Leaving the ECHR can become Badenoch's big cause
In a sun-kissed, cosy Westminster attic this week, a firing pistol went off on the next general election. Try not to feel too exhausted, given that polling day is likely to be a long four years away. But what was debated in the offices of Policy Exchange, the venerable think tank, will matter greatly come 2028-29. With the launch of its new commission, The Future of Human Rights Law, serious work is under way on what is likely to be a defining issue in the next campaign.
Immigration, in case you hadn't noticed, has become such a vast problem for successive governments that it is no longer just about controlling borders. It is rapidly coming to define what makes a competent administration. Sir Keir Starmer
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Daily Record
17 minutes ago
- Daily Record
UK to build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines in major defence shake-up
The UK will build up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines and invest £15 billion in its warhead programme. The UK is poised to construct up to 12 new nuclear-powered attack submarines and will pour £15 billion into its warhead programme, with the Prime Minister set to disclose these plans on Monday during the Government's strategic defence review. Major investments are queued for the UK's nuclear warhead programme this parliamentary session, along with commitments to maintain the current arsenal, as supported by 62 recommendations the Government aims to fully implement. However, there's been a debate over defence spending promises, after the Defence Secretary was unable to verify if the Treasury had secured budgeting to increase it to 3% of GDP by 2034. Part of the Aukus deal with the US and Australia, the creation of these submarines is projected to sustain 30,000 highly skilled jobs into the 2030s, along with generating 30,000 apprenticeships and 14,000 graduate positions over the forthcoming decade, according to the Ministry of Defence. Defence Secretary John Healey remarked: "Our outstanding submariners patrol 24/7 to keep us and our allies safe, but we know that threats are increasing and we must act decisively to face down Russian aggression. "With new state-of-the-art submarines patrolling international waters and our own nuclear warhead programme on British shores, we are making Britain secure at home and strong abroad, while delivering on our Plan for Change with 30,000 highly skilled jobs across the country." The £15 billion investment into the warhead programme will bolster the Government's pledges to sustain the continuous-at-sea nuclear deterrent, construct a new line of Dreadnought submarines, and facilitate all forthcoming enhancements. From the late 2030s, the array of up to 12 SSN-Aukus class attack submarines – conventionally armed yet nuclear-powered – are set to succeed the seven astute class submarines that the UK anticipates commissioning. The Government, in echoing the findings of the strategic defence review, has pledged to:. - Prepare the armed forces for readiness to engage in conflict should the need arise. - Enhance armament reserves and maintain scalability in production capacities to respond promptly in times of crisis or warfare. - Procure up to 7,000 domestically produced long-range missiles, a decision projected to preserve 800 jobs within the defence sector. - Establish a pioneering cyber command while committing £1 billion towards digital advancements. - Allocate an excess of £1.5 billion for refurbishing and updating service personnel accommodation. Sir Keir Starmer is expected to declare: "From the supply lines to the front lines, this Government is foursquare behind the men and women upholding our nation's freedom and security. "National security is the foundation of my Plan for Change, and this plan will ensure Britain is secure at home and strong abroad, while delivering a defence dividend of well-paid jobs up and down the country." The Shadow Defence Secretary, James Cartlidge, expressed scepticism regarding Labour's Strategic Defence Review promises, stating that they would be viewed with caution unless Labour could demonstrate that sufficient funding would be allocated. Labour's Shadow Defence Secretary, John Healey, had previously mentioned in an interview with The Times that there was "no doubt" the UK would achieve its goal of 3% defence spending. However, when questioned on the BBC's Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme, he sidestepped queries about whether the Treasury had provided any guarantees for the necessary funding. Healey also acknowledged that he did not anticipate an increase in the number of armed forces personnel until the next Parliament, citing ongoing recruitment and retention challenges. When asked about the Army's target of 73,000 personnel, he replied, "We've narrowed the gap, but we've still got more people leaving than joining. "The first job is to reverse that trend and then I want to see in the next parliament our ability to start to increase the number." In response, James Cartlidge argued, "All of Labour's Strategic Defence Review promises will be taken with a pinch of salt unless they can show there will actually be enough money to pay for them. "Whereas, far from guaranteeing the funding, John Healey has been hung out to dry by Rachel Reeves. "As recently as Thursday, Healey promised that defence spending would definitely hit 3%, but today he's completely backtracked. "These submarines are not due to enter service till the late 2030s, so how can we have any confidence Labour will actually deliver them when they can't even sustain a policy on defence spending for more than 48 hours?" Lib Dem defence spokesperson Helen Maguire commented: "This signals absolutely the right intent about the need to bolster the UK's defences in the face of Putin's imperialism and Trump's unreliability. "But this must come with a concrete commitment and detail on full funding. "Labour's mere 'ambition' rather than commitment to reach 3% of GDP on defence leaves serious questions about whether the money for these projects will actually be forthcoming. "The 2034 timeline suggests a worrying lack of urgency from the Government. "Unless Labour commits to holding cross-party talks on how to reach 3% much more rapidly than the mid-2030s, this announcement risks becoming a damp squib."
Sky News
22 minutes ago
- Sky News
Starmer puts UK on war footing
👉Listen to Politics at Sam and Anne's on your podcast app👈 Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics. This time last year, Labour and the Conservatives were in the throes of an era-defining election campaign that would end in Sir Keir Starmer winning an extraordinarily large majority. The Reform Party was little more than a buzzing bee amid the backdrop of the UK political landscape. Spin forward 12 months, and how much things have changed. June 2025 marks the start of a crucial month for Sir Keir's Labour Party, with decisions due across a number of departments that will shape the course of this political era. In the coming weeks, we'll see a security strategy, a 10-year NHS strategy, an industrial strategy, and much more - all tied to next week's spending review. Today, it's the turn of military spending, as Defence Secretary John Healey reveals his 'first of a kind' Strategic Defence Review.
Daily Record
31 minutes ago
- Daily Record
New plans to provide Winter Fuel Payments to more pensioners could be due next week
An update on Uk Government plans to issue the heating payment to 'more pensioners' could be given on June 11. Keir Starmer reveals partial U-turn on Winter Fuel Payment cut Details on when Winter Fuel Payments could be restored to more pensioners could be announced next week. The Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner, recently indicated the Spending Review by Chancellor Rachel Reeves on Wednesday, June 11 could be when an update is given. Limiting the annual payment of up to £300 to only those in receipt of a qualifying means-tested benefit such as Pension Credit or Universal Credit (for mixed age couples), was one of the earliest moves made by the Labour Government when it set out plans to deal with what it called a £22 billion 'black hole' in the public purse left behind by the outgoing Conservative government. Sir Keir Starmer recently said at Prime Minister's Questions that he wants to restore Winter Fuel Payments to 'more pensioners,' claiming the UK's improving economic prospects could allow for the move at the next 'fiscal event'. Many in Westminster took the PM's comments to mean the Budget in the Autumn, but Ms Rayner suggested it could come sooner during a recent appearance on Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on Sky News. She said: "I think that we've got the upcoming Spending Review, and I'm sure that the Chancellor will set it out when we've got the opportunity, at the first opportunity, she will set out what we'll be able to do.' Asked if this means details on the Winter Fuel Payment will definitely be announced at the Spending Review, Ms Rayner added: 'I don't know, but I hope so. 'I mean, the Prime Minister has announced it, so logically to me that indicates that the Prime Minister wants to do something in this area. And if the Prime Minister wants to do that, I'm sure the Chancellor is going to look at how we can achieve that.' Ministers are reportedly considering restoring the payment to all but the wealthiest pensioners, according to the Sunday Times, but could face delays rolling it out this winter due to ageing computer systems. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called for the immediate restoration of the Winter Fuel Payment when she appeared on the BBC's Sunday With Laura Kuenssberg, on May 25. She said: "We need to restore it right now. We would never have taken the winter fuel (payment) away. We kept it for 14 years - we brought in the Triple Lock - we look after pensioners.' By contrast, the Scottish Government announced earlier this year that all 1.1 million pensioners living north of the border would receive at least £100 this winter. First Minister John Swinney confirmed to the Daily Record last month that payments of either £100, £203 or £305 would be issued by St Andrew's Day on November 30. Options to reintroduce Winter Fuel Payments Full reversal One option would be a full reversal of the decision to strip the benefit from millions of pensioners. The decision to make it available only to those who claim pension credit last year meant those claiming Winter Fuel Payment fell by almost 90 per cent and saved around £1.5 billion a year, the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) estimates. Undoing last year's policy change would make some 11 million more households eligible and of course wipe out the £1.5 billion in savings. Create a specific threshold for Winter Fuel Payments Creating a new threshold and means test would allow households not on Pension Credit to apply directly for Winter Fuel Payments. Raising it 20 per cent above the Pension Credit threshold would cost around £100 million and see payments go to around 400,000 more families, according to the Resolution Foundation. One option would be to model this on Child Benefit by allowing all pensioner households to claim but then require those above a certain income level to pay some back via a self assessment tax return, the IFS notes. But there is a risk to adopting 'a clunky bureaucratic mechanism for what is, ultimately, a relatively small payment', IFS associate director Tom Waters warned. Expand entitlement to those who get disability or housing benefits Some 1.8 million more households could get Winter Fuel Payment at a cost of around £500 million per year if entitlement is extended to those on disability benefits, the IFS estimates. However, this would be more complicated to put in place in Scotland, where disability benefits are devolved. Extending eligibility to include those on housing and disability benefits would give support to 1.3 million more pensioner families at a cost of £300 million a year, the Resolution Foundation estimates. This would be an 'affordable' and 'sensible way forward', chief executive Ruth Curtice said. Pay Winter Fuel Payments to individuals, not households One difficulty in allocating the Winter Fuel Payment is that it currently goes to households rather than individuals. Changing this would mean the UK Government could do a means test on an individual basis and use information that it already records for income tax purposes. It would see pensioners with a low income but with a high-income spouse get the winter fuel payment. However, it could also see couples get twice as much winter fuel payment as single people, where at the moment a single person would get the same amount as a couple sharing a household.
