'You have zero members!' Reform UK hits back at Jeremy Corbyn's hard-left Your Party sign-up milestone

WATCH: GB News star remembers Donald Trump’s surprising compliment in the Oval Office

GB News political editor Christopher Hope has shared an amusing memory of receiving an unexpected personal compliment from Donald Trump during an interview at the Oval Office in February.

The journalist found himself on the receiving end of the American President's charm when Trump remarked on his appearance during their meeting.

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Sir Keir Starmer rejects call to 'immediately' recognise Palestinian state

Sir Keir Starmer has rejected calls to "immediately" recognise Palestine as a state.

While the Prime Minister said recognition "has to be" part of a process to lasting peace, he said it "must be part of a wider plan" involving a two state solution.

It comes as Starmer joined his French and German counterparts have called for Israel to “immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid” into Gaza.

In a joint statement with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and French President Emmanuel Macron, he said: "The humanitarian catastrophe that we are witnessing in Gaza must end now.

"The most basic needs of the civilian population, including access to water and food, must be met without any further delay. Withholding essential humanitarian assistance to the civilian population is unacceptable.

"We call on the Israeli government to immediately lift restrictions on the flow of aid and urgently allow the UN and humanitarian NGOs to carry out their work in order to take action against starvation.

"Israel must uphold its obligations under international humanitarian law."

RECAP: Reform take key council seat despite Kemi Badenoch campaign

Reform UK has taken a seat off the Tories in a key by-election, despite party leader Kemi Badenoch campaigning in the ward.

Alan Cook won the Bromley Common and Holwood ward for Nigel Farage's party, beating Conservative candidate Ian Frederick Payne with a majority of 181 on a turnout of 28 per cent.

It is the first London council seat for Reform UK.

Rupert Lowe calls for 'specialised deportation airport' 

Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe has called for the construction of a "specialised deportation airport" to deal with the migrant crisis.

The former Reform UK MP said: "We should build a specialised deportation airport, capable of removing thousands and thousands every single day, adjacent to significant detention facilities.

"Publish the daily removal number, the deportation dashboard. Send a message. Come illegally, you WILL be deported.

WATCH IN FULL: Donald Trump jets to Scotland after predicting '50/50 chance' of EU trade deal

Donald Trump has left the White House for Scotland, where he’s set to meet First Minister John Swinney during a high-profile visit.

Speaking to reporters before boarding Marine One, the US president weighed in on trade negotiations with Brussels, suggesting the odds of a deal were no better than a coin toss.

“We have a 50/50 chance, maybe less, of making a deal with the EU,” Trump said. "Right now their tariffs are at 30 per cent. They’ll have to bring them down or maybe they won’t. But they want to make a deal very badly."

Greens say potential recognition of Palestinian statehood is 'bare minimum'

The Green Party has said potential recognition of Palestinian statehood by Labour is the "bare minimum".

Outgoing co-leader Carla Denyer said: "Recognising the state of Palestine is a bare minimum that governments across the world can do to help bring an end to the genocide being carried out by the Israeli government in Gaza.

"Yet the UK government is falling behind other nations in taking even this most basic step.

"The UK government must join France in recgonsing the state of Palestine, as well as enacting a full arms embargo, widespread sanctions, a ban on the import of settlement goods, and funding for evidence collection for prosecutions."

Donald Trump praises John Swinney despite SNP leader's criticism of President

Donald Trump has praised First Minister John Swinney, despite the SNP leader's criticism of the President.

President Trump will spend the weekend at his Turnberry golf club in Scotland before meeting with the Prime Minister on Monday.

He told reporters: "We have a lot of things in Scotland. I have a lot of love - my mother was born in Scotland, and he's a good man.

"The Scottish leader is a good man, so I look forward to meeting him."

Chancellor says getting aid to Gaza is 'immediate priority' 

Chancellor Rachel Reeves says getting aid to Gaza is an "immediate priority" amid "deplorable" scenes.

In recent days, images have come from the territory of people - including children - visibly starving, along with reports of Israeli military attacks on those seeking to access aid.

The Government has resisted calls to immediately recognise Palestinian statehood despite pressure being ramped up by France becoming the first G7 country to do so.

Reeves said the immediate priority for the UK Government would be to ensure enough aid is allowed in to Gaza.

“We believe that a two-state solution is the only way to having enduring peace in the Middle East – a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and peaceful Palestinian state,” she said.

“The immediate priority, though, is to get aid in. We’ve all seen the scenes unfolding in Gaza, it is incredibly depressing and deplorable what is happening there."

Sir Keir Starmer is set to have an emergency call with German and French leaders over the situation in Gaza today.

We are doing everything we can to minimise patient harm during strike - Streeting

Wes Streeting said "we are doing everything we can to minimise" patient harm as thousands of doctors go on strike over pay.

The five-day walkout by resident doctors in England got underway today, with members of the the British Medical Association (BMA) manning picket lines across the country.

The Health Secretary condemned the strike as “reckless” and said the Government would not allow the BMA to “hold the country to ransom”.

“What I can’t do today is guarantee that there will be no disruption and that there is no risk of harm to patients, Streeting said on Friday.

“We are doing everything we can to minimise it, but the risk is there, and that is why the BMA’s action is so irresponsible."

Trump visit is in the public interest, says Reeves 

Donald Trump's visit to Scotland is in the "public interest", Rachel Reeves has said.

The US President is due to touch down to Scotland this evening ahead of a four-day visit, during which he will meet with Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney.

“It’s in Britain’s national interest to have strong relations with the US administration and as a result of both that long-term special relationship, the Chancellor said on Friday.

"But actually more importantly, the work that our Prime Minister Keir Starmer has done in building that relationship with President Trump has meant that we were the first country in the world to secure a trade deal.

“That has a tangible benefit for people here in Scotland, whether it is people working in the Scotch whisky industry or people working in the defence sector like here at Rolls-Royce, that trade deal means lower tariffs than any country in the world on things that we send to the US.”

Jeremy Corbyn's hard-left party sign-ups overtake Reform membership

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's newly formed hard-left 'Your Party' has surpassed Reform UK's 230,000 membership base in terms of unpaid sign-ups.

Corbyn, who cemented 532,000 paid-up Labour members in 2019, has been documenting the surge in grassroots support on social media.

Your Party was already targeting Reform UK's 12-month surge within its first 24 hours of officially forming, with Blackburn MP Adnan Hussain sharing the turquoise tally to motivate supporters.

However, unlike all of Britain's major political parties, Corbyn supporters do not need to pay to sign up to join Your Party, which is being co-led with Zarah Sultana.

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Asylum seekers who refuse to move from hotels will risk losing their housing as Labour aims to 'restore order' 

Asylum seekers who refuse to move out of hotels could risk losing their housing, the Home Office has revealed.

The Home Office today announced its new "Failure to Travel" policy aimed at tackling "non-compliance by asylum seekers".

It will mean those who are moved out of hotels to suitable alternative accommodation must take it.

Asylum seekers who refuse to move "without a valid reason" will risk losing their housing and support, the Home Office has said.

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Minister rejects calls for Britain to recognise Palestinian state immediately

A Cabinet minister has defended the Government’s resistance to calls for the UK to recognise a Palestinian state immediately amid mounting global anger over the starving population in Gaza.

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle insisted Sir Keir Starmer wants sovereignty agreed “more than anyone” but said the status must be reached as part of a political process.

It comes amid calls from both opposition critics and Labour ranks for the Government to support statehood after France became the biggest and most powerful European country to recognise Palestine.

“Keir Starmer wants this more than anyone else, but believes it is a crucial step towards delivering the peace and security into the future and needs to be a negotiated peace within the region itself. It can’t be forced", Kyle told Sky News on Friday, July 25.

He added that the Government "desires" Palestinian statehood but says easing "extreme, unwarranted suffering" in Gaza has to be priority.

Labour slammed over 'act of betrayal' as PM opens door to extraditing Hong Kongers

Labour has opened the door to Britain once again extraditing people to Hong Kong.

The UK’s extradition treaty with Hong Kong was suspended by the then-Tory Government after a new national security law was imposed on the territory by China in 2020.

The treaty meant Hong Kong could request that someone living in Britain who is suspected of a crime at home could be handed over to face justice, and vice versa.

Fears that the law could lead to human rights abuses were behind the UK’s reasoning to put the agreement on ice.

Ministers have however now introduced a law change in the Commons which would tweak how Hong Kong is designated under the 2003 Extradition Act.

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Reform scraps £7.5million net zero EV pledge as councillors take aim at Labour

Reform UK has announced plans to scrap electric vehicle targets in Kent as part of its mission to slash spending.

The new leader of Kent County Council has pledged to eliminate £7.5million in funding by the end of the decade that was earmarked for EVs.

Original plans stated that Kent County Council would transition all of its vehicle fleet to electric by 2030.

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NHS workers reject pay offer as union calls for 'urgent meeting' with Streeting

NHS staff who form part of the GMB union have voted to reject the pay award offered for 2025/26.

Union members in England voted by 67 per cent majority to reject the offer.

GMB has now written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting calling for an urgent meeting to discuss pay and other issues for members across the NHS and ambulance services.

Rachel Harrison, National Secretary at the union, said: “GMB members in England have voted by a 67 per cent majority to reject the pay award offered for 2025/26.

“Our National NHS and Ambulance Committees met on Thursday, July 24, to discuss the ballot results and determine what the next steps should be.

“Today, we have written to the Secretary of State, Wes Streeting, asking him to meet with us to discuss pay and other issues of significant importance to GMB members. We await his reply with interest.”

Technology secretary says Labour correcting '14 years of mismanagement' under Tory Government regarding doctors' pay as strike begins

Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said Labour are "in the process of correcting" years of "mismanagement" under the Conservative Government regarding doctors' pay as a five-day strike gets underway.

The Hove and Portsdale MP told GB News: "We have delivered the fairness that the public expect of us, that patients require of us and we accept that under the 14 years of mismanagement that went before that we were issues with regards to pay which we are now in the process of correcting.

"What is not fair is the expectation that you can negotiate a 28.9 per cent increase over three years and then straight come back for more.

"That is not in the interest of the NHS, it is not in the interest of patients themselves."

He added that doctors are being "poorly led" by British Medical Association (BMA).

"I hope those doctors will think very carefully about the interest of the patients they are there to serve", the MP told the People's Channel.

'Let's tax the billionaires' says Corbyn as he joins Birmingham bin strike picket line

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has joined Birmingham bin workers on the picket line this morning as they continue to strike over pay.

Members of the Unite union began strike action in March.

Corbyn called for billionaires to be taxed and instead to "give to those who keep our country running".

The MP wrote in a post to X: "I’m in Birmingham this morning to join bin workers on the picket line.

"No worker should face an £8,000 cut to their pay. An injury to one is an injury to all. Let’s tax the billionaires and give to those who keep our country running!"

Corbyn's visit to Birmingham comes after he confirmed plans to create a new political party with Zarah Sultana.

Among his policies he said the party will tax the richest in the UK.

PM to have emergency call with German and French leaders on 'unspeakable' Gaza situation

Sir Keir Starmer will have an emergency call with German and French leaders today after condemning the “unspeakable and indefensible” humanitarian conditions in Gaza.

It comes after President Emmanuel Macron confirmed France will recognise Palestine as a state.

It will make his country the first G7 nation - a group of the world's seven largest advanced economies - to do so in a move he said he would formalise at the UN General Assembly in September.

Starmer is facing pressure to follow suit, including from Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey who said Britain “should be leading on this, not falling behind”.

London Mayor, Sir Sadiq Khan, has also called for immediate recognition, while the Trades Union Congress have pushed for formal recognition of Palestine “not in a year’s time or two years’ time – but now”.

An official statement from the Prime Minister on Thursday, July 24, he said: "The suffering and starvation unfolding in Gaza is unspeakable and indefensible.

"While the situation has been grave for some time, it has reached new depths and continues to worsen. We are witnessing a humanitarian catastrophe.

"I will hold an emergency call with E3 [Germany and France] partners tomorrow, where we will discuss what we can do urgently to stop the killing and get people the food they desperately need while pulling together all the steps necessary to build a lasting peace."

Trump braces for 'anti-far-right' protests in Scotland as police ready 'significant operation'

Donald Trump braces for "anti-far-right" protests in Scotland as police ready a "significant operation".

The US President is expected to touch down in the UK for a four-day trip, visiting his golf resorts at Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast and Menie in Aberdeenshire.

The White House has described the visit as a "private" trip and confirmed he will meet Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer and First Minister John Swinney.

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