Keir Starmer's credit arrears
Jury service is a civic duty that meant Matthew Pennycook, the Housing Minister, missed a slew of affordable-home announcements while dispensing justice. He's one of three government frontbenchers plus a group of other MPs summoned to decide the guilt or innocence of the criminally accused. One of their number who was called up joked it's part of a plot by Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood to convince colleagues that the courts system is broken and requires radical reform after the retired judge Brian Leveson proposed curtailing jury trials. Serving is believing.
Strike-threatening doctors are giving Wes Streeting a headache and we hear the Health Secretary is increasingly unpopular with peers. Twice, a noisy Wesleyite army has invaded the Lords end of the terrace, including the Friday the assisted dying bill cleared the Commons. MPs and peers jealously guard their turf. A snout growled that on both occasions merry members of Wes's crew adopted don't-you-know-who-we-are attitudes when challenged.
Reform shape-shifter Lee Anderson doesn't know whether he's coming or going. The Tory defector walked into the wrong lobby during a welfare bill vote. A north-west England Labour MP clocked the hard-right party's deputy leader, Richard Tice, hoiking '30p Lee' out of the voting line. Anderson is supposed to be chief whip of Reform's four MPs. Awks.
There are mutinous whispers among senior ranks of James Cleverly's Territorial Army (TA) regiment over the former Tory foreign secretary's promotion to colonel. The TA veteran delivered a speech to a regimental dinner of the 100 (Yeomanry) Regiment Royal Artillery to celebrate his elevation from the lesser rank of lieutenant colonel. Not satisfied with being knighted, he clearly wants more people to have to call him 'sir'. According to one senior officer present, eyebrows rocketed and jaws plummeted when it sounded during the speech as though 'not very' Cleverly believed the post would come with a salary. It doesn't; it's honorary. 'We weren't sure whether he was joking or seriously naive,' groaned a snout. No money tree there. Sir!
'Farage Assistance Group' was wealth-tax champion Neil Kinnock's barbed-if-polite suggestion for the name of Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana's new left collaboration. It wasn't his first thought, though. On hearing of the party plan, Labour's former leader growled: 'Are they going to call it the Fruit and Nut Party?' Raisin' the bar for puns there, Neil.
With Starmer now expected to shuffle the pack for the first time in September, Westminster is awash with speculation over likely winners and losers. While the Prime Minister has personally reassured the Education Secretary, Bridget Phillipson, that her job is safe, Tech Sec Peter Kyle has been spoken of as a replacement. But Labour insiders warn those fancying a bump up not to make it too obvious. Back in 2023, one recalls, it was Lucy Powell and Darren Jones who battled for the shadow tech brief. The winner? A Labour leader who loathes off-the-record briefings gave the job to the aforementioned Kyle.
Subscribe to The New Statesman today from only £8.99 per month Subscribe
Boris Johnson's erstwhile Substack-ing svengali Dominic Cummings once said Lisa Nandy would be a far better Labour leader than poor old Keir Starmer. The guru's blog is often peppered with references to 'brilliant women' he used to work with in the civil service. He often contrasts these with useless male duffers who didn't – remember 2020? – know what epidemiology was. Cummings is now in the process of setting up his own party. Names suggested for the project include the 'Third Force' and the 'Start-Up Party'. Only one problem so far. All of the first members are men, observes a snout. No women want to join, however 'brilliant' they are.
Polls keep telling us that Reform is on course to be the largest party after the next general election. While that election is (probably) four years away, that means the party is scrambling to find suitable candidates. Who's on the list for 2029 then? One snout whispers that the ex-Mumford & Sons banjo maestro turned culture wars 'independent YouTuber' Winston Marshall could be interested in a seat. Marshall, whose dad, Paul, just happens to be a major shareholder in GB News – home to Reform leader Nigel Farage's prime time show – surely wouldn't need to sing for a plum constituency.
Snout line: Got a story? Write to tips@newstatesman.co.uk
[See also: The Tories are responsible for the Afghan resettlement fiasco]
Related
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Prosecutions of people smugglers tumble under Starmer
Only 150 people smugglers have been prosecuted in the past year despite Sir Keir Starmer's pledge to smash the gangs, figures obtained by the Conservatives show. Some 153 prosecutions were brought for the most serious people-smuggling offence of assisting illegal immigration, a crime that carries a maximum life sentence. Overall, 446 individuals were charged with an immigration offence between July 2024 and June 2025, only 1 per cent of the 43,309 who crossed in small boats during that time. The Tories claimed the prosecutions were the lowest on record apart from a year during the Covid-19 pandemic. They said prosecutions under section 25 of the Immigration Act 1971 had fluctuated between a low of 274 in 2019-20 and a high of 471 in 2023. However, Labour said the Tories had miscounted. Robert Jenrick, the shadow justice secretary, said: 'Keir Starmer boasted he would smash the gangs, but the gangs are laughing at him. ' They've never had it easier and crossings are up 50 per cent as a result. We're now heading towards being the illegal immigration capital of Europe. 'It's clear Starmer is incapable of stopping the boats and his backbenchers don't want him to. The country cannot go on like this - the situation in the Channel is a national security emergency. 'Those that arrive illegally from the safety of France must be swiftly deported so the message is clear: if you break into Britain, you will not get a life here.' A Labour spokesman said: 'Robert Jenrick can reinvent himself as many times as he likes, but he cannot rewrite history. With Labour in office, more people were charged with assisting unlawful immigration in our first year in government than in the entire time that Jenrick was in charge of the Immigration System. Indeed, we charged more people with that offence in our first three months than he managed in his last six. 'But much more important than Robert Jenrick's failures in the past are the ones he is making now, and we don't just mean screwing up this attempted attack story against Labour. 'If he was truly serious about prosecuting dangerous people smugglers, he would not have voted against our new law to criminalise people who endanger the lives of others in the Channel, and would instead be supporting us to take that action against those who cause women and children to suffocate and drown on overcrowded small boats,' they added.
Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
Trump touches down in Scotland for unofficial visit
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Donald Trump has landed in the UK for a five-day trip around Scotland. The US president touched down at Prestwick Airport at 8.28pm this evening and was met by Scottish Secretary Ian Murray. He then headed off to his Turnberry golf course in South Ayrshire. The visit has been described as a 'private' trip, before he returns for an official state visit in September. He will travel to golf courses across Scotland while also fitting in high-stakes meetings with the Prime Minister and the Scottish First Minister. Trump will then fly out of Scotland on Tuesday. The US President has a personal connection to Scotland. His mother, Mary Anne MacLeod Trump was born and raised on the Isle of Lewis before moving to New York aged 18. He is expected to open up a new 18-hole course dedicated to his mother at his Menie resort. Trump also owns the Turnberry hotel and three linked courses in Ayrshire, which he bought for about £40million in 2014. The US President has made several visits to Scotland in the past, often to visit his late mother's home or to play golf on one of his courses. Other than visiting his two golf courses in Scotland, Trump is due to meet Keir Starmer in Aberdeen on Monday. Trump's press secretary said the meeting was intended to 'refine the great trade deal that was brokered between the United States and the United Kingdom'. Scottish First Minister John Swinney has also said he is meeting the US president. Swinney publicly backed Kamala Harris for the presidency last year, but Trump called him a 'good man' before embarking on the trip. He plans to raise a number of domestic and international issues including tariffs on Scotch whisky and conflict in the Middle East. Trump is also due to meet European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen. The US and EU are currently locked in trade negotiations over tariffs, with agreement reportedly close to being reached. Trump's visit could strengthen the relationship between Starmer and the US president, as they look set to discuss Russia's war in Ukraine. Conflict in the Middle East could also take centre stage, just days after France announced plans to recognise a Palestinian state. Starmer said on Thursday the Palestinian people have the 'inalienable' right to a state, while Trump criticised Macron's plan, saying it 'doesn't carry any weight'. The US president will also be hoping the trip brings him some time out of the spotlight back home. A political crisis has erupted over his handling of the Jeffrey Epstein files and seen Trump take heat from his usually loyal MAGA supporters. The president once promised to release the files, but the Justice Department and FBI since announced that 'no incriminating 'client list'' existed. It was then sensationally reported by The Wall Street Journal that Trump's name appears in the files. There will be a 'festival of resistance', organised by the Scottish wing of the Stop Trump Coalition. More Trending This will kick off a day after his arrival – on Saturday – and will be held in Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Dumfries. An Ipsos poll in March found that about 70% of Scots have an unfavorable opinion of Trump, while 18% have a favorable opinion. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video The protests will be the prelude for even larger demonstrations in London planned by the group when Trump lands on his state visit in September. There are also plans to relaunch the Donald Trump baby balloon, which became a symbol of protests against the controversial leader on his first state visit in July 2018. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Trump says 'I'll give you a list' of Epstein associates and 'I'm allowed' to pardon Maxwell MORE: Donald Trump's Scotland visit branded 'cynical circus' by his nemesis in land battle MORE: Starmer should give Trump a warm welcome – then a £14m bill
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
This is no time for Britain to recognise Palestine
Although some 140 nations now recognise Palestine as a sovereign state, France is the first G7 member to take this decisive, historic step. It is, in truth, a purely symbolic move, given the savage reaction to it in Tel Aviv and the contemptuous statement in response issued by the US secretary of state, Marco Rubio. It comes as Gaza is stalked by famine, something that has moved emotions across the world, though Emmanuel Macron did not specifically mention the starvation crisis taking the lives of innocent civilians. The French president clearly believes that, at this juncture, some dramatic gesture is necessary, and it will be formally declared by him at the United Nations General Assembly next month. In many quarters, it will be warmly welcomed. It also adds to the growing domestic political pressure on Sir Keir Starmer to follow suit. But the arguments are more finely balanced than is sometimes apparent to people on all sides of this issue. For the moment – and at this particular moment, when Donald Trump is arriving in Scotland for informal talks with the prime minister – the UK should not follow the example of the French. Given Sir Keir's unusually warm personal relationship with President Trump, he is at least more likely than the French president to be able to exert some pressure on the Americans to persuade Israel to end the hunger, arrange a ceasefire, and set the initial conditions for progress towards peace, unlikely as that may feel now. Had the British government immediately recognised full Palestinian statehood, Mr Trump would probably have addressed Sir Keir in similar, if not earthier, terms to those used by Secretary Rubio about the French: 'This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th.' As a matter of fact, the diplomatic recognition of Palestine by France and other countries has been prompted more by the way in which Israel has conducted its war in Gaza, and failed to control illegal settlement in the West Bank, than by any desire to appease Hamas terrorists. If, in other words, Israel's military invasion had concluded by, say, the end of 2023, and there'd been no famine or systematic destruction of civilian infrastructure, France and the others would not have felt impelled to 'do something'; to recognise Palestine while there is still something to recognise. And President Macron was careful to make his announcement to Palestine's president Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, and not to Hamas. He also, correctly, demanded the return of the hostages. Britain was the last colonial power in Palestine, and for Britain to recognise its independence would, arguably, have a particular political impact. But it would not, realistically, make much difference on the ground today. Bluntly, it would not save the life of a single Palestinian infant suffering from chronic malnutrition, whereas pressure from President Trump on Tel Aviv at least carries some prospect of opening up access for humanitarian aid. Such limited diplomatic leverage as post-Brexit Britain possesses in this region must of necessity be used to the best advantage of the people of Palestine. So, heartbreaking as the striking images coming out of Gaza undoubtedly are – and they stand as prima facie evidence of war crimes – Sir Keir should resist the pressure to take this step, because it would make zero difference now, and could well make matters worse. Gestures that bring change and are well-timed are more useful to the Palestinians than are the futile variety. That said, the prime minister will find it difficult to manage his party on this issue, once the Commons reassembles and he must face the Labour conference. A substantial number of his backbench MPs have already openly declared that the UK must recognise Palestine. This sentiment is reflected in other parties, including among some Conservatives, as is also evidenced in the latest report by the foreign affairs select committee. Some of Sir Keir's senior colleagues, such as Wes Streeting and Peter Kyle, have made little secret of their own impatience about the recognition of Palestinian statehood. The foreign secretary, David Lammy, may not be far behind; he is plainly exhausted by having to stick to the government's line. The trend points to Sir Keir being defeated on the Palestine question in the Commons and at his own party conference. Given that diplomacy sits firmly within the royal prerogative, such votes cannot force him to do anything, outside making an extraordinary 'humble address' to the monarch to instruct his ministers to do so. Yet such manoeuvrings would weaken his already diminished authority further. In defence, Sir Keir can also point to the text of the Labour manifesto commitment, much referred to, which is deliberately ambiguous and does not pledge immediate recognition: 'We are committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.' For the moment, the prime minister is not alone in the G7 – Germany has also declined to join with France – and he does have support in the House, including from most of the Conservatives. However, on Palestine, as with welfare reform and much else, he will need to work harder than ever this autumn to win the argument.
