Rachel Reeves is considering around £3bn of cuts to the welfare bill over the next four years by restricting access to sickness benefits, it is understood, as the chancellor embarks on a brutal cost-cutting mission to fill a so-called £22 billion black hole left by the Tories. Under Conservative proposals, welfare eligibility wouldContinue Reading
London primary schools are being encouraged to introduce healthy relationship classes as part of a new attempt to tackle the influence of Andrew Tate and combat violence against women. Teachers will be provided with online courses and toolkits to help them run classes and workshops in every school, Sadiq KhanContinue Reading
Tory leadership contender Kemi Badenoch has pledged her first action if she became prime minister would be to restore tax breaks for private schools. Ms Badenoch also described Labour’s plans to impose VAT as “cruel”, as she tried to woo Conservative members at a crucial stage of her campaign toContinue Reading
Tory party leader hopeful Kemi Badenoch admitted Brexit has not been as successful as it should have been. Ms Badenoch said the UK is “too scared to take advantage of the opportunities Brexit has presented” when she took part in a Conservative leadership debate against Robert Jenrick on GB NewsContinue Reading
Sir Keir Starmer has warned his senior ministers they will have to live with swingeing spending cuts after a cabinet row over the Budget erupted in public. The prime minister is facing a backlash from Angela Rayner and other members of his top team over cuts to government departments setContinue Reading
A Conservative MP has sparked fury after claiming Kemi Badenoch of being “preoccupied with her children”, arguing it is impossible to be an opposition leader while spending “all your time” with your family. Alex Brewer, a Lib Dem MP, said the comments made by Sir Christopher Chope about the ToryContinue Reading
Sir Keir Starmer is facing a cabinet backlash over “huge” cuts to departmental spending to be unveiled in Rachel Reeves’ Budget. The prime minister has received letters from senior ministers raising concerns about the spending cuts after a number spoke out against the measures at Tuesday’s cabinet meeting. Some departmentsContinue Reading
Starmer refuses to rule out national insurance rise at PMQs Sign up for the View from Westminster email for expert analysis straight to your inbox Get our free View from Westminster email Rachel Reeves will announce Labour’s first Budget in 15 years later this month, leading one of the mostContinue Reading
Ministers are to crack down on the nurseries charging banned ‘top-up’ fees, warning they prevent parents from using much-needed childcare. In his first newspaper interview since taking the job, education minister Stephen Morgan told The Independent the government would look at “all options” to prevent the practice. The problem wasContinue Reading
A senior MP has accused the former RAF chief air marshal of lying over allegations he had pushed through an illegal recruitment policy for the service. Alicia Kearns, the former chair of the Commons Foreign Affairs Committee, used parliamentary privilege in prime minister’s questions (PMQs) to accuse Sir Mike WigstonContinue Reading
