Starmer about to face Badenoch at last PMQs before summer recess
Date: 11:52 BST
Title: MPs pack the Commons to catch a glimpse of PMQs
Content: Joshua NevettReporting from the House of Commons
The green benches in the House of Commons are filling up, as MPs take their seats ahead of Prime Minister's Questions.
I'll be watching from the gallery above.
It's Tory leader Kemi Badenoch's last chance to make some political waves at PMQs before the summer recess.
So, what could come up this week?
The Afghan data breach (see more detail here) is the talk of Westminster today. It's likely MPs will raise this.As for other topics, the rise in inflation, new data on the immigration status of universal credit claimants, and the two-child cap on benefits could also be in the mix.
As ever, though, it's a guessing game at this point.
Update:
Date: 11:47 BST
Title: What's happening with inflation?
Content: As we've been reporting, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) published its monthly update this morning - and it showed that inflation rose to 3.6% in the year to June.
Inflation is the increase in the price of something over time - if a bottle of milk costs £1 but is £1.05 a year later, then annual milk inflation is 5%.
How are these figures calculated?
The ONS takes a representative sample of more then 700 goods and services - including things like flour, pork chops, streaming services and cereal - to calculate the figure.
Changes in the prices of these products are regularly checked at around 20,000 shops across the country.
Why does this matter for Starmer?
Labour was elected on a pledge to reduce the cost of living for ordinary people, and this news comes a few days after separate figures revealed the economy shrank unexpectedly in May.
Last week, Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused Keir Starmer of letting inflation rise on his watch.
Update:
Date: 11:40 BST
Title: Red binder in hand, Starmer makes his way to Parliament
Content: Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been seen leaving 10 Downing Street, and we all know where he's headed: the House of Commons.
Update:
Date: 11:33 BST
Title: The Afghan data breach: What you need to know
Content: Here's a bit more on the data breach we mentioned in our last post, after it was discovered that thousands of Afghans have quietly been relocated to the UK since the Taliban seized power of their country.
The leak: The scheme was prompted by a security leak in 2022, where a British official inadvertently leaked the data of almost 19,000 people who had applied to move to the UK after the Taliban seized power in Afghanistan.
The injunction: The reason we're only hearing about this now is because the government first heard about the leak in 2023, when some details were posted on Facebook, and subsequently obtained a super-injunction stopping it from becoming public. On Tuesday, the order was lifted.
The scheme: So far, 4,500 Afghans have arrived in the UK, with more expected. It's being closed down, has cost £400m, and is expected to cost a further £400-450m. The Ministry of Defence believes 600 Afghan soldiers included in the leak, plus 1,800 of their family members, are still in Afghanistan.
The response: Defence Secretary John Healey has offered a "sincere apology" to those whose details had been included in the leak. Former defence secretary Ben Wallace has said he makes "no apology" for stopping the reporting of the leak.
This file photo from August 2021 shows UK and Turkish coalition forces, and the US Marines, assisting a child during the withdrawal of Nato troops from Afghanistan
Update:
Date: 11:26 BST
Title: Macron, Trump, immigration and inflation - a visual guide to the past seven days in politics
Content: The King hosted French President Emmanuel Macron on a state visit last week. Macron then joined PM Keir Starmer for a UK-France summit on the relationship between the two countries - they spoke about Ukraine, migrants and trade
At the summit, Macron and Starmer revealed a new deal to stop small boats. The UK will return migrants to France in a "one in, one out" deal which will see the UK accept an equal number of asylum seekers after security checks
Just this morning, new figures revealed that inflation unexpectedly jumped to 3.6% in June (up from 3.4% in May), marking the steepest rise in inflation since January 2024
In other news for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, the MPs' watchdog has concluded she inadvertently breached parliamentary rules by missing the deadline for declaring a gift of two National Theatre tickets - Reeves had referred herself to the commissioner
Meanwhile, it's been revealed that around 4,500 Afghans have been resettled in the UK as part of a secret scheme set up after a British official inadvertently leaked their data. Until this week, the existence of the leak and relocations were kept secret after the government obtained a super-injunction stopping it from becoming public. Former defence secretary Ben Wallace says he makes "no apology" for stopping the reporting
And it's been announced that US President Donald Trump will meet First Minister John Swinney and Prime Minister Keir Starmer when he visits Scotland - on a "private" trip later this month
Update:
Date: 11:20 BST
Title: The last PMQs of the season - welcome along
Content: Imogen JamesLive reporter
We're gearing up for the last Prime Minister's Questions for more than a month, as MPs prepare to enjoy Parliament's summer recess - starting next week (they'll return on 1 September).
As ever, we don't know exactly what line of questioning Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch will pursue when she's up against the PM, but there are many topics to choose from after a busy week:
When the time comes, you'll be able to watch Badenoch's questions and the PM's responses live at the top of the page. We'll also bring you live updates, analysis and reaction on all the key moments, so stick with us.
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The Independent
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The inside story of how Starmer seized back control of Labour - but with a risk
On Wednesday afternoon, York Central MP Rachael Maskell like most MPs was winding down, getting ready for a long summer recess to recharge, take stock and come back refreshed. Many of her colleagues were hitting the summer drinks circuit in Westminster with dreams of the various beaches in different corners of the Mediterranean they will be heading to in the very near future. But Ms Maskell got a call out of the blue asking her to go and see the Labour chief whip Sir Alan Campbell immediately. Starmer strikes back She was to discover that the prime minister - after discussion with his closest allies - had decided to strike. The talk of deputy prime minister Angela Rayner or possibly health secretary Wes Streeting replacing him had got too much. And it was clear after the welfare rebellion - which Ms Maskell had reluctantly in the end led - that he had lost control and needed to restore it. The plan to make examples of a few troublemakers was, it is claimed by one source, 'cooked up at Chequers' between him, Sir Alan and chief of staff Morgan McSweeney when senior ministers, key staff and others were called in to have a much needed reset. It was perhaps also a message to the MPs - if one was needed - that their demands for McSweeney to be sacked would not be heeded and he still wields influence over this government. The meeting with the chief whip on Wednesday afternoon was short with Ms Maskell discovering that she and three other colleagues - Neil Duncan-Jordan, Brian Leishman and Chris Hinchliff - had been suspended from the parliamentary Labour Party. Three others lost their trade envoy roles. 'I was very shocked,' Ms Maskell admitted to The Independent. 'I had no warning at all. I had no idea that this was coming, and I think that doesn't make for good party management, they should have engaged. There was no pre-warning.' The York Central MP had ended up being one of the leading welfare reform rebels, proposing a reasoned amendment on the day when Sir Keir had been forced to make a humiliating second U-turn and essentially cancel £5bn of disability benefit savings to avoid defeat. An interesting briefing went out that the four had been chosen for "persistent k*** headery' - put in normal English it meant they were serial rebels. Normally suspensions of the whip for rebels take place in the immediate aftermath of a vote - and there were 49 Labour MPs who voted against their government, 45 of whom have not been suspended. A rebellion 'by the book' Ms Maskell admitted to being stunned by the whole surprise strike. During her opposition to the welfare reform she thought she had played it by the book. 'I reached out to Number 10, I wrote to Keir Starmer a couple of times, I engaged with ministers, I wrote to the chief whip. There was never any indication that there would be any ramifications for this.' 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