Politics LIVE: Labour suspends rebel MP as Keir Starmer faces nightmare civil war

Former minister calls for compulsory annual pension increases

Companies should "pay up" and give workers annual increases in pension payments in line with inflation, a Labour former minister said.

Dame Nia Griffith said many pensioners have been treated "very shabbily" as she urged the Government to close a loophole in the Pensions Act 1995 which allows employers to reject inflation-based rises.

MPs scrutinised pension reforms brought forward by the Government, which aim to secure higher returns for savers.

Work and pensions minister Torsten Bell said: "The case for this focus is clear, those retiring in 2050 are currently set to do so with lower private pension income than those retiring today."

Hillary Clinton to address MPs despite Donald Trump being snubbed twice

Former US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton will address British MPs next week, an honour that has been denied to current President Donald Trump twice.

The ex-Democratic nominee and former First Lady will appear at an event in Speaker’s House.

It will be co-hosted by Labour MP for Beckenham and Penge Liam Conlon and Conservative MP for Skipton and Ripon and former Chief Whip Julian Smith.

While President Trump has been on two state visits, he did not speak on the Parliamentary estate during either trip.

WATCH: Zia Yusuf delivers scathing verdict on British celebrities uniting to campaign against rise of 'far right'

Kemi Badenoch blasts Keir Starmer as 'rattled' over MP suspension

Kemi Badenoch has slammed Keir Starmer over the suspension of Penrith and Solway MP Markus Campbell-Savours.

The Tory leader said: "Rattled Keir Starmer is suspending his MPs again. This time for standing up for farmers...says everything about his priorities.

"Last year he suspended seven MPs for opposing the two-child benefit cap, and we all know how that ended.

"How long until a u-turn on the family farm tax?"

Londoners abandoning Labour for the Greens as majority of capital's voters do not want Sadiq Khan to run again

​Residents in London are abandoning Labour as a new poll has suggested 56 per cent of people living in the capital think the city is going in the wrong direction .

A poll by Freshwater Strategy for City AM has shown that three in five of the capital’s residents believe Sir Sadiq Khan should not run again in the next set of elections.

In more damning news for Sir Keir Starmer's party, the majority of voters who backed Sir Sadiq would instead consider backing Green Party leader and City Hall member Zack Polanski were he to run for Mayor.

Mr Polanski told City AM: "When I became leader, I said we were here to replace Labour, we’re well on our way to achieving that. My immediate focus and priority is to translate this Green surge into seats.

"We are looking to make big gains in next year’s London elections, local elections elsewhere in England, and gaining our first seats in the Senedd."

Zia Yusuf says 'failed former Tory MPs' will NOT be prioritised in candidate selections

Zia Yusuf has said "failed former MPs" will not receive prioritisation for any potential future candidate selections for upcoming parliamentary elections.

Reform UK's Head of Policy said: "I’ve had many messages from Reform grassroots worried about former Tory MPs joining our party.

"I want to be clear to our Reform grassroots: YOU will be prioritised in candidate selection for our next class of MPs, NOT failed former Tory MPs.

"You didn’t just join Reform, you built it. You built what is already the most extraordinary, historic political movement in British history."

Robert Jenrick rules out Reform UK defection

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has ruled out defecting to Reform UK.

It follows senior figures in Nigel Farage's party suggesting the Reform leader should encourage the Tory frontbencher to defect from the Conservatives.

When asked about a potential defection, Mr Jenrick said: "It wasn’t very long ago that I was running to be leader of the Conservative party, so I’m not going anywhere."

WATCH: Reform would never 'get into bed' with the Tories, Andrea Jenkyns tells GB News

Liberal Democrats accuse Tories and Reform of making deal 'behind closed doors'

The Liberal Democrats have accused Conservative and Reform MPs of "plotting" a pact in secret in a scathing attack on the two parties.

A Lib Dem spokesman said: "Nigel Farage and Robert Jenrick keep denying a Reform-Conservative pact in public but plotting one behind closed doors.

"The public can see right through it. The Tories are so desperate they would happily do a deal to put Nigel Farage in Number 10."

German President arrives at Downing Street ahead of talks with Keir Starmer

The President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, has arrived in Downing Street ahead of historic talks with the Prime Minister.

King Charles is hosting Mr Steinmeier on the first state visit to the UK by a German leader in 27 years.

The German President, a largely ceremonial role compared to Chancellor Friedrich Merz, greeted the Prime Minister on the steps of Downing Street.

Vladimir Putin does 'not want agreement' on Ukraine peace deal, says Keir Starmer

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has suggested that Russian President Putin “does not want to reach an agreement” over Ukraine.

“We all know that Putin is dragging his feet, not wanting to come to the table, not wanting to reach an agreement,” he told the Commons.

“We have to continue to put pressure on in every conceivable way.

Asked afterwards why the Prime Minister had evaded the question of UK readiness, No 10 said Britain’s investment in defence was “clear” and Nato would “respond to any threats with unity and strength”.

Pressed again on whether Britain was prepared, the official said “our armed forces always stand ready to defend this country” and that “this is yet more Kremlin claptrap from a president who isn’t serious about peace”.

Foreign Office lost ‘opportunities to influence’ the US over Harry Dunn case

The Foreign Office failed to treat the Harry Dunn case as a crisis and lost “opportunities to influence” the US after diplomatic immunity was asserted on behalf of the suspect, an independent review has concluded.

Former foreign secretary David Lammy officially launched the review into the case in July, with the report’s author Dame Anne Owers highlighting “failings and omissions” in the department when dealing with Harry’s death in August 2019.

It is understood Dame Anne told the Dunn family it was her “strong view” the then foreign secretary Dominic Raab should have been involved “far earlier in the process”, with his private office being copied into a note three days after the crash expressing concern over potentially “unpalatable headlines”.

Harry Dunn died aged 19 following a head-on road traffic collision in 2019.

The car was driven by Anne Sacoolas, who was a member of US intelligence, alongside her husband, who was stationed at the USAF listening station RAF Croughton.

Ms Sacoolas admitted that she had been driving the car on the wrong side of the road before fleeing the US and claiming diplomatic immunity with Washington’s support.

Keir Starmer avoids using the term ‘Islamophobia’ when pressed by Gaza independent MP

Sir Keir Starmer dodged using the term “Islamophobia” when pressed by Shockat Adam, an independent pro-Gaza MP.

After listing off examples of heinous crimes committed against Muslims in his constituency, Mr Adam questioned the Prime Minister over his stance on defining Islamophobia.

“I would like to ask the Prime Minister that in opposition a definition of Islamophobia was adopted. In Government, it has been dropped. Can I ask what’s changed?”

After thanking him for raising local examples of hatred, Sir Keir said: “He’s right to raise them and we should condemn them. Hatred in all its forms should be condemned by all of us in this House and that includes anti-Muslim hatred as well and we intend to act.”

Previously, the Prime Minister pledged there would be “no blasphemy” laws in Britain brought in by a potential Islamophobia definition when challenged on the issue by Graham Stringer, the Labour MP for Blackley and Middleton South.

Starmer: Tory-Reform alliance would be ‘unholy alliance of austerity and failure’ 

Sir Keir Starmer has slammed both Reform UK and the Conservatives, blasting a rumoured pact between the two parties as an “unholy alliance of austerity and failure”.

He was continuing a jab issued at the Conservatives, where he mocked the number of Tory defectors “leaking” to Reform.

"Talking of leaks, on the front page of the Financial Times this morning, where, apparently, the leader of Reform says he wants to merge with the party opposite and sit down here with them - an absolutely unholy alliance of austerity and failure,” he said to a boisterous reception.

Both Nigel Farage and Kemi Badenoch rubbished claims of a potential alliance earlier today.

OBR chiefs resignation a ‘useful distraction for Rachel Reeves claims Mel Stride 

Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride has claimed the resignation of Richard Hughes, the Office for Budget Responsibility chief, was a “useful distraction” for Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

Mr Hughes left his post following the leaking of the budget 45 minutes before the Chancellor could deliver it last week.

Dame Meg Hillier, the chairman of the Treasury select committee, said: “The minister has said that there is now a leak inquiry underway in the Treasury. Leak inquiries can have a habit of not finding someone responsible.

Sir Mel then questioned: “But if somebody is found responsible, will they follow the lead set by Richard Hughes?”

James Murray, the Chief Secretary of the Treasury, replied: “I will not speculate on the outcome of the leak inquiry but it is underway now with the Chancellor’s support. The Government takes our obligations to this House very seriously and we delivered a Budget last week which delivers on the priorities of the British people.”

Badenoch: Prime Minister ‘only cares about one person’s job, his own’

Kemi Badenoch has claimed Prime Minister Keir Starmer ‘only cares about his own job’ as she blasted the consequences of his Chancellor’s budget measures.

“It’s not just the head of the OBR who’s losing his job.

“Millions of people have been hung out to dry by their Budget.

The Leader of the Opposition questioned: “And isn’t the truth that behind it all is a Prime Minister who only cares about one person’s job, his own?”

Prime Minister celebrates ‘closer relationships with the EU’ but sets down ‘red lines’ 

Sir Keir Starmer has celebrated Britain’s ‘closer relationships with the EU’ but sets down ‘red lines’ in where he sees the partnership heading in future.

“We are getting closer relationships with the EU on a number of fronts including trade and the economy because that is good for businesses across our country, it’s been welcomed by them.

“We’ll continue down that path but we do have clear red lines in relation to the single market and the customs union. So within those constraints we’ll move closer,” the Prime Minister said.

Keir Starmer issues jibe to Tories over Reform defections 

Keir Starmer has issued a jibe at the Conservative Party over defections to Reform.

Tory MP George Freeman questioned the Prime Minister on the need to crack down on AI and deepfake editing, after they had been the victim of one such spoof, which suggested they had defected to Reform.

"I wouldn't have believed it," Sir Keir said, but acknowledged with a grin: "I have to say, there's a lot of them going!"

"There's three ex-MPs have gone, I think this week," he said, amusing Reform leader Nigel Farage and deputy leader Richard Tice.

The Commons erupted in laughter as the Prime Minister, motioning to the opposition bench, said: "They talk about leaks, that's where the leaks are going, to Reform".

WATCH: Keir Starmer grilled by Graham Stringer on reinstating blasphemy law

Prime Minister pledges no ‘blasphemy law’ when pressed on Islamophobia definition

The Prime Minister has pledged that Britain will have no “blasphemy laws” following a definition of Islamophobia being considered by ministers.

Graham Stringer, the Labour MP for Blackley and Middleton South, said: “This country can be proud of its history of religious tolerance and religious freedom. The quid pro quo of that is the right to criticise religion.

“Can the Prime Minister assure this House that there will be no introduction or reintroduction of a blasphemy law, either by statute, by judicial overreach or by a non-statutory definition of Islamophobia?”

Sir Keir said: “Yes, I can give him that reassurance and it’s important that I do so.”

Keir Starmer faces jeers over leadership challenges 

Keir Starmer has faced jeers over leadership challenges after Kemi Badenoch challenged him on an unamed Cabinet minister’s comments on last week’s budget.

Quoting the anonymous minister, Ms Badenoch said: The handling of this Budget has been a disaster from start to finish.”

One Tory MP jokingly heckled: “Wes is at the back”.

Leaning into the jeers, Ms Badenoch said: “Who said that? Was it him? Was it her? In fact it was probably her actually, it was probably the Chancellor.

“In fact one of his ministers said the Chancellor and Prime Minister look ‘weak and incompetent’. The country agrees,” she said witheringly.

The Tory leader said: “He may have taken the whip away but the rebels had the last laugh, the Prime Minister has lost. He can’t run his own party, let alone the country. Let me quote what the hard-Left former shadow chancellor said. He said ‘we’ve won’. He’s right isn’t it?”

Kemi Badenoch grills Starmer on resignations

In her first question, Kemi Badenoch grilled Keir Starmer on the possibility of resignations at the apex of the Labour Government.

She asked Sir Keir if he believed: “When an organisation descends into total shambles, the person at the top should resign?"

“If she was a CEO, she would have been fired and she might even have been prosecuted for market abuse. That’s why we’ve written to the Financial Conduct Authority. So will the Prime Minister ensure the Chancellor fully cooperates with any investigation?”

Prime Minister 'proud' to lead Labour's budget

Keir Starmer has said he was "very proud to lead this party at the Budget last week".

The Prime Minister celebrated Chancellor Rachel Reeves's measures to "set out that we would protect the NHS which we’ve done in the Budget, create the conditions for economic stability, not repeating the mistake of austerity and bearing down on the cost of living by taking £150 off energy bills.

“We’re fixing the mess that they left and I’m very proud to be doing so," he said.

It's on: PMQs begins 

Prime Minister Keir Starmer has begun to receive questions from MPs, before his showdown with Kemi Badenoch.

Mel Stride granted urgent request to brace PM following OBR scandal 

Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride has been granted an urgent question after Prime Minister’s Questions.

It comes after the resignation of Richard Hughes as chairman of the Office for Budget Responsibility, following the leaking of the budget 45 minutes before Chancellor Rachel Reeves could deliver it.

Before his resignation, Mr Hughes had published a letter in which he said that the Chancellor was not facing the long-trailed £30billion hole in public finances.

Keir Starmer leaves No10 to attend PMQs

Upcoming: Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch set to face off 

Prime Minister's Questions will kick off in the House of Commons at 12pm, where Sir Keir Starmer will trade blows with the Leader of the Opposition, Kemi Badenoch.

It will be the first time the pair have had a chance to duke it out since the announcement of Chancellor Rachel Reeves's budget last week.

Ms Badenoch will be hoping to repeat the success of her blistering assault on the Chancellor in the aftermath, which earned her the most admiring comments of her time as Tory leader so far.

The Prime Minster will also recoeve oral questions from a slection of MPs including: Ian Lavery (Blyth and Ashington), Dr Beccy Cooper (Worthing West), Rachel Taylor (North Warwickshire and Bedworth), Oliver Ryan (Burnley), Graham Stringer (Blackley and Middleton South), Paul Waugh (Rochdale, Paul Holmes (Hamble Valley), Andrew Pakes (Peterborough), Jerome Mayhew (Broadland and Fakenham), Mrs Elsie Blundell (Heywood and Middleton North), Layla Moran (Oxford West and Abingdon), Lewis Cocking (Broxbourne), Anna Dixon (Shipley), Liz Jarvis (Eastleigh), Jayne Kirkham (Truro and Falmouth)

Union hits back at Health Minister over Christmas strikes spat 

The British Medical Association has hit back at Health Secretary Wes Streeting as they rowed over planned Christmas strikes.

Resident doctors, the new name for junior doctors, are due to stage a five-day walkout from December 17 to 22.

Mr Streeting has said he is “genuinely worried” about the consequences of the action for patients and accused the BMA of “juvenile delinquency”.

Taking to X, the BMA said: "I’m sorry Wes Streeting, but we will continue to fight for our members to make sure they have jobs and their pay is restored."

“Patients need doctors and doctors need jobs,” they said.

Government ‘keeping an eye on situation with the farmers’ following Commons rebellion

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told GB News that the Government is “keeping an eye on situation with the farmers” after Labour MPs rebelled during a Commons vote of the Family Farm Tax.

The policy will see farmers slapped with a 20 per cent tax on farm estates worth more than £1m from April, drawing national outrage and multiple protests in the capital.

In the vote last night, Labour's vote collapsed from 371 in the first vote on the tax hike, a reduction by 44 votes to 327.

Dozens of Labour MPs appear to have abstained from the vote. One backbencer, borders MP Markus Campbell-Savours, joined Conservative members in voting against the measures.

Speaking to The People’s Channel, Mr Steeting admitted there was “a lot of anxiety” around the Family Farm Tax.

Defending Chancellor Rachel Reeves, he said she had “already made some adjustments to the package”.

The Health Secretary assured that the Government valued the farming community and that they were “part of our national resilience”.

Robert Jenrick slams Kier Starmer and David Lammy for abolishing jury trials: ‘They don’t trust ordinary people!’

Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has slammed Prime Minister Keir Starmer and his opposite number, David Lammy, for the decision to drop jury trials in all but the most serious cases.

Mr Lammy announced the move to help clear the backlog in the court system. Under the new plans, all but cases of rape, murder, aggravated burglary, blackmail, people trafficking, grievous bodily harm and the most serious drug offences will not be decided by a jury.

“You've got a right that we've enjoyed in this country to a jury trial for at least 800 years, perhaps even longer than that. It goes back to Magna Carta being tossed aside by Keir Starmer and David Lammy because of administrative failure by the Ministry of Justice,” Mr Jenrick told GB News.

“Of course, we've got to get the backlog of cases in the courts down. It's wrong that someone is being asked to wait 4 or 5 years for a trial,” he added.

Mr Jenrick claimed: “You fix it by getting the court sitting round the clock, and you can do that.”The Shadow Justice Secretary hit out at the Government’s “wrong priorities” for failing to fund such adjustments, instead: “Rachel Reeves is able to find £16 billion out of our taxes for benefits, billions for illegal migrants who broken into the country on small boats.”

“Lammy and Keir Starmer and others want to get rid of jury trials because fundamentally, they don't trust ordinary people,” he told The People’s Channel.

Robert Jenrick launches scathing attack on David Lammy over jury trials and mistaken prison releases

Health Secretary ‘genuinely worried’ about consequences of Christmas doctors' strikes 

Health Secretary Wes Streeting had admitted he is ‘genuinely worried’ about the consequences of planned doctors' strikes in the lead up to Christmas.

His comments come as it was announced that resident doctors, the new name for junior doctors, will stage a five-day walkout from December 17 to 22.

Speaking about the potential impact on patients, Mr Streeting said he did not want "to sound catastrophic about it", but admitted he was "genuinely worried" about the situation.

The Health Secretary said the timing of the strikes was a "different order of magnitude of risk".

The planned industrial action is over a long-running pay dispute, with resident doctors demanding a further pay rise despite receiving nearly 30 per cent extra last year.

Wes Streeting calls Putin’s ‘ready for war’ bluff as ‘same old sabre rattling’ 

Wes Streeting called Russian President Vladimir Putin’s comments that Moscow is “ready” for war with Europe as the “same old sabre rattling”.

Yesterday, President Putin said if Europe “wants to wage a war with us and starts it, we are ready right away” as he rejected changes proposed by Ukraine and Europe to a US-backed draft peace plan as unacceptable.

“I think we should see this for what it is, which is the same old sabre rattling we’ve heard from President Putin,” the Health Secretary said.

“And the irony of President Putin talking about warmongering on the part of European leaders would be laughable if what he’s doing in Ukraine weren’t so serious," he told Sky News.

However, Mr Streeting stressed that the Government “take the threat from Russia seriously”.

Wes Streeting slams ‘wildly out of kilter’ union over online GP access 

Health Secretary Wes Streeting slammed the British Medical Association (BMA) as “wildly out of kilter” with GPs over online GP access.

“Their position has been wildly out of kilter with their members in general practice,” he told Times Radio.

“We agreed with the BMA in the GP contract negotiations that we would require all GP practices in England to provide online access, online booking for appointments, bringing the NHS into the 21st century, to give patients more ease and convenience, choice and control.

“You would think that from the howls of outrage we’ve heard from the BMA in recent weeks and from their GP committee, you would think that GPs don’t want to do this, that this is really difficult, that it’s not happening.

“And yet, when this kicked in, we have seen the overwhelming majority, now 98.7 per cent of GP practices in England, able to provide online access.”

“This could have been an opportunity for real celebration and to say: ‘look at what GPs are doing, look at the modernisation, look at how they’re improving access for patients, look at the fact that patient satisfaction with GP access has increased from 60% when Labour came to office to 75 per cent today’.

“So, this could have been a really great opportunity for Government and BMA and the profession to speak with one voice, but instead what we’ve seen from the GP committee is reflective of where we’ve been with the BMA overall, which is a lot of noise, a lot of outrage, and not speaking for their members, let alone speaking for patients’ interests," he told Times Radio.

Nigel Farage lashes out at 'ludicrous' Reform-Tory merger claims

Nigel Farage has rubbished rumours of an electoral pact between Reform UK and the Conservatives ahead of the next general election.

“I would never do a deal with a party I don't trust. No deals, just a reverse takeover,” he said.

“A deal with them as they are would cost us votes."

The Reform UK leader suggested that, after the local elections in May 2026, the Conservatives will “no longer be a national party”.

In turn, the Conservatives were similarly definitive.

A Tory spokesman said: "Reform want higher welfare spending and to cosy up to Putin. Only the Conservatives have the team, the plan, and the backbone to deliver."

It follows claims that Mr Farage had privately told donors that an alliance with the Conservatives was “inevitable”.

“They will have to come together. The Conservatives have been a successful political party forever because the left was always divided … If the right is divided, it can't win,” a Reform UK donor told the Financial Times.

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