Sir Keir Starmer has been accused of giving Indian migrants huge tax breaks after today's historic trade deal provided National Insurance exemptions to professionals moving to the UK.
The deal, which is expected to boost growth by £5billion, was hailed as the the “biggest and most economically significant” accord since Brexit.
However, Indian professionals living in Britain look to have been spared from paying National Insurance in the UK as well as at home for three years.
Hailing the concession, New Delhi said: "In an unprecedented achievement, India has secured an exemption for Indian workers who are temporarily in the UK and their employers from paying social security contributions in the UK for a period of three years under the Double Contribution Convention. This will make Indian service providers significantly more competitive in the UK."
Responding directly to the concession, the Centre for Migration Control said: "This deal hands far too many concessions to Indian workers - awarding an exemption from national insurance contributions.
"We are through the looking glass. HM Government is now raising taxes on Brits whilst slashing them for migrants."
Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith added: "Keir Starmer has just signed a deal which exempts Indian workers transferred to the UK from paying National Insurance… after increasing it for British workers. Every time Keir Starmer negotiates, Britain loses."
Tory leader Kemi Badenoch also accused the Prime Minister of "two-tier taxes", warning: "When Labour negotiates, Britain loses."
The decision comes just months after Rachel Reeves hiked employers' National Insurance Contributions in her Budget tax raid.
Despite facing a backlash over tax breaks, the Prime Minister remains adamant that the UK stood its ground on the issue of visas.
He said: “There were tough negotiations on both sides, as you would expect, but because we were serious and pragmatic and providing the leadership to our negotiating teams, we were able to resolve the difficulties that have held this up for the best part of eight years.
“And my approach to the negotiations, my instruction to the team was, we will always act in our national interest and make sure that this is a deal that works for Britain, and that’s what we’ve been able to produce. That’s what we’re able to deliver today.”
Cabinet Office Minister Douglas Alexander has defended the National Insurance exemption handed to Indian migrants in the UK's new trade deal.
Alexander told MPs: “About the double contribution convention - that is, I can assure her, a reciprocal agreement which will benefit UK workers and their employers as the opportunity within India expands.”
“India is going to be one of the world’s largest middle-classes in the coming decades. The agreement will only cover a very specific and limited group of Indian business people for a period of three years.
Alexander added that the deal “is reciprocal and will benefit UK workers in India as well".
Nigel Farage
X/ Nigel FarageNigel Farage has been left fuming after the details surrounding the UK's trade deal with India showed a staggering concession around National Insurance.
Responding to the decision to hand Indian workers exemption from NICs, the Reform UK leader said: “If you look at the detail, it’s truly extraordinary.”
He added: “This Government doesn’t give a damn about working people.
“The Labour Party have this time in a big, big way betrayed working Britain, and that’s why many people voted for us last Thursday, but for some reason the Government just doesn’t seem to understand. “
“Reform UK are the party of British workers. This deal is truly appalling and I think what you’ll see is Starmer’s ratings in the polls plummet further.”
Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick has joined Suella Braverman in lashing out at Sir Keir Starmer's trade deal with India.
Taking to social media, Jenrick said: "This trade deal means Indian workers here for less than 3 years will not pay National Insurance in the UK. Starmer has hiked National Insurance on Brits while giving an exemption to Indian migrants. British workers come last in Starmer’s Britain.
"Suella Braverman and I refused to accept unfair and unreasonable visa demands in the negotiation with India. Starmer has taken over and capitulated straight away. This will hurt British workers and encourage even more immigration when it is already ridiculously high."
Suella BravermanPAEx-Home Secretary Suella Braverman has come out swinging against Sir Keir Starmer's UK-India trade deal amid concerns it could spark a migration boom.
Taking to social media, Braverman said: "As Home Secretary I blocked the India Trade Deal because I was not willing to grant concessions on visas.
"It seems that you have caved and opened our labour market to more Indian workers who will be cheaper to hire than Brits.
"This is not the way to cut migration or support British workers. Haven’t you learnt anything from the last few days?!"
Sir Keir Starmer has been urged to bring the UK's new trade deal with India to the House of Commons amid concerns bypassing MPs could set a precedent for a potential accord with Donald Trump.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said: “At a time when Donald Trump is erecting economic barriers and using international trade to cause global havoc, countries working together to create new opportunities is vital. That’s why agreeing a UK-India trade deal is a good step forward - now we will look closely at the details.
“It’s also really important that the Prime Minister ensures that Parliament is able to properly scrutinise the deal, and that must include MPs having a vote.
“To not do so would set a dangerous precedent for future deals, riding roughshod over the concerns of millions in a potential Trump trade deal that could cause so much damage.
“The Government must now set its sights higher and move quickly to negotiate a new UK-EU customs union. That is the best and fastest way to grow our economy, boost living standards and send a message to Trump that we won’t take his bullying lying down.”
Sir Keir Starmer has been embroiled in a fresh row over the grooming gangs scandal after saying people were "weaponising" rape gangs for "political point scoring."
It comes after Cabinet minister and MP for Manchester Central Lucy Powell described a documentary on the grooming gangs scandal as a "dog whistle".
When asked if Starmer shared Powell's view that rape gangs are being "weaponised", a Downing Street spokesman said: "It's obviously disappointing for people to do so.
"But the Prime Minister's focused on taking the action that is needed to deliver for victims rather than focused on political scoring."
When pushed on who was making these comments, the spokesman said: "I think any political point scoring on an issue such as this is disappointing. The government is focused on taking action to deliver justice for victims..."
Now, shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp has hit back, accusing the Prime Minister of being "pathetic".
The Croydon South MP said: "Speaking out for rape gang victims and against the cover up that followed is: NOT 'a far right bandwagon' NOT 'a dog whistle' NOT 'weaponising' anything.
"They should deal with the issue and hold a proper national statutory public inquiry"
Former chief advisor to Downing Street Dominic Cummings said: "Good to have it officially confirmed the PM and No10 do think that campaigning for a national Inquiry to end the coverups on the rape gangs is weaponising racism etc.
"This is the same mentality that drove all the coverups for years. And they’re openly pushing it from No10 press office. Every voter in England should get the message about how much they hate us and why they won’t stop importing rapists from the exact same tribes even now."
Nigel Farage has taken a swipe at existing MPs in the Commons, telling them to enjoy their stint in the chamber while it lasts.
Speaking to GB News, the Reform UK leader was welcoming his fifth MP to Westminster, Sarah Pochin.
The new MP for Runcorn and Helsby made her maiden trip to the Commons as an elected official today.
The Liberal Democrats have said President Donald Trump's plan for 100 per cent tariffs on films made in "foreign lands" pose a "major threat" to British jobs in the Film and TV industry.
The party's culture spokesman Max Wilkinson called on the government to consider retaliatory tariffs on what he called the "James Bond tax."
Wilkinson, the MP for Cheltenham said: "The government must keep all options on the table to protect British jobs and national treasures like Paddington and Bond, including working with allies to draw up retaliatory tariffs."
Business and Trade Secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, welcomes Indian Minister of Commerce and Industry, Piyush Goyal, to London for trade talksFlickrThe UK and India have today agreed a landmark trade deal set to deliver significant economic benefits for British businesses and consumers.
The agreement, announced on May 6, marks the biggest and most economically significant bilateral trade deal the UK has secured since leaving the EU.
Nigel Farage has told his newly-elected Reform UK councillors that they will not attend any "DEI and climate change training."
The party took control of 10 local authorities in England at last week’s local elections, including Durham, Lancashire and Staffordshire.
Now, the Clacton MP has said his councillors will not attend any training sessions related to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion (DEI) and climate change.
Farage wrote on social media: "Reform UK councillors are being instructed to take part in DEI and climate change training. Our new elected officials will do no such thing because we believe all people should be treated equally."
Campaigners take part in a protest against the Government's decision to scrap the winter fuel allowance for pensioners
PA
Downing Street has officially ruled out a potential u-turn on cuts to winter fuel payments.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: "The policy is set out, there will not be a change to the Government’s policy."
He added that the decision "was one that we had to take to ensure economic stability and repair the public finances following the £22 billion black hole left by the previous government."
The spokesman also pointed to an expected £1,900 increase in the state pension over the course of the Parliament and an extension to the household support fund as ways the Government was supporting pensioners.
A Reform UK councillor has quit the party after she was suspended over a social media post just days after being elected.
Donna Edmunds who was elected for the Hodnet ward in Shropshire Council announced on X that she was planning to defect from the party after the local elections.
Edmunds had launched a scathing rant against party leader Nigel Farage, accusing the Clacton MP of being a "terrible leader" over his treatment of ousted Great Yarmouth MP, Rupert Lowe.
She said: "A good leader knows that you bring your team with you, that you champion their successes as the team’s successes. A bad leader claims personal credit for every win and stabs people in the back."
A Reform UK spokesman told The Independent: "The reason for her suspension is that she posted on social media that she intended to defect to another party. We will not comment further until the completion of the investigation."
Daily Express columnist Carole Malone has launched a scathing attack on what she called the "creeping Islamisation of Britain" following the election of a pro-Gaza candidate to a council seat in Lancashire.
Speaking on GB News, Malone expressed outrage after 18-year-old Maheen Kamran won the Burnley Central East seat on Lancashire County Council while campaigning in favour of segregation between the sexes.
The Green Party has accused Israel of "ethnic cleansing" after the country's security cabinet approved plans that may include seizing the Gaza Strip and controlling aid.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a video message the operation would be "intensive" and would see more Palestinians in Gaza moved "for their own safety".
Green Party foreign affairs spokeswoman and North Herefordshire MP Ellie Chowns wrote on social media: "Netanyahu’s plan to 'move' Gaza’s people would be a vile act of ethnic cleansing against a population already facing genocide.
"Two months of total blockade have starved Palestinians. It must end now: reopen crossings, deliver aid at scale, and stop assaults on civilian lives."
Nigel Farage and Sir Ed Davey are the two leaders with the highest net approval rating
PA
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has jumped ahead of Sir Ed Davey as the party leader with the highest net approval, as Keir Starmer and Kemi Badenoch both fell.
According to polling from More in Common, the Clacton MP has a -3 approval rating, just ahead of the Liberal Democrat leader on -4.
Kemi Badenoch plummeted nine points to -23 and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer fell five points to -38.
Nicola Sturgeon has said that guidance by the Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) on single-sex spaces could "make trans lives almost unliveable."
Speaking to reporters at the Scottish Parliament, the former first minister raised concerns about how the UK Supreme Court ruling on gender is interpreted.
Sturgeon was asked about interim guidance from the EHRC that said in places such as hospitals, shops and restaurants, "trans women (biological men) should not be permitted to use the women’s facilities."
The former SNP leader said: "I would be very concerned if that interim guidance became the final guidance and I hope that is not the case because I think that potentially makes the lives of trans people almost unlivable."
Wes Streeting has branded Commons leader Lucy Powell's remarks about grooming gangs as "indefensible" following widespread backlash.
Speaking to GB News, the Health Secretary said: "The comments that Lucy made were indefensible, and she's not defending those comments."
He added that Powell is "mortified" about her comments made during a BBC Radio 4 programme.
Labour is preparing for a direct military attack from Russia following concerns Britain is not ready for war. A request has been made to update a set of contingency plans that would put the UK on a war footing after threats of attack by the Kremlin.
The Telegraph reports ministers are concerned British armed forces would not be able to cope against Russia and its allies, both on the battlefield and at home.
A classified "homeland defence plan", which has not been updated since 2005, will lay down a strategy for the immediate response to any attack on Britain.
A Government spokesman told The Telegraph: "The UK has robust plans in place for a range of potential emergencies that have been developed and tested over many years."
FirstMinister of WalesBaronessElunedMorgan prepared to criticise Sir Keir Starmer’s administration as Welsh Labour is already preparing for its own showdown with Reform next year.
In a speech marking one year to the 2026 Senedd election, the Welsh Labour leader will say that she "will not hesitate to challenge from within", with the welfare squeeze thought to be a particular concern.
Speaking in Cardiff on Tuesday, Baroness Morgan will tell supporters: "Where we disagree we’ll say it, where we see unfairness we’ll stand up to it.
"When Westminster makes decisions that we think will harm Welsh communities, we will not stay silent. I will not hesitate to challenge from within, even when it means shaking things up and disrupting the comfortable."
Mike Amesbury stood down from his Runcorn & Helsby seatPADisgraced former Labour MP Mike Amesbury has broken his silence on the results of the Runcorn and Helsby by-election, saying he was "disappointed" by the results.
Amesbury's resignation as an MP in March triggered the by-election which Reform UK stole off Labour by just six votes.
He said: "I am really disappointed, obviously it has been a difficult few months myself. It has been like being buried alive. I am in a position through my own fault, my own mistakes. But that was to add to the difficulties of that result [Runcorn], which was reflected unfortunately throughout the country."
Asked if he felt guilty, he added: "The constituents of Durham, or up and down the country, didn't vote how they did because of my mistake."
Shadow Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Kevin Hollinrake has described Wes Streeting's NHS investment as "nonsense."
The Health Secretary announced an extra £100million for GP surgeries which will be used for extra consultation rooms and refurbishments, raised from a rise in National Insurance Contributions.
However, Hollinrake hit back, accusing Streeting of lying in the party's manifesto.
Streeting wrote on social media: "Today we’re investing £100 million in the NHS to deliver millions more GP appointments. Only possible because of the NICs rise, which every other party opposed. The choice is between Labour investment in the NHS vs cuts with the Tories and Reform."
Hollinrake responded saying: "Nonsense, you could have got more people back to work through welfare reform (saving £12bn pa), you could have returned the public sector to its pre-covid levels of efficiency (£30bn+ pa). Instead, you lied that you had a fully costed, fully funded manifesto then whacked up taxes (£40bn pa)."
Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch joins Second World War veterans
Reuters
Conservative MPs are meeting this week to discuss how to oust Kemi Badenoch as party leader.
Two senior backbenchers have confirmed to The Independent that they are calling meetings to discuss how to overthrow Badenoch, with one saying "we cannot continue as we are."
It comes after Reform UK leader Nigel Farage said his party has overtaken the Conservatives as the main opposition to Labour as it won 676 seats and overall control of 10 councils.
One Conservative MP told The Independent: "These results were actually worse than last year’s general election. We have somehow gone backwards."
Another senior Tory MP said: "She is talking as though we have lots of time to turn things around. We do not. It may even be too late already. She has left a huge space for Nigel Farage to fill."
Labour is rethinking its controversial winter fuel cuts amid Reform's roaring success at the polls last week.
MPs have even started to fear that the party's stance on the payments could cost them the next election, The Guardian has claimed.
Discussions reportedly had started since before last week's local elections which saw Labour losing ground to Nigel Farage's Reform UK.
Sir Keir Starmer's top team is now searching for ways to calm simmering tensions as Labour MPs increasingly sound the alarm over the controversial move made shortly after the Labour leader was handed the keys to No10.
It is claimed plans could include raising the £11,500 threshold when pensioners are no longer able to collect the payment, although a full U-turn is not expected.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage during a visit to The Big Club in Newton Aycliffe, County Durham
PA
Nigel Farage's Local Elections victory coincided with a 10,000-strong membership boost which could bring Reform UK a step closer to overtaking Labour, new GB News analysis has revealed.
Reform UK now counts just over 230,000 Britons in its growing grassroots club, just 79,000 behind Labour's 309,000 signed-up support base.
The figure is now around 100,000 more than Kemi Badenoch's grassroots Tory backers, a milestone that resulted in a Boxing Day bust-up last Christmas.
Wes Streeting said that new funding to upgrade one in six of England’s GP surgery buildings will "start moving general practice in the right direction."
Speaking on GB News this morning, he said: "One of the messages we heard loud and clear from GPs is that the state of their buildings isn’t good enough. Often, the constraining factor isn’t just money, it’s also about where they’ve got the consultation rooms.
"What we’re announcing today is the funding just over £100 million to upgrade 1,000 GP practices across England, roughly one in six, and it means with the extra space created, we could deliver up to eight million extra GP appointments a year.
"So if you are one of those people that will be on the phone at eight o’clock this morning after the bank holiday, kind of screaming down the phone trying to get through with frustration – all of these things we are doing (will) start moving general practice in the right direction.
"I can’t solve all of the problems in general practice in one year, but whether it’s recruiting more GPs or upgrading their practices, this is how we fix the front door to the NHS so that people can get a GP appointment when they need one."
Health Secretary Wes Streeting spoke to GB News this morning about Labour's response to the local election results
Streeting said he wanted to "reassure viewers" over their results last week, where the party had major losses to Reform UK.
He said: "Voters have sent us a very loud and clear message."
