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Starmer focused on grooming victims not ‘grandstanding', says Reeves

Starmer focused on grooming victims not ‘grandstanding', says Reeves

Yahoo2 days ago

Sir Keir Starmer has been focused on the 'victims' of grooming gangs and not 'grandstanding', Rachel Reeves has suggested, after the Prime Minister committed to a national inquiry.
The Chancellor said that Sir Keir has been looking at 'actually doing the practical things to ensure that something like this never happens again'.
After initially resisting pressure to implement a full probe, the Prime Minister said he had read 'every single word' of an independent report into child sexual exploitation by Baroness Louise Casey and would accept her recommendation for the investigation.
Home Secretary Yvette Cooper is set to address Parliament on Monday about the findings of the review.
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage described the move as a 'welcome U-turn', while Kemi Badenoch called on him to apologise for 'six wasted months'.
Asked whether the Prime Minister had changed his mind about the idea of a national inquiry, the Chancellor told the Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg programme: 'I think Keir Starmer, our Prime Minister, has always been really focused, as he was when he was director of public prosecutions, on the victims and not grandstanding.
'But actually doing the practical things to ensure that something like this never happens again, but also to ensure that the victims of this horrific abuse over many, many years is got to grips with and that people have answers to their questions.'
Earlier this year, the Government dismissed calls for a public inquiry, saying its focus was on putting in place the outstanding recommendations already made in a seven-year national inquiry by Professor Alexis Jay.
Shadow chancellor Sir Mel Stride criticised the Government's 'very late' decision to launch the inquiry, and claimed it had only come after pressure from the Tories.
Sir Mel told BBC One's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg: 'It's a very late decision – it should have happened far, far earlier.
'We've been calling for this for many, many months.'
He accused Sir Keir of previously dismissing concerns from senior Tory figures.
'Kemi Badenoch, Chris Philp and others have been derided by the Prime Minister for hopping on some kind of far-right bandwagon, dog-whistle politics and the rest of it,' Sir Mel said.
'That was the wrong response. This is just another example of the Prime Minister being pressurised by us into U-turning.'
The inquiry will be able to compel witnesses to give evidence, and it is understood that it will be national in scope, co-ordinating a series of targeted local investigations.
Speaking to reporters travelling with him on his visit to Canada on Saturday, the Prime Minister said: 'I have never said we should not look again at any issue.
'I have wanted to be assured that on the question of any inquiry.
'That's why I asked Louise Casey who I hugely respect to do an audit.
'Her position when she started the audit was that there was not a real need for a national inquiry over and above what was going on.
'She has looked at the material she has looked at and she has come to the view that there should be a national inquiry on the basis of what she has seen.
'I have read every single word of her report and I am going to accept her recommendation.
'That is the right thing to do on the basis of what she has put in her audit.'

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UK-US trade deal is ‘done', Donald Trump says as he meets Keir Starmer at G7
UK-US trade deal is ‘done', Donald Trump says as he meets Keir Starmer at G7

Yahoo

time38 minutes ago

  • Yahoo

UK-US trade deal is ‘done', Donald Trump says as he meets Keir Starmer at G7

The UK-US trade deal has been signed and is 'done', US President Donald Trump said as he met with Sir Keir Starmer at the G7 summit. The Prime Minister said the completed deal 'implements on car tariffs and aerospace', and described the agreement as a 'sign of strength' between Britain and America. However, as the two leaders met at the G7 summit in Kananaskis, Alberta, there was a signal from the President that agreement about tariffs on British steel exports to the US could take longer to finalise. 'We're gonna let you have that information in little while,' he said when asked by reporters about steel tariffs. In recent months, the UK has held a series of engagements aimed at securing a reduction in the tariffs Mr Trump imposed on Britain and the rest of the world on April 2. Along with 10% tariffs on all British goods, the President imposed 25% levies on cars and steel. He later increased the tariff on steel to 50%, but gave the UK a reprieve, keeping its rate at 25% until at least July 9. Under the broad terms of last month's agreement, the US is set to implement quotas that will effectively eliminate the tariff on British steel and reduce the tariff on UK vehicles to 10%. Sir Keir signalled to reporters that the car and aerospace elements of the deal had been finalised. As they met, the PM told the US President: 'Donald, thank you very much. This now implements on car tariffs and aerospace. A really important agreement. And so this is a very good day for both of our countries, a real sign of strength.' While uncertainty remains about American tariffs on UK steel, the US president claimed Britain was protected from other tariffs in future. He told reporters: 'The UK is very well protected, you know why? Because I like them.' As the pair exited a mountain lodge in the Canadian Rockies where the summit is being held, Mr Trump held up a physical copy of the trade agreement to show reporters. Several leaves of paper fell from the binding, and Sir Keir quickly stooped to pick them up, saying: 'A very important document.' The US president also appeared to mistakenly refer to a 'trade agreement with the European Union' at one point as he stood alongside the British Prime Minister. The terms of the deal were agreed in May, but neither side had yet taken the necessary steps to reduce tariffs. Reports have since suggested the US could also push for the NHS to pay more for American drugs in exchange for softened tariffs, with White House sources telling the Telegraph the service would be expected to pay higher prices. Downing Street insisted the Government will 'only ever sign trade agreements that align with the UK's national interests' but did not rule out discussing the issue with Washington. As he visits Canada for the G7 summit, the Prime Minister finds himself walking a diplomatic tightrope as he seeks to strengthen ties with the host nation, while keeping the US president – who has repeatedly threatened to annex the country – on side. On Sunday, Downing Street confirmed efforts to revive stalled trade negotiations between London and Ottawa after a bilateral meeting between Sir Keir and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney. In warm words at the top of the talks, the UK leader challenged Mr Trump's call for Canada to become a '51st state', speaking of the importance of Britain's relationship with the country as 'independent, democratic sovereign countries'. The Prime Minister was also insistent that a nuclear submarine deal between the UK, US and Australia, called Aukus, is 'very important' to both the US and the UK, and suggested it is proceeding despite Washington launching a review into the pact. He said: 'We're proceeding with that, it's a really important deal to both of us. 'I think the president is doing a review, we did a review when we came into government, and that makes good sense to me.' As they attend the summit, Sir Keir and his fellow world leaders are locked in a week of intense diplomacy amid the spiralling conflict in the Middle East and the war in Ukraine. The Prime Minister joined Italian Premier Giorgia Meloni, French President Emmanuel Macron, Mr Carney and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz for a glass of wine and informal discussions on Sunday night. Downing Street dismissed suggestions the get-together had been a 'Trump-handling' exercise to proof the summit against the US president's unpredictability as leaders seek to put on a united front in the face of heightened global instability.

Vanguard, BlackRock Map Out Global ETF Ambitions
Vanguard, BlackRock Map Out Global ETF Ambitions

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Vanguard, BlackRock Map Out Global ETF Ambitions

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Trump, Starmer detail US-UK trade pact
Trump, Starmer detail US-UK trade pact

The Hill

time42 minutes ago

  • The Hill

Trump, Starmer detail US-UK trade pact

President Trump and United Kingdom Prime Minister Keir Starmer detailed the trade deal between the United States and the U.K. a month after the two trading partners announced the agreement. While at the Group of Seven (G-7) summit in Canada, Trump said the agreement is 'a great deal for both, going to produce a lot of jobs, a lot of income,' adding that he thinks there will be 'many, many other ones coming' when it comes to trade deals with countries. Trump opened a folder to show the press the order on the US-UK trade deal, which the White House later released. Several pages fell out and onto the ground, prompting Starmer to joke, 'Very important document.' The deal includes 'billions of dollars of increased market access for American exports, especially for beef, ethanol, and certain other American agricultural exports,' according to the order, and includes that the U.S. will create an annual quota of 100,000 cars for U.K. imports at a 10 percent tariff rate. The 10-percent rate is a decrease from the 25-percent rate announced on March 26, which marks a win for the British car industry. The order also includes that the U.K. committed to 'working to meet American requirements on the security of the supply chains of steel and aluminum products,' which would prompt the U.S. to 'promptly construct a quota at most-favored-nation rates for steel and aluminum articles.' Additionally, the U.S. and the U.K agreed to 'negotiate significantly preferential treatment outcomes on pharmaceuticals and pharmaceutical ingredients' that are U.K products. The two countries agreed to adopt a new approach to addressing national security concerns and Section 232 tariffs, which are a national security tariff. 'To that end, the United States and the United Kingdom further committed to strengthen aerospace and aircraft manufacturing supply chains by establishing tariff-free bilateral trade in certain aerospace products,' the order said. Trump first announced the agreement in early May, and although it was in the works before Trump imposed reciprocal tariffs on trading partners, it was considered the first deal during the 90-day pause on hefty tariffs. The administration has been working towards making agreements with other trading partners before the July 8 deadline, but Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent suggested in testimony to lawmakers on Capitol Hill last week that the date could have some wiggle room for certain countries.

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