Newscast Labour v The Unions
Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner was yesterday suspended by the union - and Unite's General Secretary Sharon Graham says Labour should be 'seriously concerned' after the union voted to potentially rethink its relationship with the party, which could result in it formally cutting ties and funding.
And Paddy and Laura give an update on what we know what happened to the Air India plane crash that killed 260 people in June.
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Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Laura Kuenssberg and Paddy O'Connell. It was made by Chris Gray with Gabriel Purcell-Davis. The social producers were Sophie Millward. The technical producer was Antonio Fernandes. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.
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BBC News
22 minutes ago
- BBC News
Electric car purchases will be cheaper, pledges Heidi Alexander
The government will make it cheaper to buy an electric car (EV) in a bid to get more drivers to make the switch, the Transport Secretary has Alexander was responding to reports suggesting the government will offer drivers thousands of pounds in grants to cut the price of buying an without driveways will be able to have charge points fitted using "cross-pavement gullies" paid for with £25m allocated to councils, she told the BBC's Sunday with Laura Conservatives welcomed the investment but accused the government of "forcing families" into "expensive electric vehicles before the country was ready". "We are going to be making some announcements later this week on how we make it more affordable for people to buy an electric vehicle," Alexander pushed on whether this would come in the form of hundreds of millions of pounds in EV grants, as reports suggested, Alexander refused to say."I can guarantee to your viewers that we will be making it cheaper for those who do want to make the switch to an electric vehicle, " she Department for Transport would not comment comes after Alexander told the Telegraph the high cost of electric vehicles was making people wary, saying "It was right that the government thinks in the round about what we can do to tackle both of the issues, on charging and on the upfront cost of purchase."Richard Fuller MP, shadow chief Secretary to the Treasury, accused Labour of "forcing families into more expensive electric vehicles before the country is ready." 'I don't have an electric car' The reports come as the government said it would invest £63m to boost charging infrastruture across the UK. Alexander admitted she did not have an electric vehicle herself, adding that she lived in a terraced house without a driveway."I don't have an electric car... like millions of people in this country - I bought a new car about six years ago, I'm thinking about the next car that I will purchase and it will definitely be an electric vehicle," she said. Some 21.6% of new cars sold during the first half of the year were electric, according to the latest figures from the UK motor trade association the figures remain well below the mandated targets manufacturers have been set, ahead of the ban on selling new petrol and diesel cars which comes into effect in April, Alexander announced manufacturers would have more flexibility on annual targets and face lower fines to allow them to manage the impact of trade tariffs from the US.
Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Starmer rejects Johnson's Brexit jet for smaller plane
The RAF jet that was resprayed in Union Jack colours by Boris Johnson at a cost of £800,000 has been sidelined by Sir Keir Starmer. The Vespina Voyager, an air-to-air refuelling plane, was given a patriotic upgrade by the former prime minister in 2020 and compared to the US president's Air Force One. But it has now been reported that the jet has not been used for VIP flights for two years, while Sir Keir has used a smaller plane for trips to visit other world leaders. The Sunday Mirror reported that the Vespina has only been used as a refuelling aircraft since Labour took office, despite its new paint job to make it suitable for transporting the prime minister. Mr Johnson ordered the plane to be resprayed in white, with a Union Flag on the tail and a blue swoosh on the fuselage. The upgrade cost almost £900,000, and was defended by Downing Street at the time as a livery that would 'better represent the UK around the world with national branding'. Sir Keir has instead opted to fly in the smaller government Airbus A321-2NX, which was also used by the King and Queen for their trip to Canada earlier this year. The smaller plane is leased from Titan Airways, rather than being wholly owned by the British Armed Forces. It is also decked out in red, white and blue paint, and has been rented by the Cabinet Office since 2021. Meanwhile, the RAF Voyager has been used solely for refuelling military aircraft over the North Sea, which a spokesman described as its 'primary role'. The jet, nicknamed the 'Brexit Plane', has no need to be painted in national colours when performing that role. Other RAF Voyagers are painted grey. The plane is based at RAF Brize Norton, where Palestine Action protesters last month attacked planes with red paint. The red, white and blue jet was not affected by the protest, which has resulted in Palestine Action being named as a proscribed terrorist group by the Home Office. Sir Keir described the protest as 'disgraceful', but the stunt appears to have increased the group's popularity. More than 70 people have been arrested at protests against the decision to proscribe Palestine Action, including 42 people in London on Saturday. An RAF spokesman told The Telegraph: 'The RAF Vespina Voyager continues to be available for all roles including its primary role of AAR [air-to-air refuelling] and when required VIP flights.'
The Guardian
27 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Most people in France, Germany, Italy and Spain would support UK rejoining EU, poll finds
A decade after MPs voted to hold the referendum that led to Britain leaving the European Union, a poll has found majorities in the bloc's four largest member states would support the UK rejoining – but not on the same terms it had before. The YouGov survey of six western European countries, including the UK, also confirms that a clear majority of British voters now back the country rejoining the bloc – but only if it can keep the opt-outs it previously enjoyed. The result, the pollster said, was a 'public opinion impasse', even if there seems precious little likelihood, for the time being, of the UK's Labour government, which this year negotiated a 'reset' with the bloc, attempting a return to the EU. YouGov's EuroTrack survey showed that at least half of people asked across the four largest EU nations – France, Germany, Italy and Spain – supported the UK being allowed to rejoin, with percentages ranging from 51% in Italy to 63% in Germany. Asked whether Britain should be allowed back in on the same conditions it enjoyed when it left, including not having to adopt the euro currency and remaining outside the Schengen passport-free zone, the numbers changed significantly. Only one-fifth of respondents across the four biggest EU members, from 19% in Italy and France to 21% in Spain and 22% in Germany, felt the UK should be allowed return as if it had never left, with 58-62% saying it must be part of all main EU policy areas. The pollster stress-tested western European attitudes by asking whether, if the UK was only willing to rejoin the EU on condition it could keep its old opt-outs, it should be allowed to. Some (33-36%) felt this would be OK, but more (41-52%) were opposed. In the UK, while 54% of Britons supported rejoining the EU when asked the question in isolation, the figure fell to just 36% if rejoining meant giving up previous opt-outs. On those terms, 45% of Britons opposed renewed membership. The survey found that remain voters and those who backed more pro-EU parties would still broadly back rejoining if this meant adopting the euro and being part of the Schengen area, albeit at much lower rates. Almost 60% of remain voters said they would support rejoining the EU without the previous opt-outs, down about 25 percentage points from the non-specific question, as would 58% of Labour voters (-23 points) and 49% of Liberal Democrats (-31 points). Sign up to First Edition Our morning email breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion The percentage of Eurosceptic voters willing to rejoin without the previous special treatment more or less halved, falling from 21% to 10% among leave voters; 25% to 12% among Conservative voters, and 15% to 9% among Reform UK supporters. The fifth continental European country polled, Denmark, proved an outlier. Respondents there were very keen (72%) for the UK to rejoin, and more enthusiastic than larger member states about it keeping its previous opt-outs (43%). Denmark, however, is one of only three EU member states to hold opt-outs in major EU policy areas. The survey also found that large majorities in all five continental countries (63-75%) would support an independent Scotland joining the EU.
