Politics LIVE: Labour mega-donor splits leafy English town by unveiling huge Palestine flag - while councils tear down Union Jacks

Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron to co-chair 'Coalition of the Willing' meeting

Sir Keir Starmer and French President Emmanuel Macron will co-chair a "Coalition of the Willing" virtual meeting today.

Downing Street has said the prime minister will update leaders on the outcomes of last night's talks in Washington and discuss next steps.

The German government in Berlin and the Élysée Palace in France confirmed the meeting was taking place later today.

Labour minister claims 'I'm not an idiot' as he refused to rule out new tax rises

Pensions minister Torsten Bell has said he is "not an idiot" as he refused to discuss individual tax rises.

Bell told Sky News: "I’m a newish MP but I’m not an idiot.

"You know that tax decisions are made by the Chancellor. I’m not going to start speculating on individual taxes because then you’ll ask me another three questions about other taxes."

The Swansea West MP continued: "What I can say is this Government is going to get things being built again."

More than eight in 10 Labour members back scrapping two-child benefit cap

More than eight in 10 Labour party members back scrapping the two-child benefit cap, echoing calls from former leaders Gordon Brown and Neil Kinnock.

The polling, done by Survation on behalf of Compass, found that 63 per cent of Labour members said they strongly agree, and 21 per cent said they somewhat agree the cap should be lifted.

Political affairs officer at Compass Luke Hurst said: "With civil society and Labour voices like Gordon Brown setting out how the government could pay to end the two-child limit, the funding case against this crucial anti-poverty measure is now in tatters.

"On this issue and many others, the government must listen to Labour members and put social justice at the heart of a bold, transformative offer to the country."

Children warned to avoid 'migrant hot spots' on walk home from school, warns Robert Jenrick

Senior Tory Robert Jenrick has warned parents are telling their children to avoid "migrant hotspots" on their way to and from school.

The Shadow Justice Secretary wrote in The Sun he had spoken to families in Epping, who told him men at the hotels make the children "feel unsafe."

He said: "These weren’t racists or far-right thugs, they were mums in pink T-shirts with Union Jack bunting.

"One mother told me how her daughter’s school had written to her suggesting children avoid certain parts of town on their walk home."

State pension age could rise to 70 as DWP launches review into 'merits' of hike under Labour reforms

A Labour Government-commissioned review is exploring whether Britain's state pension age should automatically increase in line with rising life expectancy, potentially pushing the state pension age to 70.

The review, headed by Suzy Morrissey on behalf of Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Secretary Liz Kendall, will assess the "merits" of implementing automatic adjustments to strengthen Government finances.

This examination into the state pension will analyse international examples where pension eligibility is directly linked to demographic shifts, including Denmark's system which recently established 70 as its retirement threshold.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

WATCH: Sir Ed Davey speaks to GB News about last night's US-Ukraine talks

RECAP: Keir Starmer weighs in on flag row as PM labelled 'patriot who backs flying St George's cross'

Sir Keir Starmer is a "patriot" who backs people flying the flag of St George, an official No10 spokesman has claimed.

While the Prime Minister is preparing for his crunch White House summit, Downing Street appeared to reject any association with the Labour-run council of Birmingham, which is removing Union Jacks and the flag of St George from lampposts."

"I haven’t asked him about specific cases of specific councils," the Prime Minister's official spokesman said.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Who is Dale Vince? The Labour mega-donor who loves Just Stop Oil, Palestine and the European Union

Dale Vince, the owner of Ecotricity and chairman of vegan-living football club Forest Green Rovers, has sparked some fury in the Cotswolds after unveiling his 30ft Palestine flag.

However, Mr Vince is also a Labour mega-donor, having handed Sir Keir Starmer's party £5million ahead of the last General Election.

The 63-year-old also spent years bankrolling disruptors-in-chief at Just Stop Oil.

After switching his support from the eco-troublemakers to the Labour Party, Mr Vince has also become rather outspoken about the plight of Palestinians.

But it is not the first time Mr Vince has flown a flag outside his Ecotricity HQ in Stroud.

As Theresa May botched Britain's Brexit negotiations, a gloating Mr Vince unveiled a 10-metre EU flag.

In a Facebook post, Mr Vince said: "We’ve dodged a bullet, twice in the last week or so, when we nearly left the EU, or were ‘supposed to’ but we haven’t."

However, Brexiteers were the ones left smiling in the end, with the UK leaving the Brussels bloc less than a year later.

RECAP: Reform UK launch ‘patriotic flag pact’ as councils vow NOT to remove St George Cross and Union Jacks from lampposts

Reform UK has launched a "patriotic flag pact" as all 12 councils vow not to remove St George's Cross and Union Jacks from lampposts.

All the turquoise-controlled councils across the country last night vowed to keep Union Jacks and St George's Cross crosses which have been attached to lampposts.

The Reform councils cite both flags as symbols of unity and inclusion, and have said that they will not be taken down.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

PICTURED: Dale Vince's 30ft Palestine flag