Keir Starmer refuses to apologise to pensioners over winter fuel cuts
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Sir Keir Starmer is due to meet President Donald Trump in New York ahead of addressing world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly.
As part of a series of bilateral meetings, Trump will discuss the ongoing conflict between Israel, Lebanon and Palestine with world leaders and US presidential candidate Kamala Harris.
In her speech tonight, the Prime Minister is expected to say the UK will return to “responsible global leadership” as it is in Britain’s interests to tackle problems around the world.
The 79th UN summit takes place as the Middle East teeters on the brink of all-out conflict and a bloody war continues in Ukraine.
This came after he spoke at the UN Security Council in which he slammed Russia’s actions in Ukraine and said President Vladimir Putin was treating his own people in the conflict like “pieces of meat to be thrown into a grinding mill”.
Sir Keir has been embroiled in a charitable donations controversy after renting a penthouse worth £18m from Labour donor Sir Waheed Ali to film a coronavirus video during the general election, but Downing Street insists he did not break any rules.
Key Points
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Sir Keir Samir meets with UN Secretary-General
Keir Starmer was photographed signing a guest book ahead of a meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
The pair were later photographed shaking hands ahead of speaking later that evening.
The 79th UN General Assembly discussed the urgent need to strengthen international cooperation to address pressing global challenges such as climate change, poverty and inequality, as well as tackling the impact of ongoing conflicts and the global health crisis.
(AP)(Getty Images)
Bernie Davis2024-09-26 19:26
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Labour chairman defends Starmer for using donor’s flat during pandemic
Labour’s Tan Dhesi took to the media rounds this morning to defend Sir Keir Starmer following allegations he received a £20,000 donation from Sir Ali.
Sir Keir reportedly used the flat, rented from a donor, to accommodate his son’s GCSE exams and to film a video encouraging people to work from home during the coronavirus pandemic.
Asked whether this was acceptable, the chairman of the Defence Select Committee told Sky News that Sir Keir was “worried about the safety of his family” and worried his son would fail his exams.
But when pressed about the Prime Minister having also stayed there during the pandemic, he said: “The important thing for me about accommodation is the fact that there were people camped out outside Downing Street.”
Dhesi added: “We need to keep in mind that the opposition leader’s home at the time was under constant attack by protesters, journalists and investigators.”
“As the prime minister said, there was no illegal activity and all rules were followed. I will take him at his word. He is a man of integrity.”
Salma Waghira September 26, 2024 19:00
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Transportation Secretary looks to new repair technique to tackle pothole ‘epidemic’
Transport Minister Louise Hay has vowed to wage war on potholes, vowing to use cutting edge repair techniques to combat the “epidemic”.
The government said potholes slow travel, endanger the lives of drivers and cyclists and damage vehicles.
During the general election campaign, the Labour Party promised to fix one million more potholes across England for each year of the next Parliament.
Mr Hague said the state of the country’s roads served as “a constant, visible reminder of the decline of our country’s infrastructure”.
Last month, a new survey revealed concerns about the state of local roads have reached record levels.
Some 27% of people questioned in a survey commissioned by the RAC said their car had been damaged by a pothole in the past 12 months.
During a visit to Blackpool today, the Transport Secretary met road workers and councillors and learned about high resolution imaging technology.
The town’s Project Amber initiative uses advanced imaging systems that take high-resolution photos of roads to detect potholes and gather data about where repairs are most needed.
It is hoped that similar systems will spread across the country.
Salma Waghira September 26, 2024 18:30
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Conservative aristocrat and vocal critic of Islamophobia within the party has left the party
Baroness Saida Warsi has announced she is leaving the Conservative party after having been a vocal critic of Islamophobia.
“It is with a heavy heart that I have informed the Leader of my party today and have decided to step down as Leader of the @Conservatives for now,” she posted on X.
“This is a sad day for me. I am a Conservative and will always remain so but unfortunately the party we have today is a world away from the party I joined and served in.
“My decision reflects how my party has shifted to the right and its hypocrisy and double standards towards different communities. It is a timely reminder of the issues I raised in my book ‘Muslims Don’t Matter’.”
Conservative peers had previously criticised Robert Jenrick, the Conservative leadership frontrunner, for suggesting that anyone who says “Allah is great” should be “immediately arrested”.
She previously wrote on X: “Every day before we begin parliamentary business in the House of Commons and the House of Lords we say a prayer and praise God – we recite a parliamentary version of Allah hu Akbars, which is at the heart of our democracy. Robert Jenrick is also part of the process.”
“These words from Jenrick are the usual spiteful and divisive rhetoric. He is truly a tool.”
Bernie Davis2024-09-26 18:30
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Sir Keir Starmer appears on CNBC
Chancellor Keir Starmer is interviewed by Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC’s financial show “Squawk Box” in New York on Thursday.
Sir Keir is in New York to attend the 79th session of the United Nations General Assembly.
He has already been to Wall Street, where he and Nasdaq CEO Adena Friedman met with the team and families behind BioAge as it begins trading on Nasdaq.
(Associated Press)
Bernie Davis2024-09-26 18:22
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In case you missed it: Starmer’s coronavirus broadcast urging people to work from home was filmed in a donor’s apartment
Sir Keir Starmer recorded a Covid-era broadcast urging the public to work from home from the Labour donor’s £18million penthouse.
The Christmas message, broadcast in December 2021, was reportedly filmed in the apartment of Sir Waheed Ali, a donor who has donated hundreds of thousands of pounds to the Labour Party over the past two decades.
Our political correspondent Millie Cook has the full story.
Salma Waghira September 26, 2024 18:00
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Police issue arrest warnings to pro-Hezbollah protesters
(Metropolitan Police)
Bernie Davis2024-09-26 17:47
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In case you missed it: Rayner and Reeves top Labour pro-Israel cabinet voters
Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves and Deputy First Minister Angela Rayner were among five ministers who attended a side event at the Labour party conference to show solidarity with the remaining 101 hostages being held by Israel and Hamas.
The Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) group had the most significant and highest number of senior ministers present throughout the event on Tuesday night, while protesters waving Palestinian flags have remained outside the conference venue in Liverpool all week.
Political Editor David Maddox has the full story.
Salma Waghira September 26, 2024 17:30
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Video: Starmer refuses to apologise for winter fuel cuts four times
Starmer refuses four times to apologise to pensioners over winter fuel cuts
Sir Keir Starmer refused four times to apologise to pensioners over the cuts to winter fuel prices in an interview with Good Morning Britain. The Prime Minister was with Susanna Reid at the Labour Party conference in Liverpool. “Would you like to take this opportunity to offer an apology?” the presenter asked. “I’m really concerned that we’ve been put in this position,” Starmer replied. The question was then repeated three more times but without a direct answer. “We promised to stabilise the economy,” the Prime Minister replied, suggesting it was the previous government that should apologise.
Salma Waghira September 26, 2024 17:00
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Jacob Rees-Mogg hits back at Conservative conference debate on free speech
Former Conservative MP Sir Jacob Rees-Mogg has been personally selected by the party leader to respond to a debate on free speech at next week’s party conference.
At the Conservative party conference, which starts in Birmingham on Sunday, interim leader Richard Fuller will trial the reintroduction of member debates for the first time in 20 years.
Lord Jacob, who lost election to the new North East Somerset and Hanham constituency in July, said he was “delighted” to see Mr Fuller bring the debates back on and said they were about MPs “taking back control of their meetings”.
Members will have the opportunity to take part in four debates taking place on the conference’s main stage on Monday.
As well as a debate on free speech to be responded to by Lord Jacob, there will also be a debate on immigration and border controls to be responded to by Shadow Foreign Secretary Paul Holmes, a debate on housebuilding and green spaces to be responded to by Shadow Housing Secretary David Symons, and a debate on economic growth to be responded to by Shadow Treasury Secretary Laura Trott.
When asked how the respondents were selected, Fuller replied, “These are the people I selected.”
“I believe they are the best people to respond to lawmakers on this debate,” he added.
Salma Waghira September 26, 2024 16:40