Politics LIVE: Nigel Farage warns Keir Starmer faces ‘nasty surprise’ as Labour hands votes to 16-year-olds in ‘desperate attempt to cling on to power'

PICTURED: Prime Minister welcomes Merz to 10 Downing Street

Keir Starmer hails 'first-of-its-kind' Kensington Treaty after signing deal with Germany

Sir Keir Starmer, following the signing of today's UK-German agreement, said; "It's a privilege to have you here today, particularly to sign this Kensington Treaty, which is a very special treaty, because it's the first of its kind ever, if you can believe it, between our two countries."

He also labelled it "evidence of the closeness of our relationship as it stands today" and a "statement of intent, a statement of our ambition to work ever more closely together".

PICTURED: All smiles from Friedrich Merz and Keir Starmer as major UK-German treaty gets sign-off

Sir Keir Starmer and German counterpart Friedrich Merz were seen grinning today as Britain and Germany signed off on a major bilateral cooperation treaty.

The treaty includes a pledge to jointly produce defence exports such as Boxer armoured vehicles and Typhoon jets.

It will also commit to developing a "deep precision strike" missile in the next decade, with a range of more than 2,000 kilometres.

Elsewhere, the agreement includes plans to set up a new UK-Germany Business Forum.

James Cleverly: Labour's cynicism over voting rights is BREATHTAKING

Former Home Secretary James Cleverly has accused Labour of affording 16 and 17 year olds the right to vote because they are "tanking in the polls".

"The cynicism is breathtaking," he said. "Labour dropped it from the King's Speech after getting a big majority without it. Now they're tanking in the polls, they announce it again."

He also questioned whether Labour was saying "children should have the right to vote... or... 16 years olds are no longer children".

Either answer, he said, "opens a can of worms with regards to other rights and responsibilities for 16 and 17 year olds".

Labour accused of 'shameless gerrymandering'

Ex-Tory Minister Simon Clarke has questioned Labour's age voting change, declaring it was "shameless gerrymandering".

"If we don't think 16 is the age of adult maturity, why is the Government doing this?," he said.

Clarke also pointed to polling by More in Common last May which showed voters tended to oppose proposals to change the voting age.

'Elon Musk-shaped hole!' Lib Dem fury over Labour's voting reforms as party blasts: 'Ministers MUST go further'

The Liberal Democrats have claimed Labour has left an "Elon Musk-shaped hole" in its voting reforms after it handed the right to 16-year-olds.

Ed Davey's party has declared the Government must close the door to foreign oligarchs "meddling" with British politics.

The Liberal Democrats also took credit for the age change, saying they had been campaigning to allow 16- and 17-year-olds to vote "for well over 20 years" - which the party's Cabinet Office spokeswoman Sarah Olney labelled a "no-brainer".

But she added: "There appears to be an Elon Musk-shaped hole in the Government's proposed changes to elections.

"Ministers must go much further to close the door to foreign oligarchs interfering in British politics - anything less undermines our democracy."

Jeremy Corbyn handed major polling boost after Labour opens vote to 16-year-olds

Disgraced ex-Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn is at the top of the list for young voters asked which politicians and other public figures they approved of the most.

It comes as Keir Starmer took 39 per cent of the vote when asked who would make the best prime minister of the main party leaders.

Nigel Farage took 26 per cent while Kemi Badenoch was at 18 per cent and Ed Davey was at 16 per cent.

But, when they were presented a list of politicians and other influential public figures, 12 per cent said they "strongly approve" of Corbyn - ahead of both Starmer and Farage on nine per cent each.

It comes after a fresh poll found that Corbyn's potential new party would draw level with Labour at a General Election.

New data from Find Out Now revealed that the upstart party would take home 15 per cent of the vote, the same share as Labour.

Keir Starmer: If you're old enough to pay tax, you're old enough to vote

Prime Minister Keir Starmer said the 16 and 17 year olds who will be given the vote in the next general election should be allowed to vote as they are made to pay tax if they are employed.

He told ITV News it was "really important" the new voting bloc "have the vote, because they are old enough to go out to work" and pay taxes.

"I think if you pay in, you should have the opportunity to say what you want your money spent on," he said.

"So I'm really pleased we are able to bring more young people into our democracy and give them a chance to have a say over how their taxes are paid and what they are going to be used for."

Tories accused Labour of 'delaying parliamentary scrutiny'

The Tories have accused Sir Keir Starmer of giving "no opportunity for parliamentary scrutiny" as MPs are due to break shortly for summer recess until September.

Shadow Communities Minister Paul Holmes told the House of Commons: "Instead of the democracy minister using this democratic chamber to announce a wide ranging strategy on democracy, the Government chose to announce it to the press in the Monday no 10 lobby briefing," he said.

He added that it was "typical of government by press release".

Richard Tice: Labour 'totally wrong' to give children the vote

Deputy Reform UK leader Richard Tice has said it is "totally wrong" for Labour to hand the vote to 16 and 17 year olds.

Speaking to the Telegraph, he said: "Totally wrong that children, by legal definition, should be allowed to vote whilst almost all still in school or college".

Angela Rayner: 'Votes at 16 will strengthen the foundations of our society'

In the move to lower the voting age to 16, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner said: "For too long public trust in our democracy has been damaged and faith in our institutions has been allowed to decline.

"We are taking action to break down barriers to participation that will ensure more people have the opportunity to engage in UK democracy, supporting our Plan for Change, and delivering on our manifesto commitment to give sixteen year olds the right to vote," she said.

"We cannot take our democracy for granted, and by protecting our elections from abuse and boosting participation we will strengthen the foundations of our society for the future."

Top Tory issues dire warning over public unrest just days after Afghan leak scandal comes to light

Tory frontbencher Alex Burghart has issued a dire warning over public unrest in light of the Afghan leak scandal which saw a secret asylum scheme made public.

Ministers earlier this week feared riots would break out in Britain after the settlement scheme was brought to light.

Speaking at an event hosted by think tank Onward this morning, Burghart warned that Labour sees breakouts of public disorder like that seen in Northern Ireland and across the country last summer as "aberrations, freak events".

"I'm not sure that that is true anymore," he warned, but added: "I hope that that is the case."

Keir Starmer's JLR promise comes back to bite him

Last month, I promised workers at Jaguar Land Rover that I would protect their jobs.

I kept that promise. pic.twitter.com/floVEClyMW

— Keir Starmer (@Keir_Starmer) May 8, 2025

Just weeks after the Prime Minister promised Jaguar Land Rover workers that he would "protect their jobs", JLR has today announced that 500 roles in the UK are on the chopping block.

In a statement on Thursday morning, just weeks after Keir Starmer said "I kept that promise", JLR confirmed it would be slashing 500 jobs from its UK operations.

Shadow Chancellor says Britons 'paying the price' under Labour

Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has blamed the government's "Jobs Tax" for the "persistently rising unemployment".

"Labour promised not to raise taxes on working people but they did," Stride posted on X.

"Under Labour we have seen unemployment rise, taxes hiked, inflation almost double and growth stagnate."

He added that Chancellor Rachel Reeves had refused to "rule out further tax rises" as autumn nears in a bid to pay for "Labour's costly U-turns".

"Labour isn't working and the British people are paying the price," he said.

WATCH: Matt Vickers speaks to GB News to discuss the Afghan data breach and anti-terror schemes

'We can't go on!' Rachel Reeves urged to reverse Labour's jobs tax after damning unemployment figures revealed

With the latest workforce figures showing the the Labour market is continuing to weaken along with higher unemployment and slowing wage growth, Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesperson Daisy Cooper said "we can't go on with such a sluggish economy".

"The Government must go for growth by reversing the jobs tax which is stifling small businesses and rip up the red tape holding back British businesses from trading with the rest of Europe," she added.

"Only then will the Government unlock billions of pounds to protect public services and support struggling families."

Cooper said it was time, "after years of economic mismanagement" at the hands of the Conservatives, for the government and Chancellor Rachel Reeves to focus "on getting our economy back on track".

Minister defends Keir Starmer after PM suspends four MPs

Safeguarding Minister Jess Phillips has thrown her support behind the Prime Minister after he decided to suspend four MPs from the Labour Party.

While he is facing criticism from within his own party, Phillips told Sky News "if you persistently breach behaviours ... the chief whip will eventually be left with very little place to go".

She said MPs should "have to seek to work together", despite claims the rebels were sticking to their Labour values.

"If you are acting in a manner that is to undermine the ability of the government to deliver those things, I don't know what to expect," Phillips added.

The minister did admit she had been forced to "rebel and vote against", but noted MPs "continually causing trouble" went against the need to work together.

Diane Abbott REFUSES to apologise for ‘travellers and Jewish people’ remark - as she accuses Labour of ‘trying to boot her out’

Diane Abbott declared she has no regrets regarding comments on racism which ultimately led her to being suspended by the Labour Party.

She was suspended by the party in 2023 after a writing a letter to the Observer comparing racism experienced by people of colour with that seen by other groups.

She told BBC Radio 4’s Reflections programme that she did not look back on the incident with regret.

Abbott was reinstated to the party before the 2024 general election and said: “Clearly, there must be a difference between racism which is about colour and other types of racism because you can see a Traveller or a Jewish person walking down the street (and) you don’t know."

“I just think that it’s silly to try and claim that racism which is about skin colour is the same as other types of racism," she said.

“I don’t know why people would say that.”

She apologised for any anguish her remarks caused which drew criticism from Jewish and Travellers groups.

Abbott is the longest-serving female MP in the parliament after entering in 1987 and she said she got a "bit weary" about people labelling her anti-semitic, adding she had "spent a lifetime fighting racism of all kinds".

She said while she was “grateful” to be a Labour MP she believed leadership had been “trying to get me out”.

Conservative response to unemployment rising yet again

Official figures from the Office for National Statistics have shown that unemployment has climbed to a four-year high of 4.7 per cent in the three months to May.

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately said the worst "is yet to come under the punishing Labour Government".

“Unemployment going up for the ninth month in a row on Labour's watch is a disgrace," she said.

“It is the latest in a litany of dreadful economic news – coming off the back of stoked inflation and depressed growth stats. These are more than just statistics, each and every job loss is a devastating blow to hardworking families across the country."

Whately said it was a "shock, but not a surprise".

"(As) record taxes already biting, the employment rights bill looming and the prospect of even more painful tax rises to come in the autumn," she said.

German Chancellor to be welcomed to the UK

Prime Minister Keir Starmer will welcome German Chancellor Friedrich Merz today with their pair to strengthen relations by reportedly signing a wide-ranging bilateral cooperation treaty.

It could include language on mutual defence - first announced in August 2024 - following talks between Starmer and then-German Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

The treaty would seek commitment to make it illegal to facilitate illegal migration to the UK from within Germany.

Law change is expected in Germany which will make it easier to clamp down on people smuggling gangs in the country.