Hunt attacks Starmer for ‘fake news’ as Chancellor hints another National Insurance tax cut – UK politics live
The Chancellor has released a 19-page report accusing the Labour party of digging a £38 billion black hole with Starmer’s campaign pledges
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Chancellor Jeremy Hunt unveiled new tax cuts if the Conservatives win the general election as he accuses Labour of “playground politics” following Sir Keir Starmer’s speech on Thursday.
Speaking from London, he hinted at further National Insurance cuts before the general election kicks off after Summer.
He claimed Labour’s electoral pledges would cost tax payers £59 billion over the next four years and accused Labour of “lying” and labelled “fake news” their economic plans.
He has also pledged “taxes will go down under a Conservative government” and accused Sir Keir Starmer of planning to hikes as “sure as night follows day”.
Meanwhile, David Lammy has launched Labour’s foreign policy campaign pledge as he vowed voters to reinstall trust between the UK and the EU amid security threats.
He added the country is currently facing key challenges around war and security, over-dependency with unfriendly states, and low growth around West.
Bill to stop children from missing school cleared at Commons
The School Attendance (Duties of Local Authorities and Proprietors of Schools) Bill requires councils to monitor regular attendance and reduce absences in their area.
Conservative former minister Vicky Ford, who sponsored the Bill, said even a “tiny” drop in attendance can have long lasting consequences for children.
She said: “And we know that going to school is important, not just for our children’s education but also for their wellbeing, their wider development and their mental health.
“And sadly we know that for many children, the pandemic brought loneliness, loss of communication, loss of face-to-face time with their friends, loss of laughter, and for some children those losses have had a lasting impact.
“This Bill will not be a magic wand, it won’t undo all the harms caused by Covid, but it is a very firm step in a happier and a more positive direction.”
Plaid Cymru ends agreement with Welsh Labour
The party has pulled out of a cooperation agreement with Welsh Labour.
In a statement, the party leader Rhun ap Iorwerth said: “Plaid Cymru has ended its Co-Operation agreement with the Welsh Government with immediate effect.“I am proud of the way in which the Agreement demonstrated a new way of doing politics which focused on areas of policy which impact people’s everyday lives.
“These include rolling out free school meals, expanding the free childcare offer for thousands more families, taking radical action to address the housing crisis, steps to safeguard the Welsh language, the creation of a national energy company Ynni Cymru and more.
“Working collaboratively was a constructive response to the chaos and uncertainty of Brexit and the Covid pandemic and the harm caused by the UK Conservative Government. We will continue to try to secure the delivery of policies agreed as part of the Co-operation Agreement.”
Attacking the new first minister, Vaughn Gething, he added he is “worried by the circumstances around the decision to sack” Hannah Blythyn as minister for social partnership yesterday, whom Mr Gething accused of leaking to the media (which she denies).
Members of Scottish Parliament face 500 abusive posts
A pilot programme has unveiled the level of abuse directed at MSPs with almost 500 posts passed to Police Scotland.
After the death of MP Sir David Amess, the Scottish Parliament set about ensuring the safety of elected members, including increasing their level of security.
And a programme set up last year has shown that, for the 38 participating MSPs, 461 threats were deemed serious enough to be passed to Police Scotland.
On average, each MSP was on the receiving end of 12 abusive posts which were reported to police in less than a year.
It is understood there were no direct threats during the trial period – which ran from mid-June last year to the end of March.
But abuse generally centred around protected characteristics such as gender, sexual orientation and race.
Rishi Sunak pleads to be judged on his actions – as he becomes richer than the King
Downing Street has said Rishi Sunak should be judged on his actions not his £650 million fortune after he became richer than the King.
The latest Sunday Times Rich List suggests the prime minister is now wealthier than King Charles.
The personal fortune of Mr Sunak and his wife Akshata Murty surged by more than £120m over the past year, to £651m, after her shares in her father’s Infosys firm grew by £108.8m.
The King’s fortune rose by £10m to £610m, according to the list.
The Prime Minister’s deputy spokesman said: “He’s been asked about this before and we’d always point people to the actions that he takes to support people…. That’s his focus and his priority and he should be judged on that.”
Comment: Jeremy Hunt just made the case for why you should vote Labour
Jeremy Hunt simply cannot decide whether he is a nice guy or a ruthless political operator.
Today he delivered a cynical pre-election exercise, taking the rules on civil-service impartiality to the limit by engaging Treasury officials to sell the message that Labour would raise taxes writes John Rentoul.
Jeremy Hunt just made the case for why you should vote Labour
The chancellor and his shadow went head-to-head on the central election issue of tax and public spending... and Rachel Reeves won, writes John Rentoul
Prime Minister announces UK aid arrives in Gaza
Rishi Sunak said a shipment of 8,400 temporary plastic shelters has been delivered to the Gaza Strip.
Both the PM and Lord Cameron have urged Israel to allow at least 500 aid trucks a day into Gaza through land crossings.
And to open as many routes as possible for aid to access the territory.
MPs back law to help terminally ill Brits with pension payments
The House of Commons has cleared a proposal to ensure terminally ill people have access to payments for longer.
The Bill’s sponsor Conservative MP Laurence Robertson earlier said: “It will provide financial assurance to those who have received the devastating diagnosis of a terminal illness and have also seen the sponsors of their pension scheme become insolvent.”
The Bill covers two schemes, the Pension Protection Fund (PPF) and the Financial Assistance Scheme (FAS), which provide funding to pensioners whose defined benefit schemes have become insolvent.
Work and pensions minister Mims Davies added: “The changes this Bill makes will mean that members are able to rightly claim their compensation on the grounds of terminal illness if a medical professional confirms that they have less than 12 months to live, rather than the current six months.”
Tory Senedd leader slams Plaid Cymru for trying to save face
Andrew RT Davies. leader of the Welsh Conservatives, has reacted to the shocking news Plaid Cymru is ending agreement with the Labour government in Wales.
He said: “The end of Labour and Plaid Cymru’s coalition is simply an attempt to save face.
“Together, Labour and Plaid have worked together to divert resources away from the people’s priorities and towards vanity projects like putting more Senedd members in Cardiff Bay, and have been hand in glove on policies like the destructive sustainable farming scheme and 20mph.
“This move from Plaid means nothing and the Welsh public won’t be fooled.”
Welsh First Minister disappointed by Plaid Cymru
The Welsh Labour leader has been left disappointed by the after the party abruptly pulled out of the agreement.
Vaughan Gething said: “While it was always a time limited agreement, we are disappointed Plaid Cymru has decided to walk away from their opportunity to deliver for the people of Wales.”
In full: Vaughan Gething could soon face a no-confidence vote
Plaid Cymru has ended its cooperation deal in the Senedd with Welsh Labour, in the latest blow for first minister Vaughan Gething – who critics say could soon face a no-confidence vote.
The three-year deal had been due to end in December 2024 – but Plaid Cymru leader Rhun ap Iorwerth has announced on Friday that the agreement had been terminated with “immediate effect”.
The collapse comes after the Conservative Senedd leader Andrew RT Davies claimed it was “odds on” that a no-confidence motion to force the first minister’s resignation would soon be brought forward by opposition members.
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