How could the vote on welfare reform play out?
The prime minister had hoped that a huge U-turn — protecting all existing benefit claimants from the changes, at a cost of £3 billion — would be enough to stave off a mass revolt. That looks increasingly unlikely, however, as many backbenchers still have reservations about how the proposals will hit future claimants.
Starmer will embark on a charm offensive on Tuesday in an effort to win over the rebels. How could the day play out?
The charm offensive works. By engaging directly with the rebels — something Starmer has been criticised for failing to do — the prime minister and his team succeed in whittling down their numbers to a dozen or so on the left.
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The Sun
31 minutes ago
- The Sun
Major British bank with five million customers set to be sold to high street rival after days of speculation
A MAJOR British bank with five million customers is set to be sold to a high street rival after days of speculation. Santander have agreed a deal to acquire TSB from Sabadell for a whopping £2.65billion. 2 2 The bank beat British rival Barclays which also put in a formal bid for the Sabadell-owned unit, according to sources. Santander intends to integrate TSB in the Santander UK group, meaning it would become the second largest bank in the country by personal current account balances. However, the final transaction remains subject to regulatory approvals and Sabadell shareholder approval. The full transaction is expected to be completed in the first quarter of 2026. TSB already boasts a nationwide network of 218 branches and outlets, and a growing digital presence. It serves approximately 5 million customers, primarily in the personal and small business segments, with £34 billion in mortgages and £35 billion in deposits. But with the latest buyout news, TSB combined with Santander would serve nearly 28 million retail and business customers nationwide. And TSB customers will also have access to Santander's international network in a massive boost. This means they can benefit from the group's leading technology platforms. The latest acquisition appears to be another win for Santander as the company strengthens its position in one of its core markets. It comes as Sabadell, which bought TSB in 2015 for £1.7bn, is seeking to fend off an billion-pound hostile approach from its domestic rival BBVA. Santander has in the past year entertained bids from both NatWest and Barclays for its UK retail arm - but ultimately rejected both offers due to disagreements over price. Ana Botín, Banco Santander's executive chair, said: "The acquisition of TSB represents a continuing strategic commitment to our customers in the UK, offering a compelling opportunity that is financially attractive to our shareholders and aligned with Santander's long-term objectives. "It strengthens our franchise in a core market through the acquisition of a low-risk and complementary business that adds to our diversification. "We are creating a stronger and more competitive business across key products such as personal current accounts where the combined business will become the second largest bank in the UK by market share. "The transaction will accelerate our path to greater profitability in the UK and helps achieve a return on tangible equity of 16% by 2028. "The acquisition also reflects our commitment to growing profitably through disciplined capital allocation. This acquisition meets our goal of achieving a return on investment above 20% and EPS accretion from year 1, while consuming limited capital and having low execution risk. "Furthermore, the transaction will not affect Santander's existing distribution policy and 2025 targets.' Meanwhile, CEO of Santander UK, Mike Regnier said: "This is an excellent deal for customers combining two strong and complementary banks, creating one of the most substantial banks in the UK and materially enhancing the competitiveness of the industry. 'At Santander UK we have momentum in our strategy to become the best bank for customers in the UK by investing in technology and service and improving our processes and efficiency. "This deal accelerates our transformation allowing us to enhance our customer proposition and invest more in innovative products and our digital offering, supported by the human touch service so many appreciate, not least in our new branch formats and enhancements across the country. 'We are fully committed to ensuring a seamless integration, by leveraging our market leading technology and significant experience. "Maintaining the highest levels of service for customers across both banks will be a key priority and we will support all colleagues through the transition, as we invest in building a stronger bank for the future'.
The Guardian
31 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Palestine Action spraying paint is not terrorism. As ministers abuse their powers, I feel a duty to speak out
Strongly worded emails are not doing it. Appeals to MPs are not doing it. Taking to the streets in our hundreds of thousands with banners and placards is not working. Elected representatives from every party in parliament have stood in the Commons and asked the government to act. Some government ministers themselves have condemned Israel's starvation of Palestinians in Gaza. Every poll of public opinion shows that the nation demands we stop arming Israel, and wants to see an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire. But none of these things are working. Keir Starmer and his cabinet remain impervious to all calls for humanitarian intervention, and Israel is still killing children in Gaza with the support of the British government. To proscribe as 'terrorist' a non-violent direct action group such as Palestine Action threatens the fundamental rights of freedom of expression, and of peaceful protest. Surely the government should only ever apply the Terrorism Act with the utmost restraint and precision. Otherwise it allows the state to repress civil liberties that have been dearly fought for and won, and which represent the bedrock of our democracy. Those civil liberties have already come under real and dangerous threat. The powers given to the police have incrementally increased to an alarming degree, owing in part to the Terrorism Act of 2000 and the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act of 2022. These have both led to the right of public protest being seriously eroded, and afforded the police much greater powers and significantly less accountability. We have for some time seen these powers being used to suppress lawful protest and to detain peaceful protesters. In addition, leaving aside its members, the proscription of Palestine Action will directly affect many other activists who are deeply concerned about the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza. Even to be seen to support PA's non-violent direct action will be to risk being criminalised. The government's response to embarrassing security breaches at RAF bases by Palestine Action seems disproportionate, and highlights, I think, the influence on them of vested interests. There has long been a campaign by senior rightwing politicians, arms company executives and pro-Israel lobby groups to shut down Palestine Action and have it proscribed. Lockheed Martin UK is a key manufacturer of parts for the F-35 fighter jets that have helped Israel flatten the Gaza Strip, kill more than 56,000 people and create more child amputees per capita than anywhere else in the world. The government ended direct sales to Israel of some weapons, but created an 'F-35 exemption' allowing sales of these parts to continue to reach Israel via the US, where the planes are assembled. The Israeli arms manufacturer Elbit Systems also operates on UK soil, and our government has lucrative bilateral deals with the company. As far back as 2022 the then home secretary, Priti Patel, held a meeting with Martin Fausset, the CEO of Elbit Systems in the UK, to discuss how to deal with Palestine Action. The definition of terrorism as laid out in the Terrorism Act of 2000 is clear, and includes 'serious damage to property'. Does spraying red paint on to metal constitute serious damage? The condemnation of this spraying of red paint on to planes as expressed by the home secretary, Yvette Cooper, does not appear to be matched by any equivalent condemnation by her of red blood sprayed on to the tented walls of Gaza. So yes, crimes concerning damage to property have been committed, but there are already laws in place to deal with them. Labelling these as terrorism only serves to deepen the UK government's complicity in the war crimes being committed in Palestine. In a further act of desperation, efforts have been made to try to undermine the motives of Palestine Action by making a tenuous link to Iran, with unnamed Home Office sources telling newspapers it is investigating the group's finances. Smear campaigns such as this are part of a wider policy by government to intimidate and clamp down on dissent. I have had a small taste of this myself. On 18 January, I attended a rally in Whitehall organised by Stop the War – and noticed immediately that the tactics of the police that day seemed to be markedly different. Present in their thousands, they were already kettling people at the start of the event, and behaving in a manner that seemed aggressive and provocative. The march to the BBC, which had been planned to protest against its coverage of the conflict, had been prohibited by the Met at short notice, and the gathering was confined to Whitehall. I was asked to join a group of about 12 people who would form a symbolic delegation, and request passage through police lines to reach the BBC. There we planned to lay flowers at the door. Reaching the police lines, after some hesitation and resistance, an officer allowed us through. Shortly after that, however, our progress was curtailed by another police line. It was here that I saw at close hand the disproportionate tactics used by police. I witnessed further vanloads of police arriving in the area, kettling peaceful protesters and making numerous arrests – 77 in total that day. Three weeks later I was sent a letter from the Met threatening me with charges under section 14 of the Public Order Act. I then faced a three-hour police interview, before being told after several weeks (and several thousand pounds of legal fees) that I would face no further action. Over the past 21 months, I have met many hundreds of people who come out – often travelling long distances – to protest against this genocide. Old people and young, people of every faith, race, generation and ethnic identity. They come in horror at the brutality being inflicted on the population of Gaza. And many of those in our midst are Jewish. But still we are accused by lobby groups of antisemitism. This I disregard; I am married to a Jewish man, whose mother was a refugee from Hitler's Vienna. She escaped just in time in 1938 as a refugee, and most of her family were subsequently wiped out in the Holocaust. My children define themselves as Jewish, and we have many beloved Jewish friends, all of whom are appalled by the activities of Benjamin Netanyahu, his government and the Israel Defense Forces. These Jewish friends are people driven by compassion, humanity and a sense of right and wrong that will not yield to intimidation. In Gaza, the world is watching the most heinous acts of violence that I have witnessed in my lifetime. It is as if the skin has been ripped off the face of humanity to reveal terrifying depths of sadism and depravity. I am intensely aware of this thought: I do not want to find myself at the end of my life looking back at this time regretting that I could have done something and didn't – that I was too frightened to speak out, or to act. Palestine Action and its supporters will have no such regrets. Our current British government, however, may well. Juliet Stevenson is an award-winning actor Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here.
The Independent
37 minutes ago
- The Independent
Two arrests after Palestine Action claims blocking Israeli defence firm UK site
Two arrests have been made after soon-to-be banned direct action group Palestine Action claimed to have blockaded the entrance of an Israeli defence company's UK headquarters. It comes ahead of proposed legislation that will ban the group under anti-terror law. Avon and Somerset Police said a 30-year-old woman and a 36-year-old man, both from London, have been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage, unauthorised entry to a prohibited place and locking onto a person, object or land to cause serious disruption. Earlier on Tuesday, a Palestine Action spokesperson said activists had blocked the entrance to Elbit Systems in Bristol, and covered it in red paint 'to symbolise Palestinian bloodshed'. Avon and Somerset Police said officers were called to the site at around 6.30am. A spokeswoman said: 'Two people have been arrested following a small protest outside a premises at the Aztec West Business Park, in Almondsbury. 'They remain in police custody and inquiries are ongoing. 'We're committed to facilitating people's right to peaceful protest, but will not tolerate any criminal behaviour.' The incident comes as a draft order was laid before Parliament on Monday to amend the Terrorism Act 2000 to include Palestine Action as a proscribed organisation. If approved, it would become a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison to be a member of the direct action group or to support it. MPs and peers are expected to debate the legislation on Wednesday and Thursday and, if approved, the ban could come into force by Friday. A Palestine Action spokesperson said: 'While the Government is rushing through Parliament absurd legislation to proscribe Palestine Action, the real terrorism is being committed in Gaza. 'Palestine Action affirms that direct action is necessary in the face of Israel's ongoing crimes against humanity of genocide, apartheid, and occupation, and to end British facilitation of those crimes.' The group also occupied the rooftop of UK subcontractor Guardtech Group, the spokesperson added. Officers are also at the scene at the site in Brandon, Suffolk. A Suffolk Police spokesman said: 'Officers and specialist negotiators are currently at the location and our immediate priority is to bring this to a conclusion and to ensure the safety of everyone at the scene.' Palestine Action is seeking a legal challenge against the Government's bid to proscribe it, with a hearing expected on Friday to decide whether the ban can be temporarily blocked, pending further proceedings to decide whether a legal challenge can be brought. Commenting on the proscription on Monday, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'The right to protest and the right to free speech are the cornerstone of our democracy and there are countless campaign groups that freely exercise those rights. 'Violence and serious criminal damage has no place in legitimate protests.'
