News
3:07PM
Pictured: Sir Ed Davey visits a charity in Brentwood this afternoon
Sir Ed Davey, the leader of the Liberal Democrats, visits a charity in Warley, Brentford, this afternoon
Credit: Stefan Rousseau /PA
2:51PM
Nigel Farage weighs in on Nato, Ukraine and Brexit
Nigel Farage was asked about a myriad of topics this afternoon as he took part in a live event hosted by The Telegraph Politics Newsletter.
Below are some of his answers on a selection of key topics, including what a return to the White House by Donald Trump could mean for Nato, the West’s supply of arms to Ukraine and Brexit:
You can re-watch the whole of the live event with the honorary president of Reform UK here.
2:37PM
Starmer repeats call for Government to publish Israel legal advice
Sir Keir Starmer has repeated calls for the Government to publish the legal advice it has received on whether Israel is violating international humanitarian law in Gaza.
The Labour leader told broadcasters: “On the question of arms sales, there’s a legal test for when sales should be suspended.
“The Government’s got advice on that and so what the Government should do is to publish that legal advice, or at least a summary of it.
“They’ve published summaries before in response to the Houthi attacks, to publish that so we can all see it and that appropriate action can then be taken in relation to the sale of arms.”
2:19PM
Starmer already ‘measuring the curtains’ in No 10, claim Tories
Sir Keir Starmer is already “measuring the curtains” in No 10, the Tories claimed after Wes Streeting said it was “certain” Rishi Sunak would not be leader of the Conservative Party after the general election.
Mr Streeting appeared to suggest a Labour victory at the election was inevitable, prompting a swift backlash from the Tories.
The shadow health secretary said he hoped the next Labour government would set out a social care plan that can “command consensus” across the political divide.
“Whether or not the Conservative Party will be in a reasonable shape to have a reasonable conversation after the election, I don’t know,” he told the BBC.
“I think one thing is certain, is that Rishi Sunak won’t be there and when you look at the cast of clowns looking to succeed him it could get so much worse than this.”
Richard Holden, the chairman of the Conservative Party, hit back and said: “Sir Keir Starmer thinks the British people have already voted Labour into government and now he’s measuring the curtains.
“Sir Keir can’t say what he will do because he doesn’t have a plan and that’s why Labour will take Britain back to square one.”
Wes Streeting and Sir Keir Starmer visit Kings Mills Hospital in Sutton-in Ashfield today
Credit: Jacob King/PA
2:07PM
Downing Street rejects claim Foreign Office is ‘elitist’
The Prime Minister does not agree that the Foreign Office is “elitist” and should remove colonial-era paintings, Downing Street has said.
A new paper written by a group of former top civil servants and diplomats said the department should be replaced (see the post below at 13.29) and made “less elitist”.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “I don’t think he would agree with that assessment at all. The Foreign Office is doing vital work to protect and promote UK interests abroad and he fully supports the work of the Foreign Office and indeed the Foreign Secretary in achieving those objectives.”
Asked whether the Prime Minister thought the Foreign Office should remove colonial-era artwork, the spokesman said: “No, we’ve previously talked about being proud of the UK’s history and looking forward, the Foreign Office is at the forefront of efforts to promote UK interests at home and abroad.”
1:29PM
Foreign Office should be ‘less elitist with fewer colonial-era pictures’
The Foreign Office should be replaced by a “less elitist” Department for International Affairs that has “fewer colonial-era pictures on the walls”, a group of former top civil servants and diplomats has urged.
A new paper claims the full title of the department – the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) – is “anchored in the past” and that it should seek to “modernise” its working environment.
You can read the full story here.
1:04PM
Nigel Farage answers questions from Camilla Tominey – watch live
Nigel Farage is currently answering questions from Camilla Tominey and Telegraph subscribers in a special live event presented by The Telegraph Politics Newsletter.
You can watch the event and follow live updates here.
Nigel Farage answers questions from Camilla Tominey at a live event presented by The Telegraph Politics Newsletter
Credit: Paul Grover for The Telegraph
1:01PM
Starmer accuses Tories of attempt to ‘smear’ Rayner
Sir Keir Starmer claimed the Tories were “chasing” a “smear” against Angela Rayner amid a row over the sale of her old council house.
Ms Rayner has refused to publish the tax advice she received in relation to the sale of the property as she continues to face scrutiny over her living arrangements a decade ago.
Sir Keir, the Labour leader, has given his full backing to Ms Rayner. He has not seen the advice himself.
He told reporters during a visit to Mansfield today: “Angela Rayner has been asked no end of questions about this. She’s answered them all. She said she’s very happy to answer any further questions from the police or from any of the authorities. I don’t need to see the legal advice. My team has seen it.”
He added: “It’s not appropriate for me to see [Ms Rayner’s legal advice] but I do know this, that if you’re waiting more than 24 hours for A&E, you’re much more interested in why the Government is not absolutely laser-focused on that, which is what they should be, than chasing this smear against Angela Rayner and how much time she spent with her husband over 10 years ago.”
12:50PM
No 10: Politicians should be ‘sceptical of unsolicited communications’
Politicians should be “sceptical” of unsolicited messages they receive, Downing Street has said following revelations of a honeytrap scandal in Westminster.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said he would not comment specifically on the recent revelations as they were the subject of an ongoing police investigation.
But he added: “It’s clearly important for anyone in public life to be sceptical of unsolicited communications.”
12:38PM
Government ‘completely united’ in stance on Gaza conflict
The Government is “completely united” on its position on the Israel-Hamas conflict, Downing Street has said.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman rejected suggestions that the Cabinet was split on how to respond to the ongoing conflict.
He said: “The Government is completely united on this matter. The Prime Minister set out his position clearly in the statement that he put out on Sunday.”
He added: “We continue to support Israel’s right to self-defence and the UK was obviously shocked by the attacks made by Hamas. As a result we completely stand by Israel’s right to their security.”
12:32PM
Ofcom launches investigation into David Lammy’s LBC show
Ofcom, the UK’s communications regulator, has launched an investigation into whether an LBC radio show hosted by David Lammy broke broadcasting rules.
It is looking at whether the shadow foreign secretary’s programme “broke our rules on politicians acting as news presenters”.
It was not immediately clear exactly what the investigation related to.
Ofcom tweeted an update on its “broadcasting standards cases” this morning and said: “We’ve launched an investigation into David Lammy on LBC, broadcast on 29 March.
“We’re investigating whether this programme broke our rules on politicians acting as news presenters.”
12:19PM
Pictured: Anderson and Tice chat before Reform UK’s press conference this morning
Lee Anderson and Richard Tice chat ahead of a Reform UK press conference in Westminster this morning
Credit: Stefan Rousseau /PA
11:59AM
Hidden cost of Labour’s social care plans revealed
Labour’s plans to hand trade unions greater powers to bargain for social care workers’ pay are expected to cost billions of pounds, The Telegraph can reveal, raising questions over where the money would come from.
Sir Keir Starmer, the Labour leader, is committed to establishing a fair pay agreement in the sector, under which state-backed collective bargaining would take place between trade unions and social care providers.
Senior Labour figures have argued that the policy would increase pay for social care staff and decrease reliance on foreign workers who have been issued visas to fill vast shortages. Should it prove successful, those working on the policy say it could be expanded into other sectors.
You can read the full story here.
11:46AM
Pictured: Sir Keir Starmer meets a mother and child during a visit to Sutton-in-Ashfield
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, meets Casey Westwood and her baby Ralphie, during a visit to Kings Mill Hospital Sutton-in-Ashfield, in the East Midlands
Credit: Jacob King/PA
11:22AM
UK must return to belief that ‘work is good for you’, says Stride
Britain needs to get back to the “old-fashioned belief” that “work is good for you”, Mel Stride has said.
The Work and Pensions Secretary said the UK needed to have a “grown-up and sensible conversation” about mental health if it is to avoid a spiralling benefits bill.
He told the BBC that he wanted to “break the cycle” of people feeling “a bit depressed” and then ending up not working.
And he said that too often we are beginning to “label or medicalise” conditions which in the past were seen as “the ups-and-downs of life”.
11:04AM
Scrap net zero drive to pay for NHS improvements, says Reform
Reform UK would scrap the net zero drive and use the money saved to improve the NHS, Richard Tice said this morning.
Setting out Reform’s plans for the NHS at a press conference in Westminster, Mr Tice said his party would deliver zero waiting lists in the health service in two years.
He said: “Yes, it is going to take a bit of extra money but we are not going to give it to bungling NHS bureaucrats.
“The cost of the extra staffing, the tax relief, we estimate is about £5 billion. The extra capacity that the NHS buys from the independent sector and more productivity, working seven days a week within the NHS, that is about £7 billion. And then the tax relief on independent healthcare that will grow rapidly… that will be about £3 billion.
Richard Tice, the leader of Reform UK, is pictured this morning at a press conference in Westminster
Credit: Geoff Pugh for The Telegraph
“With a bit of contingency you get to about £17 billion. You might say ‘Richard, where on earth are you going to find that from?’ Well, I have got news for you, it is actually quite easy you see, no one gas been told about the true cost of net zero…”
Mr Tice said Reform had estimated that the cost of the net zero drive would be about £30 billion a year.
He said: “We have a choice in this country, it seems to me. A pretty clear choice. Do we want zero waiting lists in two years and to keep them there, that is the Reform choice. Or do we want net zero CO2 emissions in 25 years? That is the Labour choice.”
Richard Tice and Lee Anderson attend a Reform UK press conference in Westminster this morning
Credit: Isabel Infantes/Reuters
10:51AM
Tice criticises ‘bungling NHS bureaucrats’
Reform UK would offer tax relief of 20 per cent on all independent healthcare and insurance to take the pressure off the NHS, Richard Tice said.
He claimed that Labour is plotting a “tax bombshell” on private healthcare.
Mr Tice said Reform would make more money available to the NHS but none of it would go to “bungling NHS bureaucrats”.
10:46AM
Reform pledges ‘zero waiting lists’ in NHS in two years
Richard Tice said Reform in power would deliver “zero waiting lists in two years” in the NHS.
The party leader said that many people would say that is an “impossible” goal but his message to those people was to “stop being so weak and pathetic”.
He said logistics experts in the private sector should be brought in to help boost productivity in the health service.
Richard Tice, the leader of Reform UK, addresses a press conference in Westminster this morning
Credit: Isabel Infantes /Reuters
10:41AM
‘Miners’ families will be better off with Reform,’ says Lee Anderson
Lee Anderson, Reform UK’s MP, told a press conference in Westminster that mining communities had been “let down” by successive governments.
He said Reform UK will accept all of the recommendations made by a parliamentary committee relating to the Mineworkers’ Pensions Scheme.
Mr Anderson said that “miners’ families will be better off with Reform”.
Lee Anderson, the Reform MP, addresses a press conference in Westminster this morning
Credit: Belinda Jiao
10:35AM
Richard Tice: UK is ‘completely and utterly broken’
Richard Tice, the leader of Reform UK, said his party has been “going up in the polls significantly” in recent weeks and months while the “Tories have been sinking”.
Mr Tice said the “country is completely and utterly broken” and “nothing works after 14 years of Conservative mismanagement”.
He said today’s policy announcements at a press conference in Westminster will be focused on the NHS and help for the working class.
10:31AM
Reform UK press conference now underway
Reform UK’s general election press conference in Westminster is now underway.
The slogan on the backdrop for today’s event is “Britain Needs Reform”.
10:27AM
Streeting won’t commit to detailed social care funding plan being in Labour manifesto
Wes Streeting said Labour has “got to set out the plan for the funding of social care” but declined to give a cast iron commitment that it will be in the party’s general election manifesto.
The shadow health secretary was asked repeatedly if Labour will set out in its manifesto a detailed plan for how social care should be paid for.
He told the BBC Radio 4 Today programme: “We will certainly have more to say about that in the not too distant future…”
Asked again if it will be in the manifesto, he said: “We will have social care in our manifesto.”
Asked again on the specific funding issue, Mr Streeting said: “You are tempting me into announcing Labour’s manifesto on the Today programme this morning. I am going to resist that temptation.
“In direct answer to your question, I think you just set out plainly there why we failed over more than a decade now, yes, we have got to set out the plan for the funding of social care.
“We have also got to set out a different kind of politics around social care for the long term as well.”
He added: “I would hope that the next Labour government won’t just provide an answer to the immediate crisis in social care but will set out a long-term direction for investment and reform that can command consensus across the divide and can last for generations, as we did on the NHS in 1948.”
10:13AM
Pictured: Varadkar, Little-Pengelly, O’Neill and Martin meet in Armargh for talks
(L-R) Irish Taoisech Leo Varadkar, Northern Ireland Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly, First Minister of Northern Ireland Michelle O’Neill and Tanaiste of Ireland, Minister for Foreign Affairs, and Minister for Defence Michael Martin stand outside the North South Ministerial Council (NSMC) headquarters ahead of a plenary meeting in Armagh, Northern Ireland
Credit: Mark Marlow /Shutterstock
10:10AM
‘Howls of outrage’ over Labour NHS plans are ‘water off a duck’s back’
The “howls of outrage” from people on the political left about using the private healthcare sector to reduce NHS waiting lists are “water off a duck’s back”, Wes Streeting said this morning.
The shadow health secretary said it was “pragmatic” to make use of spare capacity in the private sector.
Mr Streeting told the BBC: “As the howls of outrage pour in, as they already are on my social media mentions this morning, I kind of take it as water off a duck’s back because I don’t think I could look someone in the eye who is waiting for months and months, sometimes over a year, in pain and agony for treatment, I couldn’t look that person in the eye and tell them that they should wait longer because my principles trump their timely access to care.”
10:00AM
Using private sector to prop up NHS a ‘symptom of Tory failure’, says Streeting
Wes Streeting said having to use spare capacity in the private healthcare sector to prop up the NHS is a “symptom of Conservative failure”.
The shadow health secretary was asked this morning if he would be happy for the NHS to make further use of private capacity to bring down waiting lists.
The Labour frontbencher told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “Happy probably doesn’t quite capture the emotion because in many respects having to use private sector capacity to bring down NHS waiting lists is a symptom of Conservative failure in the last 14 years.”
9:50AM
Publishing legal advice would ‘constrain’ government lawyers, says Stride
Publishing the legal advice on the situation in Gaza could “constrain” government lawyers when they offer their opinion in future, a Cabinet minister has suggested.
Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said keeping the advice private would ensure it is as “frank” and as “brutal” as it needs to be.
He told Sky News: “It has not just been the Conservatives in office, it has been Labour in office as well, have taken the view that that should not be made public.
“Part of the reason for that is that what you want when it comes to legal advice is very frank, sometimes brutal, legal advice that is very clear. And you don’t want to constrain that by having the additional element of it being debated [publicly].”
9:39AM
No change currently needed on sale of arms to Israel, says minister
The Government’s current position is that there should not be any change on the sale of arms to Israel, Mel Stride said.
The Work and Pensions Secretary told Sky News: “There is a very clear process and as things stand right at this particular moment in time, the advice, as I understand it, from the Foreign Secretary to the Business Secretary is that there shouldn’t be any change in the current arrangement. That is what I know.”
9:22AM
Reform UK to hold press conference in Westminster
Reform UK will hold a press conference in Westminster this morning, with a “major announcement” on policy having been promised.
The event will focus on what Reform described as “Labour’s betrayal of the working class”.
It is due to start at about 10.30am.
9:12AM
Pictured: Mel Stride in Westminster this morning
Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, is pictured this morning in Westminster
Credit: Avalon/Zuma Press
8:51AM
Government has a ‘duty’ to look after pensioners, says Stride
The Work and Pensions Secretary said the Government has a “duty” to look after pensioners as he was grilled on today’s increase to the state pension.
An 8.5 per cent rise takes effect from today, boosting it by £692 to a new annual total of £8,814. Critics have questioned the affordability of the move.
Asked why the Government would raise pensions in line with inflation but not award big pay rises to junior doctors, Mr Stride told Times Radio: “Pensioners are on fixed incomes, they don’t have the ability to adjust their economic circumstances as other people who might go out and work more hours, or get a different job, or seek a promotion or a salary increase, or whatever it may be.
“Those things are typically not there for pensioners so I think we have a duty as a society now.”
8:33AM
UK support for Israel not ‘unconditional’, says Mel Stride
Mel Stride said the UK’s support for Israel is not “unconditional” amid growing calls to suspend arms sales to the country.
But the Work and Pensions Secretary said Israel is an “ally” and it is right it receives support from Britain in its “hour of need”.
He told Sky News: “Israel is a very important democratic country that abides by the rule of law and an ally that we should be supporting, particularly in her hour of need and what has happened.
“However, that is not an unconditional support. We expect Israel not to do the kind of things that happened with the aid workers and we have made it very clear that we are appalled by what happened there.”
8:19AM
Cabinet minister rules out publishing Israel legal advice
A Cabinet minister has ruled out the Government publishing its legal advice on whether Israel is in breach of international humanitarian law over its actions in Gaza.
Mel Stride, the Work and Pensions Secretary, said it is a “very long standing convention” that such advice is not made public.
There is growing pressure on the Government to release the advice amid calls for the UK to suspend arms sales to the country in the wake of an Israeli airstrike which killed seven aid workers including three Britons.
Asked when the legal advice will be published, Mr Stride told Sky News this morning: “It is a very long standing convention with very good reasons as to why it is this way that when it comes to that advice, and within that context, the providing or otherwise of licences for arms sales for example, that that advice is not published.
“So, the answer to your question is that as under governments of all political stripes and colours, that advice will not be made public.”
8:16AM
Streeting takes aim at ‘middle-class lefties’ opposed to Labour’s NHS plans
Wes Streeting, the shadow health secretary, has criticised “middle-class lefties” who are opposed to Labour’s plans for NHS reform.
He said Labour will make use of the private healthcare sector in order to reduce NHS waiting lists in a move which he conceded would prompt cries of “betrayal” from some quarters.
Writing in The Sun, Mr Streeting said: “We will also use spare capacity in the private sector to cut the waiting lists.
“Middle-class lefties cry ‘betrayal’. The real betrayal is the two-tier system that sees people like them treated faster – while working families like mine are left waiting for longer.”
Mr Streeting said the NHS “is a service, not a shrine” and if it does not change it “will die”.