Starmer to make assertion to MPs on Center East peace summit
Keir Starmer will shortly make his assertion to MPs concerning the Center East.
Right here is the information launch that Downing Avenue launched yesterday concerning the peace summit co-chaired by Donald Trump in Egypt.
Right here is Kiran Stacey’s evaluation of the function that the UK performed in getting a ceasefire deal (or, to place it one other approach, who was proper – Steve Witkoff or Mike Huckabee?)
And right here a clip of Starmer getting brief shrift from Donald Trump on the summit yesterday.
WATCH: Trump requested, “The place is the UK?”
Starmer raised his hand. Trump referred to as him to the stage, making him assume he was going to talk.
Starmer approached the rostrum. “It’s good that you simply’re right here,” Trump mentioned, then despatched him again, offending Starmer. pic.twitter.com/Y67s4JGmEM
— Conflict Report (@clashreport) October 13, 2025
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‘Not like different Liberals – he seemed favored he might truly run the nation’ – Tim Farron pays tribute to Campbell pays tribute to
Tim Farron, the previous Lib Dem chief, is paying his tribute now. He recollects first being impressed by Ming Campbell within the Nineteen Eighties, lengthy earlier than they met.
Ming Campbell struck me as not being like different Liberals. He seemed like he might truly run the nation.
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Among the many different MPs paying tribute to Ming Campbell the place Labour’s John McDonnell and Edward Leigh, the Tory father of the home, who each joined Campbell in opposing the Iraq conflict.
McDonnell mentioned:
For these of us who had been right here through the debate on the Iraq conflict on all sides, I need to thank him for the authorized recommendation we offer us and the way in which that he addressed that debate, as a result of he did so with out looking for any get together benefit. He merely set out a authorized rules from which he was making the choice, and he did so with compassion.
And Leigh mentioned that Campbell was maybe “too good” to achieve politics. He went on:
The entire episode of the Iraq conflict was so troublesome for us on this home, in notably these of us who broke with our get together to oppose the Iraq conflict. And he gave us the management. He gave us that rigor. And he’s been proved proper on that. In fact, there are not any prizes for being proved proper, however historical past will show him proper.
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‘Good, first rate, hopeful politics’ – Ed Davey pays tribute to Ming Campbell
Right here is an extract from Ed Davey’s tribute to Ming Campbell.
Ming was amongst these few MPs who was genuinely a grandee from the primary day they had been elected.
However his calmness, reasonableness and intense decency [hide a] most a radical politician, a person who by no means forgot his roots rising up within the Glasgow tenement and he was pushed by deep dedication to social justice, a person who mentioned he was his function and the function of the Liberal Democrats to rattle the cage of British politics …
I keep in mind how troublesome the choice it was for us to oppose [the Iraq war]. It felt like we had been going not simply towards the federal government, however taking over the total would possibly of the British state and the US.
Ming tackled it together with his usually regular forensic, lawyerly method, and gave us each the boldness and resolve to talk up strongly for what we believed. He made our place firmly rooted in respect for worldwide legislation, and since it was a time when the world was in turmoil following these horrific terrorist assaults of September eleventh, Ming offered principled management together with his trademark mixture of morality, braveness and knowledge …
It was as soon as mentioned of me that [Campbell] runs the danger of giving politicians an excellent title. Nicely, he definitely did that. His passing is a second for us to think about how we’re all considered as politicians, what modifications we might make each individually and collectively, to additional the reason for good, first rate, hopeful politics one thing that Ming embodied completely.
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Farage welcomes five-year jail sentence for Afghan small boat migrant discovered responsible of threatening to kill him
Fayaz Khan, an Afghan who arrived within the UK on a small boat, has been jailed for 5 years for threatening to kill Nigel Farage.
Commenting on the sentence exterior the court docket, Farage mentioned:
Nicely, I suppose we name {that a} win.
It was concerning the most sentence that might presumably be given, 5 years, given the size of the offence. And I thank Justice Steyn. I thank the decide for saying what she mentioned.
However the reality is that in 18 months time this violent legal, someone with 17 convictions in Sweden, in 18 months time he will probably be on this nation, residing in a home of a number of occupancy or a resort, free to stroll the streets while his asylum declare is judged.
However Farage additionally claimed that the case highlighted a wider menace.
The one motive we learn about this man is as a result of someone despatched [the video containing the death threat] to me on TikTok. It makes me marvel, what number of different ‘Madapasas’ are there now on this nation, or will there be, because the boats proceed to cross the Channel.
And he advised the listening to had highlighted the case for small boat arrivals being despatched again to international locations like Afghanistan (which is Reform UK coverage). He mentioned:
A wierd twist on the finish when, after the sentence, [Khan] was talking from the dock making an attempt to be heard, making it completely clear that he’d quite return to Afghanistan.
In Germany, there are planeloads of individuals going again to Afghanistan – I ponder if in 18 months’ time, the one factor that stops him from being on our streets is that if we have now some sort of take care of Afghanistan.
I doubt it, however at the very least it’s a risk, and the Germans have proven us what they will do.
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Ed Davey, the Lib Dem chief, is now paying his tribute to Ming Campbell.
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Keir Starmer is about to make his assertion.
However, earlier than he does, Lindsay Hoyle, the Speaker, pays tribue to Menzies (“Ming”) Campbell, the previous Lib Dem chief who died through the recess.
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Starmer to make assertion to MPs on Center East peace summit
Keir Starmer will shortly make his assertion to MPs concerning the Center East.
Right here is the information launch that Downing Avenue launched yesterday concerning the peace summit co-chaired by Donald Trump in Egypt.
Right here is Kiran Stacey’s evaluation of the function that the UK performed in getting a ceasefire deal (or, to place it one other approach, who was proper – Steve Witkoff or Mike Huckabee?)
And right here a clip of Starmer getting brief shrift from Donald Trump on the summit yesterday.
WATCH: Trump requested, “The place is the UK?”
Starmer raised his hand. Trump referred to as him to the stage, making him assume he was going to talk.
Starmer approached the rostrum. “It’s good that you simply’re right here,” Trump mentioned, then despatched him again, offending Starmer. pic.twitter.com/Y67s4JGmEM
— Conflict Report (@clashreport) October 13, 2025
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Trans individuals liable to exclusion from many UK public areas, rights skilled says
Transgender individuals danger being excluded from many public areas because of the latest UK supreme court docket judgment and have to be protected against discrimination, a human rights skilled has mentioned. Haroon Siddique has the story.
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Cyber safety chiefs describe China as ‘menace actor’, however sidestep questions on wider danger and collapsed spy trial
Dan Sabbagh
Dan Sabbagh is the Guardian’s defence and safety editor.
China “continues to be a extremely subtle and succesful menace actor, focusing on a variety of sectors and establishments throughout the globe, together with the UK,” the UK’s Nationwide Cyber Safety Centre warned in its annual overview revealed in a single day.
Nevertheless, in a press convention this morning, NCSC chiefs declined to go additional and describe Beijing as “a present menace to nationwide safety” – the phrase sought unsuccessfully by the Crown Prosecution Service, so resulting in the collapse of the trial of two males accused of spying for China.
Although Richard Horne, the chief govt of NCSC, which is a part of GCHQ, acknowledged that in relation to the cyber menace from China “the quantity is rising” as it’s in “all totally different classes of incident”, he wouldn’t be drawn any additional when requested explicitly concerning the general menace degree from Beijing.
Utilizing fastidiously chosen language Horne responded:
Now we have to be clear on the cyber menace that we see, and the way that’s categorised in a bigger menace image isn’t for us to say.
Dan Jarvis, the safety minister, was additionally on the identical occasion, however after making a brief speech that didn’t check with China or every other nation left with out taking questions. Final evening Jarvis informed MPs that “each effort” had been made to help the now failed prosecution.
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Human rights official urges UK to overview legal guidelines after Palestine Motion placard arrests
Europe’s most senior human rights official has referred to as on Shabana Mahmood to overview UK protest legal guidelines after mass arrests over the ban on Palestine Motion, Rajeev Syal studies.
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The Commons authorities have confirmed that there will probably be two statements within the chamber after 12.30pm: first, Keir Starmer on the Center East peace summit, after which Hilary Benn, the Northern Eire secretary, on the Northern Eire Troubles invoice being revealed right this moment.
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Steve Reed says he was ‘horrified’ by ladies being excluded from Muslim charity run in London park
Steve Reed, the communities secretary, has mentioned he was “horrified” and “appalled” by a Muslim charity run in a London park which excluded ladies from collaborating, PA Media studies. PA says:
East London Mosque, which organised Sunday’s run in Victoria Park alongside the London Muslim Centre, mentioned tons of of runners and supporters had gathered for the group occasion.
Billed on the Muslim Charity Run web site as an “inclusive 5km race” welcoming “runners and supporters of all ages and talents”, the occasion was open to “males, boys of all ages and women beneath 12”.
Reed described it as “completely unacceptable” for girls to be “blocked” from collaborating and mentioned the Equality and Human Rights Fee (EHRC) will decide whether or not any legal guidelines or rules have been breached.
Reed informed LBC Radio: “I noticed these studies … and I used to be as horrified as anyone else. It’s completely unacceptable that girls ought to be blocked from occurring a enjoyable run in a public house when the boys are allowed to go on the market and try this. Now we have now an equalities watchdog, I’m certain that they are going to be conscious of this case.”
“It’s getting quite a lot of publicity, and fairly rightly so, and they’re going to decide whether or not there was any breach of the legislation or rules after which I’m certain sanctions will comply with as applicable.
“However talking for myself, I used to be appalled.”
He added: “We don’t want a state of affairs on this nation the place males are allowed to do issues that girls are then barred from. We can’t tolerate that.”
The annual occasion is described on the mosque web site as having develop into a “spotlight within the East London Muslim calendar, elevating 1000’s of kilos for very important causes throughout the UK and overseas, from native youth tasks, meals banks and refugee help to worldwide humanitarian reduction”.
The mayor of Tower Hamlets, Lutfur Rahman, has defended the occasion and congratulated those that took half.
A spokesperson for the EHRC mentioned: “The EHRC receives complaints every week about allegations of illegal exercise opposite to the Equality Act 2010. We take into account every criticism fastidiously and take motion the place applicable.”
Sure exceptions beneath equality legislation can apply to charities and faith or perception organisations, together with probably limiting occasions to 1 intercourse solely.
A Tower Hamlets council spokesperson mentioned: “This was an unbiased occasion held in Victoria Park, not organised by the council. Like many native charitable occasions, it made use of the park house. Following the studies about age and gender restrictions, the council has contacted East London Mosque to hunt pressing clarification.
East London Mosque and London Muslim Centre have been contacted for remark.
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76% of Labour members would again breaking manifesto promise on tax to boost money for public companies, ballot suggests
It’s extensively anticipated Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, must increase taxes by round £30bn in subsequent month’s finances and there’s a debate about how this ought to be completed. Economists typically assume the only and cleanest approach to do that can be increase one of many large three taxes that, collectively, account for many of presidency income – earnings tax, nationwide insurance coverage or VAT. However in its manifesto Labour dominated out all three of those choices, and as an alternative Reeves is contemplating bundling up a collection of smaller tax rises that might collectively get her to £30bn, or regardless of the complete is. However there’s a danger she would find yourself with a string of “pasty tax” measures – unpopular strikes with a political price out of all proportion to the income at stake.
Reeves is claimed to be strongly against breaking the manifesto pledges. However at Labour convention there have been hints that this had not been 100% dominated out – specifically, within the bizarre resolution by Starmer, and different ministers, to simply say the manifesto “stands” when requested if the pledges nonetheless applies. At one level Darren Jones, the Cupboard Workplace minister and chief secretary to the PM, appeared to offer the sport approach when he mentioned: “The manifesto stands right this moment as a result of selections haven’t been taken but.”
If Reeves had been to interrupt a manifesto promise on tax, Labour get together members would help her, new polling suggests. Survation commonly polls Labour members for the LabourList web site and its newest survey suggests three quarters of members would again breaking a pledge to seek out more cash for public companies. In his report for LabourList, Daniel Inexperienced says:
In an unique ballot of Labour members, carried out by Survation, 76% mentioned they’d again an increase in nationwide insurance coverage, earnings tax or VAT so as to put more cash into public companies, with 20% opposed.
Whereas 79% of those that backed Keir Starmer within the 2020 management contest would help the federal government breaking its promise to not increase these three taxes, help was weaker amongst those that backed Rebecca Lengthy-Bailey at 69%.
The views of Labour members in all probability received’t depend for a lot when Reeves is finalising the finances. However there are different arguments in favour of tearing up a manifesto pledge that Stephen Bush summed up in an excellent column on this debate the Monetary Instances yesterday.
Labour’s drawback is once more, fairly easy. When it was in opposition, it didn’t plan sufficient for presidency. The get together made a collection of silly guarantees on tax rises that make it exhausting, maybe unattainable, to fulfill its pledges on public companies and development.
So it faces a alternative: which guarantees ought to it break? Its implicit promise that public companies will get higher, or its express promise to not improve earnings tax, worth added tax or nationwide insurance coverage charges. Robert Shrimsley made the argument lately that it’s the implicit promise that has to go: “Governments ought to hold express guarantees … Tearing up such a central promise wouldn’t simply harm Labour. It might be completely corrosive to democracy, cementing the view that each one events lie” …
I don’t disagree with any of this, however the place I half methods with Robert is I believe the “all events lie” ship has not simply sailed — it has reached the brand new world, declared its independence from the mom nation and established the world’s pre-eminent superpower …
An enormous a part of why the UK is the place it’s proper now’s that in 2019 and 2024, the successful get together ran on a “public companies will get higher — the massive taxes will keep on the identical degree” ticket that simply couldn’t be reconciled with actuality.
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Up to date at 05.54 EDT
Parenting recommendation on social media is commonly poor high quality, says Phillipson
Mother and father who flip to TikTok influencers and Instagram gurus for recommendation on the whole lot from potty coaching to childhood vaccination are liable to falling sufferer to deceptive and poor high quality data, Bridget Phillipson, the schooling secretary, has warned. Sally Weale has the story.
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Within the Commons yesterday Kemi Badenoch quoted Mark Elliott, a public legislation professor on the College of Cambridge, as one of many many consultants who’ve queried the federal government’s account of why the China spy prosecution failed. On the idea of what was mentioned within the Commons yesterday, Elliott has now written a brand new weblog, highlighting what he says are ongoing inconsistencies within the authorities’s story and setting out doable theories as to what went incorrect. The weblog is price studying in full, however right here is his conclusion.
We will, then, add a fifth doable rationalization to the 4 set out above: that ministers prevailed over decision-making preparations regarding extremely consequential nationwide security-related issues that afforded particular person officers a completely inappropriate diploma of unilateral discretion, and that ministers did not put in place a framework for guaranteeing that such selections had been appropriately stress-tested earlier than being finalised. Like the primary 4 doable explanations outlined earlier on this put up, I don’t declare that the fifth rationalization essentially describes what truly occurred — however it’s arguably the almost certainly.
The overwhelming message conveyed by the safety minister [Dan Jarvis – the minister making a statement in the Commons yesterday] was that that is matter for which ministers bear no duty as a result of it was dealt with wholly at official degree. However that won’t wash. No matter uncertainties there may be concerning the nuances of the constitutional doctrine of ministerial duty, if ministers are answerable for something, they have to be answerable for guaranteeing that the way in which wherein nationwide security-related selections are made is match for objective. If, then, it seems that it is a story of official failure, it’s also essentially, and extra importantly, a narrative of ministerial failure.
Of their London Playbook briefing for Politico this morning, Dan Bloom and Andrew McDonald quote an unnamed “overseas coverage operator” making a similarish level. She or he says:
This authorities retains making an attempt to make apolitical selections a couple of coverage that’s deeply political, and in flip primarily makes political decisions however doesn’t take possession of them.
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UK labour market reveals indicators of stabilising after job losses
Britain’s employment market has proven indicators of stabilising after a pointy rise in job losses earlier this yr blamed on tax rises launched by Rachel Reeves, Richard Partington studies. Because the chancellor prepares for her 26 November finances, figures from the Workplace for Nationwide Statistics confirmed the unemployment fee rose to 4.8% within the three months to August, up from 4.7% in July.
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Inexperienced get together reachest highest ever degree in YouGov ballot, at 13%
YouGov has launched its newest weekly ballot within the collection it does for the Instances. Reform UK (27%), Labour (20%) and the Conservatives (17%) all have precisely the identical degree of help as they did final week. However the Greens have hit their highest degree ever in a YouGov ballot, at 13%.
YouGov ballot {Photograph}: YouGovShareYvette Cooper, the overseas secretary, and John Healey, the defence secretary, arriving for cupboard this morning. {Photograph}: Leon Neal/Getty ImagesShare
Starmer to face MPs amid continued stress over collapse of China spying trial
Good morning. As Kiran Stacey studies, the federal government has right this moment introduced new plans to loosen up planning guidelines that maintain up the development of recent infrastracture. It already has a invoice going by parliament designed to do that, the planning and infrastructure invoice, however, with the laws near reaching the purpose the place it clears each homes and turns into legislation, the federal government has produced a raft of amendments that can make it stronger.
That’s the reason Steve Reed, the housing secretary, has been doing a media spherical this morning. However, inevitably, many of the questions have centered on China.
Yesterday, in a personal discover query within the Lords and a ministerial assertion within the Commons, the federal government tried to kill off claims that it intentionally sabotaged the prosecution of two males who had been attributable to go on trial for allegedly spying for China. As Dan Sabbagh explains, the varied ministers and officers commenting yesterday did not adequately clarify why the trial was not in a position to go forward.
Keir Starmer is predicted to handle the Commons right this moment, however his assertion is because of cowl the Center East peace course of and his journey to India, and so MPs could discover it exhausting to shoehorn in questions on China.
However, in his media spherical, Reed couldn’t keep away from questions on the bottom they had been off matter. He restated the federal government’s assertion that the choice to drop the prosecution was taken by the Crown Prosecution Service, not by ministers, as a result of the legislation in place on the time the alleged offences was dedicated was too restrictive to permit a profitable prosecution to proceed.
As housing secretary, Reed could have the ultimate say over whether or not to approve the appliance from China to construct a brand new “super-embassy” within the centre of London. A call is due later this month. There was a hold-up as a result of China refused to provide unredacted plans for the constructing (the unique plans didn’t specify what sure rooms within the embassy can be used for), and Reed mentioned he wouldn’t approve the appliance with out seeing full plans.
I count on to see the whole lot that’s being proposed earlier than I take a choice.
Extra considerably, he additionally insisted that nationwide safety can be “paramount” within the resolution course of.
Chatting with Instances Radio, requested if the safety danger posed by China can be an element within the resolution, Reed replied:
Talking basically phrases, as a result of I can’t touch upon that individual utility, then, sure, this authorities recognises that China poses a menace to nationwide safety and we see that from varied cyber assaults and cyber incidents which have occurred. That’s one of many the explanation why the federal government has elevated spending on safety and defence by £600m.
Requested if the federal government was ready to place the financial advantages of a relationship with China forward of safety issues, Reed mentioned:
For this authorities, as in for any smart authorities of the UK, nationwide safety is paramount, and can at all times be paramount. The choice will probably be taken on the deserves of the case in entrance of me. We might by no means compromise nationwide safety.
Reed was talking because the opposition events continued to pile on stress over this difficulty.
For the Conservatives, Chris Philp, the shadow dwelling secretary, wrote to the CPS asking for affirmation that, if the federal government does present new proof saying China is a menace to nationwide safety, the prosecutions could be resumed, and the trial can go forward.
And, for the Liberal Democrats, Calum Miller, the get together’s overseas affairs spokesperson, is demanding that the federal government publish all related correspondence between the federal government and the CPS. Referring to hints the federal government is blaming Matthew Collins, the deputy nationwide safety adviser, Miller mentioned: “The federal government’s makes an attempt to duck scrutiny and scapegoat a single official merely received’t wash.”
Right here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer chairs cupboard.
10am: Nigel Farage, the Reform UK chief, is because of communicate to the media at Southwark crown court docket after the sentencing of Fayaz Khan, the Afghan who arrived within the UK on a small boat and who has been discovered responsible of threatening to kill him.
10am: Gavin Williamson, the Tory former schooling secretary, provides proof to the Covid inquiry as a part of its module taking a look at how the pandemic affected kids and younger individuals.
11.30am: Ed Miliband, the power secretary, takes questions within the Commons.
After 12.30pm: Starmer is predicted to make an announcement to MPs concerning the Center East peace summit and his journey to India.
2pm: The IMF publishes its newest world financial outlook report, together with its newest forecasts for the UK.
3.45pm: Miliband speaks on the Vitality UK convention.
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Up to date at 04.34 EDT
