelines when it fell under cross-party criticism earlier this year.
Speaking in the Commons, the shadow justice secretary refreshed his scathing criticism of the guidance, arguing that Labour's amendments do not go far enough to deliver justice - regardless of an offender's background.
He explained that the pre-sentence reports proposed by the justice secretary still must "consider an offender's culture" and "intergenerational trauma".
However, the senior Tory said that Mahmood was "belatedly introducing a bill to restore fairness to who receives a pre-sentence report", asserting that the Bill fails to "correct what the pre-sentence report actually says".
Jenrick told the Commons: "Evidently, the Labour Party don't believe in individual responsibility and agency. Instead of treating people equally, they believe in cultural relativism. Will she change it? Or is two-tier justice Labour Party policy once again?"
Mahmood responded: "What a load of nonsense. I am the Lord Chancellor that is rectifying the proper distinction between matters of policy and matters of independent judicial making."
She said that since it was in relation to "all other guidance insofar as it relates to equality before the law, I have said that we are reviewing absolutely everything, and I will ensure that equality before the law is never a principle that is compromised".
Kemi Badenoch has dubbed Bridget Phillipson's words in the Commons a 'shameless work of fiction'
PA
Kemi Badenoch has dubbed Bridget Phillipson's words in the Commons a "shameless work of fiction".
Giving a statement before MPs, the women and equalities minister told MPs that the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on the legal definition of a woman "brings welcomes clarity and confidence for women and service providers".
"Single sex spaces must be protected, and this is personal to me," she said.
However, the Tory leader blasted Labour's record, pointing out that the Prime Minister openly declared in 2021 that it would not be correct to say that only women had a cervix and later said that trans women were women.
"I know what a woman is, and I always have," Badenoch told MPs.
She added: "The people of this country know what a woman is. We didn't need the Supreme Court to tell us that, but this Government did."
‘Net zero zealotry!’ Climate adviser on Ed Miliband's committee lambasted after racking up 40,000 air miles - 11 times more than average Briton
GETTY
An eco adviser on Ed Miliband’s climate change committee has racked up 40,000 air miles by travelling to environmental conferences around the globe.
As a result, his journeys totted up to around 11 times more than the average Briton.
Just two months ago, Nigel Topping was one of the members of the committee calling for a tariff being imposed on frequent fliers in a bid to decrease flight emissions.
Shadow energy secretary Andrew Bowie blasted Topping's behaviour, saying: "This is rank hypocrisy.
"Once again we see those preaching this Mr Miliband-driven net zero zealotry are all too happy to impose significant burdens on others, but won’t practice what they preach,” he told The Telegraph.
Suffolk fisherman Paul Lines has been left furious and claimed that it is "the final nail in the coffin" after it has been revealed that Keir Starmer is reportedly preparing to give Brussels a larger share of UK waters to secure access for British defence firms to EU weapons contracts.
The Sun revealed that this is the "likely direction of travel" in ongoing talks, with an insider suggesting the government "should pick the big industry" when choosing between fishing and defence.
In a heated rant on GB News, the fisherman of 54 years deemed it a "Brexit betrayal" and said those in the industry "feel forgotten".
Parliament
The women and equalities minister has vowed that Labour will work to protect single sex spaces after the Supreme Court's landmark ruling on the definition of a woman.
Bridget Phillipson told MPs this afternoon that the Government will protect "the rights of all people with protected characteristics now and always".
Retired senior circuit judge Deborah Taylor has been appointed by Shabana Mahmood to chair the statutory inquiry into the Nottingham attacks.
Barnaby Webber, Grace O'Malley-Kumar and Ian Coates were murdered by Valdo Calocane on June 13 2023.
Speaking in the Commons this morning, the Lord Chancellor told MPs that the inquiry would be led by the "very experienced" Taylor, who used to be a judge at Southwark Crown Court and the recorder of Westminster until 2022.
British Steel has announced that it has ended redundancy plans for 2,700 workers to be axed from the Scunthorpe plant in Lincolnshire.
Before the Government intervened to rescue the site from closure, former Chinese owners Jingye intended to close the plant's two blast furnaces - causing the loss of between 2,000 and 2,700 jobs.
However, after Sir Keir Starmer recalled Parliament for an emergency debate earlier this month, the Government took control of the site and maintain its production.
Interim chief commercial officer at British Steel Lisa Coulson said: "This has been a difficult and worrying time for British Steel staff and their families.
"I can, however, confirm that we are closing the redundancy consultation without action."
Nigel Farage has said he was "disgusted and appalled" by Lib Dem calls to cancel a VE Day parade on the 80th anniversary of the end of the Second World War in Europe.
Dacorum Borough Council in Hertfordshire had sparked fury by shelving plans to commemorate May 8's Victory in Europe Day.
Councillor Caroline Smith-Wright had instead told constituents to hold street parties - on the grounds a military show "just left the elite and people to just, kind of, parade".
Farage, on the campaign trail in Hertfordshire today, said the row "sums up everything I've been saying", and shows that politicians in the county are "woke, the whole blooming lot of them".
"Elect us and we will change the culture - no more work from home [for council workers] to boost productivity and an end to people being paid £200,000 salaries," he added, and wanrned the political class in Hertfordshire "is completely out of touch with its electorate".
"If you feel that your council is not working for you, we are the party of change," Farage told the Welwyn Hatfield Times.
And in a direct rebuke to woke activists at Peta, Farage posed with a British bulldog as he campaigned.
Rachel Reeves has said today's IMF forecasts show that Britain "is still the fastest-growing" European country in the G7.
"The IMF have recognised that this Government is delivering reform which will drive up long-term growth in the UK, through our plan for change," she said.
"The report also clearly shows that the world has changed, which is why I will be in Washington this week defending British interests and making the case for free and fair trade."
During her Spring Statement, Reeves insisted the "world is changing before our eyes" in a veiled swipe at Donald Trump for causing "more unstable" global economic conditions.
Britain's economic growth forecast has been slashed by a third in a major blow for Rachel Reeves and Labour's pledge to grow the economy.
The International Monetary Fund's January prediction of 1.6 per cent has been revised down to 1.1 per cent - a sharper cut than France, Italy and Germany, though the UK is still set to grow faster than the three.
Growth has also been cut by 0.1 percentage points in 2026 - putting the UK's growth projections at 1.1 per cent for 2025 and 1.4 for 2026.
Reacting to the figures, Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride said: "The latest IMF outlook is a worrying indictment of Labour's economic approach. Less than a year into their government, Britain is already seeing the consequences of Labour’s high-tax, high-spend agenda.
"The IMF has downgraded the UK’s growth forecast, raising serious concerns about the lack of confidence and direction under Labour. They have also revised up significantly their forecast for inflation. At a time when families are looking for stability and support, Labour's policies are stifling growth, pushing up the cost of living and leaving us vulnerable to external shocks.
"This Government inherited the fastest growing economy in the G7 and inflation was bang on target. Instead of building on that progress, Labour is taking Britain backwards with reckless spending, higher inflation and no credible plan for growth.
"Under Kemi Badenoch's leadership, the Conservative Party will fight for a stronger, lower-tax economy that rewards hard work, encourages investment, and delivers for the British people."
Sir Keir Starmer visited children at St Michael's Junior School in Bath
PA
Some 750 schools are opening new free breakfast clubs today in what the Prime Minister has labelled a "game-changing moment" for families across the UK.
The new clubs, which provide 30 minutes of morning childcare, are part of a trial which will run until July ahead of an expected national rollout promised in the Labour manifesto last year.
Sir Keir Starmer said ahead of a visit to St Michael's Junior School in Bath: "The rollout of free breakfast clubs is a truly game-changing moment for families in this country.
"They mean parents will no longer be hamstrung by rigid school hours and have the breathing space they need to beat the morning rush, attend work meetings and doctors' appointments, or run errands. And crucially, it means better life chances for children.
"By making these clubs free and universal, we're doing something that previous governments have never done.
"We're going further and faster to deliver the change working families deserve. That's the change this Government was elected to deliver."
As well as Starmer, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, Chancellor Rachel Reeves, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper all visited breakfast clubs today.
A VE Day military parade cancelled over "elitism" claims will now go ahead after an unprecedented intervention by Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey.
Dacorum Borough Council in Hertfordshire, itself run by the Lib Dems, had sparked fury by shelving plans to commemorate May 8's Victory in Europe Day.
Councillor Caroline Smith-Wright had instead told constituents to hold street parties on the grounds a military show "just left the elite and people to just, kind of, parade".
But then, Davey stepped in.
"There will be a VE parade, I'm delighted to say," he confirmed during a local election campaign visit to Gloucester.
"I think apparently a council officer took a decision without talking to the politicians," he said. "The politicians are now really clear, the VE parade will go ahead."
"It would be daft not to have one, absolutely daft," he said, adding: "I'm really looking forward to VE celebrations, the 80th anniversary."
The Prime Minister has slapped down talk of a fresh "Brexit betrayal" after it emerged the Prime Minister is poised to sign away Britain's waters to the EU in exchange for a defence deal.
The Sun reported on Saturday that the "likely direction of travel" for Labour is to sacrifice fishing waters for access to Brussels's €150billion-valued defence fund, a mega investment drive unveiled last month aimed at enabling countries to re-arm quicker.
But now, the Prime Minister's official spokesman has vowed: "We will protect the interests of our fishers and our marine environment."
Sir Keir Starmer has been left facing a 'real threat' following his party's campaign of attacks against Nigel Farage
PA
Sir Keir Starmer has been left facing a "real threat" following his party's campaign of attacks against Nigel Farage, his own MPs have warned.
Since the start of this year, a surge in support for Reform UK has seen Starmer and his party's most vocal MPs take pot-shots at Farage's stance on the NHS and Vladimir Putin - the former of which has been dubbed his "Achilles Heel" by insiders.
As a result, the party's left flank has been left unguarded, with Greens and pro-Gaza independents now posing a serious polling challenge.
Greens co-leader Adrian Ramsay told Politico that his party is seeking to mop up the support of Britons who have been "very let down by Labour"
While one Labour MP who battled a Green candidate at last summer's election warned: "The Greens have the potential to be a real threat."
The same MP has warned that Labour is heading for a "crash course collision" with its own voters - many of whom "didn't expect that this is what they were going to get".
Ex-Tony Blair aide and political strategist John McTernan - who has been vocal in his criticism of the far-left in the past - warned that Starmer's Labour now "sits in a very exposed position in a country that has repeatedly voted for change for the last decade".
That comes as Labour's own Health Secretary Wes Streeting, who now faces an uphill polling battle against independent Leanne Mohamad, has been forced to deny sniffing out a safe seat at the next election.
Streeting, asked by The Spectator whether he would switch to a safer seat, vowed: "Definitely not. Ilford North is my home. And I don't believe in cutting and running, I'm in it to win it."
Sir Keir Starmer will attend the Pope's funeral on Saturday morning, Downing Street has confirmed.
The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: "He joins millions around the world in grieving."
His wife, Lady Starmer, is expected not to attend.
Tory Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith has backed a new campaign by the TaxPayers' Alliance to expose Labour's quango 'obsession'
PAShadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith has backed a new campaign by the TaxPayers' Alliance to expose Labour's quango "obsession".
The TPA unveiled its "Britain's Quangos Uncovered" campaign earlier today - which it says will "name names, expose budgets, and reveal the hidden machinery steering the country".
Quangos - or Quasi-autonomous NGOs - include bodies like NHS England, the Jet Zero Taskforce, the Solar Taskforce and more.
And though Sir Keir Starmer has publicly pledged to axe the publicly-funded organisations, Labour has set up a new one every 10 days since coming to power last summer.
Griffith said the one-every-10-days figure was "suffocating growth and holding the UK back" - while the TPA's media campaign manager William Yarwood described it as an "obsession".
"We need to end Government-by-unelected-bureaucrats," Griffith added.
Labour has been urged to ban controversial "non-crime hate incidents" following a series of high-profile "Orwellian" encounters with Britain's police.
Kemi Badenoch's Tories are set to table an amendment to the Government's Crime and Policing Bill to bar officers from recording NCHIs in all but a few cases.
And the party leader herself has warned that police are "trawling social media for things someone might find offensive" rather than "fighting crime and protecting families".
"Keir Starmer needs to stop hiding behind weasel words. Stand up, show some courage, and back real policing over political correctness," she blasted.
"If Labour were serious about the violence in our towns and cities, they'd back our amendment and fix this."
NCHIs were first brought into force in 2014 having been recommended by the 1999 inquiry into Stephen Lawrence's death in 1993.
Today is the anniversary of his death - and one Tory official told Politico that the timing was not intentional.
And Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp, who was Policing Minister when the new guidelines were introduced, said: "Our amendment will stop police forces from wasting time on this Orwellian nonsense and get them back to doing the job the public expects: fighting real crime.
"The Conservative Party will always stand up for free speech and common sense."
A row over Labour MP Tahir Ali's claim that Tory MPs are under the influence of the "Indian lobby" has taken a fresh twist following Robert Jenrick's fury this morning.
Aman Bhogal, founder of the Global Britain Centre, has laid into Ali - and has issued a dire warning over the "failures of integration" to boot.
"Britain is seeing toxic sectarian politics, being played by Labour MPs who sound more like the MPs for Mirpur and Lahore than MPs for Bins-On-Strike-Birmingham," Bhogal told GB News.
"The caustic bigotry of Labour's identity politics has long sowed division, and this latest denial of the Pakistani rape gangs and communally charged sectarianism is a glaring warning of failures of integration and failed multiculturalism more interested in foreign conflicts than Britain’s national interest.
"Labour MPs trotting out poisonous anti-Indian tropes against Conservative MPs challenging the ugly rise of Islamist sectarianism shows the gutter politics being imported from Pakistan into our Parliament."
Badenoch also swiped at Reform UK as she braced for a local elections pasting
PA
Kemi Badenoch has warned that the Tories are facing down a "very difficult" set of local elections results just nine days before voters head to the polls.
She told the BBC: "We lost last year in a historic defeat - these elections are going to be very difficult for Conservatives.
"Two-thirds of the seats four years ago we won - there's no way we are going to be able to do that again."
And in a veiled dig at Reform UK, she added: "Protest is in the air... protest parties are doing well at the moment.
"It's really important that we take time to get things right, rebuild trust with the public and have a credible offer."
Sir Keir Starmer has revealed what his definition of a woman is following last week's landmark Supreme Court judgment.
Starmer told ITV: "A woman is an adult female, and the court has made that absolutely clear.
"I actually welcome the judgment because I think it gives real clarity. It allows those that have got to draw up guidance to be really clear about what that guidance should say.
"So I think it's important that we see the judgment for what it is. It's a welcome step forward. It's real clarity in an area where we did need clarity, I'm pleased it's come about.
"We need to move and make sure that we now ensure that all guidance is in the right place according to that judgment."
Ali (seated) told attendees at the Mirpur Airport Demand Grand Conference Birmingham that Tory MPs were 'controlled by the Indian lobby'
FACEBOOKA British-Pakistani conference in Birmingham which saw an MP label grooming gangs a "false right-wing narrative" has taken a fresh twist after a Labour MP has been accused of pushing "sectarian tribalism".
Tahir Ali, who watched on as Independent MP Ayoub Khan embarked on a rape gangs tirade, also spoke at the event - and now, following a translation of his Urdu-language speech, Robert Jenrick has reacted with fury.
Ali had accused Tory MPs of being "controlled by the Indian lobby" - prompting Jenrick to blast: "This Labour MP accuses Conservative MPs of being controlled by the 'Indian lobby' for telling him to focus on Birmingham, not Pakistan.
"He cannot fathom a politician putting Britain's interests first. So he projects his sectarian tribalism onto us. Does Starmer condone this?"
GB News has approached the Labour Party for comment.
Tory MP Nick Timothy has issued a dire warning over transparency in the Home Office after the department failed to reveal crucial data on how many illegal migrants are working in Britain.
Timothy had probed the Home Office on "how many illegal migrants have been granted permission to work in full-time and part-time employment in each year since 2020".
But the department refused to give him the data - and changed his wording of "illegal migrants" to "irregular migrants".
Home Office Minister Dame Angela Eagle said in response that finding such data would "involve collating and verifying information from multiple systems owned by multiple teams" in the department.
As a result, the figures can allegedly only be obtained "at disproportionate cost".
After his request was denied, Timothy blasted on social media: "They don't want you to know. But worse, they don't want to know themselves. Because they don't care."
Bridget Phillipson has doubled down on her trans U-turn
PABridget Phillipson has doubled down on her trans U-turn after vowing that transgender women should use male toilets.
Last week, she welcomed the landmark Supreme Court ruling - but the Education Secretary had just last year said that trans women - with penises - would be able to use women-only bathrooms under Labour's plan to make gender changing easier.
And this morning, she told the BBC that the ruling was clear that "services should be accessed on the basis of biological sex".
"There are important questions around, for example, the use of toilets, around the use of changing facilities, but there are also profound questions that I think are even more important about, for example, hospital provision, rape crisis centres, women's refuges, where you are talking about people often being in that provision on an accommodation basis for an extended period of time," she said.
Phillipson added: "I know that many businesses, large and small, will ensure that they have appropriate provision in place... For example, many businesses have moved towards unisex provision or separate cubicles that can be used by anyone."
Starmer met Luxon at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Samoa last year
DOWNING STREET
Sir Keir Starmer is set to inspect a military base alongside New Zealander counterpart Christopher Luxon later today.
The pair will meet Ukrainian soldiers being trained on British soil by the UK and New Zealand military - and are also expected to unveil a new arms deal which will see the Ministry of Defence buy £30million worth of drones made by a Kiwi firm, alongside a new agreement to strengthen defence cooperation.
It comes just days after the UK was urged to pursue "Canzuk" - a Canada-Australia-UK-New Zealand alliance which proponents say could redefine Britain's place in the world.
Labour's Education Minister Stephen Morgan has called for "police action" the "unacceptable” language on placards and daubed on statues at the weekend's mass trans protests in London.
One placard at an "emergency demonstration" in Parliament Square over the weekend showed an illustration of gallows alongside a slogan suggesting "the only good Terf [trans-exclusionary radical feminist]" is a hanged one.
Morgan told Sky News: "It's completely unacceptable language to be used, and obviously any matters that break the law should be reported to the police, and hopefully police action is taken."
The protests had erupted in response to the landmark Supreme Court judgment that the terms "woman" and "sex" are biologically defined - and he indicated that Equalities Minister and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson would make a statement in the Commons in response to the judgment soon.
MPs and peers are plotting to block US President Donald Trump from addressing Parliament during his upcoming state visit to the UK.
Trump recently told reporters in the Oval Office that "the King and the great country" had invited him for a "second fest" which will be "beautiful".
But one Labour MP spat: "Parliament has nothing to learn from a serial liar, cheat, womaniser and bankrupt. We don't need Trump to lecture and dictate his unilateral terms to our elected representatives."
Policing Minister Diana Johnson, responding to the Conservatives' NCHI proposals, said: "The Tories are all over the place. They had 14 years in charge of policing to set priorities or make policy changes in this area, and failed to do so.
"The Shadow Home Secretary was the policing minister who said just two years ago that 'if someone is targeted because of hostility or prejudice towards their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or transgender identity the incident can and should be recorded as a non-crime hate incident'.
"Instead of introducing unworkable and half-baked measures which would prevent the police monitoring serious antisemitism and other racist incidents, the Tories should support the Labour Government's prioritisation of neighbourhood policing and serious violence."
