Starmer stands by McSweeney and says he has been ‘assured no briefings against ministers done from No 10’ – UK politics live | Politics
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Starmer says he ‘of course’ has full confidence in his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney
Keir Starmer has said he “of course” retains full confidence in his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, PA Media reports.
I will post the full quote shortly.
At PMQs yesterday Starmer dodged a question about whether he had full confidence in McSweeney, although No 10 subsequently said he did.
Some ministers and MPs want to see McSweeney sacked.
Key events
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London congestion charge to rise 20% and apply to electric vehicles
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Starmer says he has been ‘assured no briefing against ministers done from No 10’
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Starmer says he ‘of course’ has full confidence in his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney
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John Swinney tells MSPs he’s ‘open’ to idea of Scottish grooming gangs inquiry as Tories demand one
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No 10 says Starmer has been told by Downing Street staff that none of them briefed against Streeting
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PCCs criticise decision to abolish them without consultation, saying it will create ‘dangerous accountability vacuum’
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‘No idea, don’t care’ – Streeting not bothered if No 10 briefer gets found, saying he wants to ‘leave silly soap opera behind’
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Police Federation welcomes abolition of PCCs, saying they are ‘expensive experiment which has failed’
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Tories describe abolition of PCCs as ‘minor tinkering around edges’
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Home Office minister Sarah Jones claims gettting rid of PCCs will save £100m this parliament
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Minister says police and crime commissioners will be abolished in 2028 because PCC system has failed
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Can you trust anonymous briefings?
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Police and crime commissioners to be abolished, government to announce
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EU confirms talks will start next week on improved post-Brexit SPS deal with UK
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12-month waits for hospital treatment down slightly, NHS England figures show, but still 2.4% of all waits
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Waiting list figures for England fall slightly, after rising for past 3 months
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UN experts criticise Palestine Action ban, saying calling groups terrorist ‘that are not genuinely so’ is authoritarian tactic
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Scotland’s auditor general warns of multi-billion tax performance gap
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Miliband defends small modular nuclear reactor choice for Wylfa in face of protests from US
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Miliband says Starmer will sack No 10 person who briefed against Streeting if they’re identified
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Miliband rules out standing to be next Labour leader, saying having done it before ‘best inoculation’ against wanting it
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UK economy grew by just 0.1% in third quarter amid hit from JLR cyber-attack
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Ed Miliband urges Labour to move on after Starmer apologises to Streeting for hostile briefings from No 10
John Crace
It’s the worst game of Cluedo in town. Four players dealt a hand of cards. Without turning them over, player one makes the first guess. “Just one question. Does the suspect wear glasses?” he asks. “Yes,” replies player two. “But he doesn’t have to pay for them.”
“OK,” says player one. “It’s Keir Starmer in the Cabinet Office with the suicidal tendencies.” Yup. Keir had managed to sneak up on Keir inside No 10 and club himself to death with the lead pipe. It had been a long and agonising end. Every time Keir had shown signs of regaining consciousness, he had somehow found the strength to inflict further damage on himself. You could only admire his determination. Players two, three and four throw their cards on the table in disgust. If only they had got there first.
The prime minister’s short-term memory is shot to pieces. Just who could be behind these dastardly briefings? Read more here:
Andrew Sparrow
The Conservatives have claimed that women might be particularly badly hit from a potential budget VAT extension affecting taxis.
In a story for the Times, Ben Clatworthy says Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, is considering putting 20% VAT on all private hire vehicle journeys in the budget.
He says this would particularly affect people using rider apps like Uber and Bolt because black cab drivers are usually self-employed, and don’t reach the threshold where they have to pay VAT.
Responding to the story, Richard Holden, the shadow transport secretary, said:
Reeves is about to make every ride home, every school run, every late-night journey significantly more expensive for millions of people.
Labour can pretend this is some technical tweak, but it’s a straight VAT hike on the people who rely on private hire the most. Women trying to get home safely at night, workers on early shifts, families in rural towns – they’ll all be hit. And the chancellor knows it.
That is all from me for today. My colleague Charlie Moloney is taking over now.
Morgan McSweeney, Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, authorised colleagues to brief journalists that Starmer would fight any potential leadership challenge – but not to attack Wes Streeting, the Telegraph is reporting.
In his story, Ben Riley-Smith says:
The Telegraph understands Sir Keir Starmer’s chief of staff, as well as senior Downing Street communication figures, agreed to brief journalists that the prime minister would fight any challenge to his position and that ousting him could undermine the economy.
But Mr McSweeney is understood to be insistent that neither he nor senior No 10 staff briefed specifically against Wes Streeting, the health secretary and Sir Keir’s supposed challenger.
Anas Sarwar, the Scottish Labour leader, has said that the No 10 briefing operation this week that suggested Wes Streeting was plotting against the PM was not helpful to Labour.
Speaking to journalists after FMQs at Holyrood, Sarwar said:
I think it has undermined the message of the government and, particularly going into the budget period, I don’t think it’s helpful.
I know how hard the prime minister is working, I know how committed he is to change the country, I know how hard the UK cabinet is working and how committed they are to change the country.
We’ve got to make sure that we’ve got a government in Scotland that is working just as hard to change our country and in six months’ time, people have the chance to do that by getting rid of the First Minister, and only I and Scottish Labour can do that.
Asked if Starmer would be visiting Scotland ahead of next year’s Holyrood elections, Sarwar refused to say. He said:
There’ll be an involvement from people in terms of campaigning – we’re a Labour family.
But let me be really clear, I am leading the campaign in the Scottish elections next year, I am the candidate for first minister, Keir Starmer is not standing to be first minister.
Sexual behaviour including sexual jokes, leering and unwanted touching are widespread in the armed forces and more likely to impact on women, a report has shown.
PA Media says the Ministry of Defence’s (MoD) first military-wide sexual harassment survey found female full-time personnel – referred to as regulars in the report – are almost twice as likely to experience sexualised behaviours than men.
The department has now launched a prevention programme for young recruits at Army and Navy bases in a bid to “prevent and address” unacceptable behaviour.
The report showed 67% of female regulars experienced at least one sexualised behaviour in the last 12 months, compared with 34% of men, PA says. Of these women, 93% said they believed the behaviour amounted to sexual harassment.
London congestion charge to rise 20% and apply to electric vehicles
London’s congestion charge will rise by 20% in January to £18 and electric vehicle drivers will be liable to pay to enter the heart of the capital for the first time, Gwyn Topham reports.
Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, has accompanied Keir Starmer on his visit to north Wales. Asked if she had confidence in Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff, she said:
Yes, I do. But the prime minister was really clear that there really is no role for briefing against colleagues and I very much agree with the prime minister.
Asked if the No 10 briefings accusing Wes Streeting of plotting against the PM should lead to sackings, Reeves replied:
Well, there I think is going to be a leak inquiry, but at the moment there is no evidence of where that briefing is coming from.
Earlier No 10 indicated that there would not be a leak inquiry. (See 1.04pm.)
Starmer says he has been ‘assured no briefing against ministers done from No 10’
Speaking to reporters in north Wales, where he was asked about the No 10 briefing row, Keir Starmer said:
First, let me be clear that any briefing against ministers is completely unacceptable. That is not a new position for me, it is a position I have adopted ever since I became prime minister. I have made it very clear to my team.
I have been talking to my team today. I have been assured that no briefing against ministers was done from No 10, but I have made it clear that I find it absolutely unacceptable …
I have been assured it didn’t come from Downing Street, but I have been equally clear that whether it is this case or any other, I intend to deal with it.
Asked if he would sack those responsible, Starmer replied:
I will absolutely deal with anybody responsible for briefing against ministers, cabinet ministers or any other ministers. I have always said that is the standard that I expect, and that is the standard that I will enforce.
Starmer says he ‘of course’ has full confidence in his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney
Keir Starmer has said he “of course” retains full confidence in his chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, PA Media reports.
I will post the full quote shortly.
At PMQs yesterday Starmer dodged a question about whether he had full confidence in McSweeney, although No 10 subsequently said he did.
Some ministers and MPs want to see McSweeney sacked.
John Swinney tells MSPs he’s ‘open’ to idea of Scottish grooming gangs inquiry as Tories demand one
Libby Brooks
Libby Brooks is the Guardian’s Scotland correspondent.
Pressure on the Scottish government to set up its own grooming gangs inquiry continues, with Scottish Conservative leader Russell Findlay leading on the issue at first minister’s questions today.
Findlay revealed that an alleged victim of a grooming gang in Glasgow, “Taylor”, had written to John Swinney asking him to launch an inquiry.
Momentum is growing around a Scotland-specific inquiry, with Labour MP Joani Reid has accused the SNP of “establishment cover-up” after they blocked Scottish attempts to introduce an amendment to criminal justice reforms that would have required a new victims commissioner to carry out research related to group-based child exploitation in Scotland.
Pressed on this by Findlay today, Swinney said it was “a distortion” to say a grooming inquiry was put before parliament and rejected, pointing out that the Tory amendment would only require a report from an as yet unappointed commissioner.
Swinney said his government “remains open to the question of an inquiry” but that meanwhile the police and the National Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation Strategic Group were continuing to address historic and current allegations.
No 10 says Starmer has been told by Downing Street staff that none of them briefed against Streeting
Keir Starmer has been told by his No 10 staff that none of them were involved in briefing against Wes Streeting, Downing Street said this morning.
He has also told them that briefing against cabinet ministers is “completely unacceptable”.
At the lobby briefing this morning, the PM’s spokesperson said:
The prime minister has this morning gathered and spoken to his senior team in Downing Street. The prime minister reiterated the briefings against cabinet ministers are completely unacceptable, which has always been his position.
He underlined, as he told parliament yesterday, that he has never and would never sanction any such briefings against colleagues.
The PM said he had been assured that no No 10 staff briefed against ministers. The prime minister made abundantly clear the high standards that he expects from staff, and if anyone falls below those standards there will be consequences.
The meeting is understood to have taken place via a video call while Starmer was in north Wales, with some staff alongside him and others in Downing Street.
No leak inquiry has been launched, No 10 indicated. When the spokesperson was asked whether this meant Starmer was attempting to whitewash over the situation, he replied: “I don’t accept that.”
Asked why Starmer apologised to Wes Streeting if No 10 staff had not been involved in the briefing against him, the spokesperson said that the PM had apologised to Streeting “for the situation he found himself in”.
PCCs criticise decision to abolish them without consultation, saying it will create ‘dangerous accountability vacuum’
The Association of Police and Crime Commissioners has criticised the government for abolishing PCCs without consultation. It says this will create “a dangerous accountability vacuum”.
In a statement, the APCC chair, Emily Spurrell, the Labour PCC for Merseyside, said:
On behalf of our communities we are deeply disappointed by this decision and the lack of engagement with us.
For more than a decade, directly elected police and crime commissioners have transformed policing accountability and delivered essential support services for victims of crime. Having a single, visible local leader – answerable to the public – has improved scrutiny and transparency, ensuring policing delivers on the issues that matter most to local communities.
Abolishing PCCs now, without any consultation, as policing faces a crisis of public trust and confidence and as it is about to be handed a much stronger national centre, risks creating a dangerous accountability vacuum.
Back in the Commons Ben Maguire, a Liberal Democrat spokesperson, welcomed the abolition of PCCs, describing them as a “failed Tory experiment”. He said:
This was a failed Tory experiment which cost taxpayers dearly. The minister is right to point out the countless flaws in the overly politicised PCC model, which has diverted much-needed funding away from frontline and community policing. They cost the public millions in council tax every year, yet the impact on their local communities has been negligible.
But Maguire said the Lib Dems were not in favour of giving PCC powers to mayors, whom he described as “single individuals with dubious democratic mandates and little scrutiny or accountability”. He said it would be better for police and crime boards to take over.
Sarah Jones, the policing minister, thanked Maguire for “his robust attack on a policy that his own party introduced as part of the coalition in 2010”.
‘No idea, don’t care’ – Streeting not bothered if No 10 briefer gets found, saying he wants to ‘leave silly soap opera behind’
Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has said that he doesn’t know and doesn’t care whether Keir Starmer is trying to identify the No 10 figure briefing against him.
Speaking to PA Media on a visit in Liverpool, Streeting made it clear that he no longer wanted to talk about the No 10 briefing yesterday, that dominated the discussion at PMQs yesterday.
He said he wanted to focus on the news that NHS waiting lists are falling. (See 10.01am.)
Asked about the row, Streeting said:
I have no intention of revisiting yesterday’s events. That’s yesterday’s news and it’s Westminster bubble stuff that doesn’t mean anything to anyone.
I don’t think voters give two monkeys about what on earth is going on in the sort of Westminster village soap opera. What they do care about is, if they’re on an NHS waiting list, are we getting them down?
Asked about the apology he received from Keir Starmer, Streeting said:
One of the great things about being here in the North West today is you can leave all that silly Westminster soap opera stuff behind.
Asked if Starmer was investigating who was responsible for the No 10 briefing against him, Streeting said: “No idea, don’t care.”
And asked about the future of Morgan McSweeney, Starmer’s chief of staff, whom some ministers want to see sacked as a result of the briefing, Streeting said:
I’m sure that Morgan McSweeney, Keir Starmer and everyone else is absolutely delighted with the news today that NHS waiting lists are falling.
