Keir Starmer to overrule trans activist Labour MPs and hire gender-critical human rights chief

Angela Rayner: 'Snake oil salesman Nigel Farage CAN'T deliver - but Labour can'

Angela Rayner has attacked "snake oil salesman" Nigel Farage for making "undeliverable" promises to the British public.

In a wide-ranging interview with The Guardian, Rayner warned that Reform UK must be "held to account" for its pledges - but claimed that Labour is, however, delivering.

"Politics can make a real difference to people's lives, but it takes time to change, to bring about that fundamental change that people are so desperate to see," the Deputy Prime Minister said.

"That's what this Labour Government is doing," she said. "It's not short-termism on the back of a fag packet, on some billboard.

"It's actually the fundamental reforms that will get Britain back on track... instead of people feeling at the moment like everything is broken and nothing can be fixed."

Tory 'reshuffle' sets tongues wagging as Robert Jenrick 'eyes up Shadow Chancellor job'

A potential Shadow Cabinet reshuffle could come as soon as this week, according to reports.

Rumours of Kemi Badenoch making some new appointments have skyrocketed over Friday afternoon - with political blog Guido Fawkes and now The Times hinting it could come in just days.

Allies of Robert Jenrick are now said to be pushing for the Shadow Justice Secretary to be promoted to Shadow Chancellor - with one labelling him "perfectly placed" for the gig.

They said: "Mel is nice and has always wanted to be Chancellor, but we need to have our best person on the field.

"Delay now means it's less likely the new person is in place by the time of the next Budget. Rob is perfectly placed to take the fight to Rachel Reeves."

Though a punchy statement from another Tory source reads: "Rob's doing great in Shadow Justice with his quirky videos and fun little stunts.

"He's not really shown any interest at all in economic matters, while Mel is a solid performer who projects total competence and has got Reeves on the run."

Elsewhere, "rising star" new-intake MPs Nick Timothy, Katie Lam, Harriet Cross and Lincoln Jopp have been tipped for promotions - while Jenrick's camp is said to be pushing for the outspoken Neil O'Brien to take the Shadow Work & Pensions Secretary role.

Keir Starmer capitulates to suspended Labour MP's demands just days after PM's purge

Sir Keir Starmer has seemingly capitulated to proposals put forward by now-suspended Planning Bill rebel Chris Hinchliff.

Hinchliff, who was suspended alongside Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Rachael Maskell on Wednesday, had been putting pressure on the Government to put in place environmental protections before building developments commence.

The changes appear to have fulfilled Hinchliff’s request, delivering more legal certainty, better scientific evidence, avoiding harm as a priority and bringing transparency about conservation.

However, Hinchliff’s amendment was initially supported by Duncan-Jordan and Maskell, as well as also suspended ex-Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell.

Responding to the Government’s climbdown, Hinchliff said: “This looks like really positive news.

“Very happy to be proven posthumously correct and see many of my concerns addressed.”

He added: “Now let’s smash the developer-led model and deliver a win-win for homes and nature.”

Labour, Greens and Lib Dems surge to more than 60% support among 16-17-year-olds

Labour, the Green Party and Liberal Democrats would take back more than 60 per cent of the 16-17-year-old vote if a General Election were held tomorrow, new polling has revealed.

A fresh survey by pollsters at FocalData conducted from July 14 to 18 has found that Labour would comfortably top polls among the new voting bloc.

Sir Keir Starmer's party, who confirmed plans to enfranchise older teens yesterday morning, would take in an overwhelming 35 per cent vote share.

The Green Party would come second among 16-17-year-olds, with 19 per cent, while the Liberal Democrats would see a seven per cent vote share.

The three parties, between them, would take back 61 per cent of the vote - dwarfing Reform UK and the Conservatives, who sit in third and fourth place on 17 and 11 per cent respectively.

Corbynista Zarah Sultana comes out to back Diane Abbott after hardliner Labour MP given the boot

Corbynista MP Zarah Sultana has come out to back Diane Abbott after the latter was suspended by Labour.

Yesterday, Abbott revealed she did not regret claiming that Jewish people experience racism differently from black people.

She was then suspended, with a Labour spokesman blasting: “There is no place for antisemitism in the Labour Party.

"We take these comments incredibly seriously, and will assess them in line with Labour Party’s rules and procedures."

Now, Sultana has vowed: "I stand with Diane Abbott," after yesterday accusing Labour of "institutional racism".

"We have a Prime Minister who mimicked Enoch Powell with 'island of strangers' and suspended the UK's first black woman MP twice," she fumed. "It's institutional racism."

RECAP: Reform win trio of key by-elections in blow for Labour and Tories

It was a positive night for Reform as they won three local by-elections, taking scalps off the Conservatives and Labour.

Reform's Stephen Ridley won the Maypole & Leyton Cross ward on Dartford Council, taking the seat off the Tories. Meanwhile, in the Stone House ward, James Alexander Buchan beat the Conservatives Milan Suter.

On the other side of the Thames in Basildon, Reform UK took the St Martin's ward from Labour with Sam Journet beating Elizabeth Atkinson from Sir Keir Starmer's party.

It was less fortunate for the party in Staffordshire, as Conservative Jeremy Pert returned to his role as a councillor on the Eccleshall and Gnosall ward, beating Reform's Ray Barron.

Danny Dyer says 'nobody in politics is likeable' as he calls Keir Starmer a 'f***ing non-entity'

Danny Dyer has taken a swipe at the Prime Minister as he raged that "nobody in politics is likeable."

The former Eastenders actor told The Telegraph: "I feel sorry for the people when he goes to a factory and they put these poor people behind him and you can tell they all hate his guts.

"We need a leader. He’s not a leader. I don’t know what the f**k he is. He’s only in power because the Tories were such c**ts."

"Nobody in politics is likeable...Where’s the working-class people? They should be running our country, not people pretending they’re working class because they’ve had a pint in a pub."

WATCH: Tory MP Danny Kruger calls for 'Christian restoration' as only a handful of MPs turn up to empty Commons

Tory MP Danny Kruger has issued a rallying cry for Britain to have a "new restoration" in a passionate parliamentary plea but only a handful of MPs could be bothered turning up to the House of Commons.

Kruger, the MP for East Wiltshire, set out just how much Christian influence there has been in the House of Commons, including its connection to St Stephen's Chapel.

He also warned that a "deeply dangerous ideology" is posing a huge threat to the West.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

John Swinney vows to ramp up pressure on Westminster over second independence referendum

Scottish First Minister John Swinney has pledged to ramp up pressure on Westminster over a potential second independence referendum.

The SNP leader said it was important for supporters of independence backing his party at next year’s Holyrood election over other pro-independence parties such as Alba and the Scottish Greens.

Writing in The National, Swinney said: "I will be saying to those who voted Yes in 2014, and who have become independence supporters in the years since, that what they believed in then is just as valid today.

"They saw that Britain was fundamentally broken, that Westminster couldn’t deliver on their dreams and aspirations, and what they saw has come to pass. And now it is time to do something about it.

"I will also be urging people who were not persuaded of the merits of independence in 2014 to see the state of Britain today and take a different view."

Sir Ed Davey accuses John Healey of misleading Parliament over Afghan leak

The Liberal Democrats have accused John Healey of misleading Parliament over the Afghan data breach.

It comes as John Healey told MPs in the House of Commons that no serving member of the armed forces had been put at risk by the data loss.

However, it emerged yesterday that over 100 British officials, including members of the special forces and MI6, were compromised in a data breach.

Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey said: "Three days ago John Healey claimed no-one serving in the armed forces was put at risk by the data breach. Today we found out that appears to be false.

"We need to know if any serving members of the armed forces were impacted - and the Defence Secretary must urgently come before Parliament to answer the question of whether he knowingly misled MPs and the public."

Rupert Lowe calls for full abolishment for the asylum system - 'The entire system needs scrapping'

Former Reform UK MP Rupert Lowe has called for the full abolishment of the asylum system.

Writing on social media, the Great Yarmouth MP said: "Abolish the asylum system. Deport those arriving, deport those already here.

"Bespoke agreements with certain countries if we choose to do so, but the entire system needs scrapping. No more asylum seekers."

REVEALED: Keir Starmer tipped to lose his seat in shock election upset

Sir Keir Starmer is tipped to lose his seat to a pro-Gaza candidate at the next general election, according to a new analysis of the polling data.

A survey by Find Out Now just days ago found that Starmer's predecessor Jeremy Corbyn's new party would draw level support with Labour at a General Election.

Fresh projections revealed by Nowcast.EU founder Josh Housden has tipped it to steal the PM's seat of Holborn and St Pancras - which borders Corbyn's Islington North constituency.

At last year's General Election, the pro-Gaza independent candidate Andrew Feinsten came second with 7,312 votes, cutting Starmer's majority lead by over 16,000 votes.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Sir Grant Shapps defends decision to gag press over Afghan data leak

Sir Grant Shapps has defended his decision to keep an unprecedented superinjuction order in place over the Afghan data leak under the previous government, saying he would "walk over hot coals to save those lives".

The former Conservative minister said lifting the superinjunction, which was imposed while he was in post, may have endangered the lives of those whose personal information was released "in error" in February 2022.

He told the BBC: "I’d much rather now be explaining why a superinjunction was required, than being in this interview explaining why I failed to act and people were murdered.

"I would do the same thing all over again. I would walk over hot coals to save those lives."

James Murray says there's no 'silver bullet' to stop the gangs

James Murray has told GB News there is no "silver bullet" to deal with the migration crisis.

The Treasury Secretary was speaking as GB News confirmed that more than 23,000 small boat migrants have crossed the channel this year, as hundreds more make the crossing this morning.

He told GBN Breakfast: "Part of the deal the Prime Minister announced with the French was about having a deterrent about sending people back if the come over on the boat.

"The other part was some of the legislation going through Parliament at the moment to improve our powers by giving the Government counter-terrorism style powers to go after the gangs.

"There is no silver bullet to stopping this overnight but it means we have to work relentlessly on every front."

Claire Coutinho slams ECHR as she calls Afghan data leak 'catastrophic'

Claire Coutinho has said the leak of data relating to Afghan asylum seekers was "absolutely catastrophic" as she took a swipe at the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR).

Appearing on GB News this morning, the shadow Secretary for Energy Security and Net Zero said: "How you could send spreadsheets around with no controls and that kind of sensitive information needs looking at.

"In terms of the ECHR forcing us to take people that is something I really worry about.

"The ECHR has been used to force us to keep people in this country."

Jeremy Hunt fears 'disastrous' Rachel Reeves tax hikes with Britons set to be plunged into 'doom loop'

Rachel Reeves will put taxes at the Budget this Autumn, former Conservative Chancellor Jeremy Hunt has said.

Hunt also said that his biggest mistake when he was in charge of the Treasury was not to be clearer about his determination to cut taxes.

And he said Britons were as concerned about the spiralling welfare budget as the small boats migrant crisis.Asked if Reeves will put up taxes at the Budget.

Hunt told Chopper's Political Podcast: "I fear she will, yes. I think it's going to be a disastrous thing for the economy if she does.

"What many of us are worried about is that we're going to end up in this doom loop of ever higher taxes and ever lower growth. And there are lots of divides in British politics.

"The Conservative Party is the only party that really believes that you have to have lower taxes if you want higher growth.

"Look around the world - America, Asia - all the countries where the economy is going gangbusters are places which have kept their taxes low. Only in Europe, including the UK, sadly, have we gone in the opposite direction.

"Now I know I had to put up taxes after the pandemic. You know, we borrowed £400 billion and that had to be paid for. But I was seeking to get us on a path back to lower tax. And I'm worried that we're now going to go in the opposite direction."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE