Starmer to snub Taliban meeting at Cop29 summit – UK politics live

Political correspondent Archie Mitchell reports:

The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill will be brought before the Commons in its entirety in the coming days, with a debate in the chamber scheduled for the end of the month. As it comes from the elected chamber, it will probably be similar to – but supersede and render redundant – an equivalent bill that is currently in the House of Lords, introduced by Charlie Falconer, a former lord chancellor.

The Commons version is a private member’s bill led by Kim Leadbeater, the Labour MP for Spen Valley. There will obviously be much focus on the details and safeguards in the bill, but there are increasing signs that the way the issue is being discussed may hamper its progress…

Britain’s next ambassador to the US is set to be decided within days in what will be one of the most important diplomatic decisions of Sir Keir Starmer’s first year in No 10.

The appointment will be key to shaping the UK-US relationship once Donald Trump returns to the White House, with the future of Ukraine, the conflict in the Middle East and trade tariffs among the key areas where the prime minister and the president-elect differ in opinion.

Whitehall editor Kate Devlin reports:

It aims to ensure the carbon emissions of new homes are 75 per cent lower than under current standards.

Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

It comes as leaders of Britain’s biggest business organisations accused the Labour government of “betrayal”.

Economists at the bank said the policy would cause real incomes to take a hit, as companies pass on the cost of the levy through lower pay rises and higher prices. This, they said, will leave people feeling poorer as prices rise faster than wages.

Political correspondent Millie Cooke reports:

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds has reiterated the government’s position that they will not set a deadline for redress payments for subpostmasters affected by the Post Office scandal.

It comes after lead campaigner Sir Alan Bates requested a deadline of March for redress payments for claimants who took the Post Office to the High Court from 2017 to 2019.

Mr Reynolds was asked if the government would commit to this deadline.

He said:  “The position I’m in is I’m trying to make sure people get redress for a horrendous scandal… at a minimum, I don’t want to do anything that makes that injustice even worse.

“And the worry about a deadline – can you imagine a situation where, for whatever reason, a claim has not come in?

“I think it will be unconscionable to say that that is not going to be considered.”

“If my frustration at those claims not arriving in the department meant that I felt that was the only way to speed those up, and I felt that wasn’t going to prejudice any individual claim… it will be something that I will consider.”

He also told the inquiry he accepts “ultimate responsibility” for the provision of full and fair redress for subpostmasters.

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds also spoke earlier today at the Horizon IT inquiry.

In his witness statement, Mr Reynolds said it is clear that the “Post Office’s corporate culture is at the root of this scandal”.

He added: “I want to make sure the system works for subpostmasters. I am supportive of a reform agenda which seeks to turn this ambition into reality.”

Kemi Badenoch was asked by Jason Beer KC, counsel to the inquiry, who allowed for bureaucracy to get in the way of redress for subpostmasters.

“Well, the government machine,” Ms Badenoch said.

“I think I remember asking a question like: ‘Why can’t we just give them the money?’”

“Then I’d be told ‘there could be a judicial review, and the Treasury has these value for money requirements, if you don’t meet them then you might end up having to go to court’ – so I just kept trying to find a way through.”

Conservative leader of the opposition and former business secretary Kemi Badenoch has been speaking at the Horizon IT inquiry today.

She told the inquiry that the government allowed “bureaucracy to get in the way of redress” for the wronged subpostmasters.

“Kevin [Hollinrake, former postal affairs minister] and I wanted to get the money out there, and we were always given a reason why we couldn’t.”

“I feel that there is often too much bureaucracy in the way of getting things done, because people are worried about process,” she continued.

“They are worried about: if things go wrong, they’ll be on the hook for that.

“So they carry out lots of checks and balances well beyond what I think is required in order to deliver the right outcome.”