Government could have an unlikely ally in welfare cuts vote
The Prime Minister 's proposed welfare reforms, which aim to save £5bn annually by reducing personal independence payments, are facing a significant rebellion from more than 100 Labour MPs.
The Tory leader, Kemi Badenoch, has offered her party's support to pass the reforms, meaning the Prime Minister would rely on opposition votes against his own party's rebellion.
Critics within Labour and trade unions have warned that it would be shameful for the Prime Minister to rely on Tory votes to pass the benefit cuts.
Despite the widespread dissent, including potential rebellion from 12 ministers, the Prime Minister has vowed to press ahead with the reforms, arguing the current welfare system is broken and unsustainable.
Labour MPs rebelling against the bill are reportedly undeterred by threats of losing the whip or deselection, fearing deselection by their constituents more if they support the cuts.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
BBC staff are told 'they must represent unpalatable and offensive views'
BBC staff have been told they should be willing to represent 'unpalatable' opinions and 'minority' views even if some people find them offensive. The broadcaster released updated editorial guidelines stating output must be impartial so the public feels comfortable expressing taboo perspectives. Journalists are reminded 'impartial output may "require the inclusion of opinions which some […] communities or groups may argue ought not to be included, because they find them unpalatable or offensive"'. The revisions signal an update to 2019 guidance and come after years of ' cancel culture ' which critics have said imposed a mainstream consensus on issues like immigration and gender identity. This week, the BBC backed Martine Croxall, a news presenter who corrected her script from 'pregnant people' to 'women' live on air. The support marked a shift from 2024 when the BBC upheld a complaint against presenter Justin Webb as he called transgender women 'males' on air. Last year the Migration Observatory in Oxford said the BBC ought to better reflect public views on immigration. The organisation claimed some BBC journalists were anxious they could appear 'hostile' to migrants by reporting on migration. The new BBC guidance states it is 'committed to reflecting a wide rang of subject matter and perspectives across its output' Earlier this month, bosses at the corporation met to discuss how best to rebuild trust. It followed April's Supreme Court ruling that transgender women are not legally women. This also came in the aftermath of Reform UK's success in local elections and reports of record high levels of migration. The new BBC guidance states the corporation is 'committed to reflecting a wide range of subject matter and perspectives across its output'. It adds: 'On occasion, that will include attitudes and opinions which some may find unpalatable or offensive.' Staff are also told to be aware 'opinion may change over time' and they should try to reflect accurately altered public opinion in their coverage. However, the guidance does make clear 'fringe' opinions need not be given the same weight as viewpoints deemed to be backed up by greater evidence. The new editorial guidelines, updated roughly every five years, have been embraced by BBC director-general Tim Davie. He said that the rules would 'provide editorial values and standards that make the BBC distinctive and reliable'. Mr Davie added in a foreword: 'The BBC is committed to freedom of expression but this doesn't mean that anything goes. In a world of misinformation and disinformation, the BBC's editorial values of accuracy, impartiality and fairness are more crucial than ever. 'So too, in the context of the ugliness of much social media, is the fundamental decency embodied in sections like Harm and Offence or Children and Young People.' The sections continue to warn staff to be mindful of giving air time to views that could be considered offensive, and to ensure there are appropriate content warnings on iPlayer. Among the other new aspects of the guidance are rules around use of AI, to reflect the emergence of new technology. One new rule says: 'A senior editorial figure must be responsible and accountable for overseeing the deployment and continuing use of any AI. 'They should seek advice from Editorial Policy, who may consult the AI Risk Advisory Group, before any decision to deploy the AI.'
Sky News
13 minutes ago
- Sky News
Foreign prisoners to be deported earlier under new plans
Foreign criminals in prisons across England and Wales will be deported at an earlier point in their sentence under new government plans. The proposed legislation, to be presented in Parliament today, comes as part of efforts to tackle prison overcrowding. Currently, foreign inmates with no right to stay in the UK are sent back to their home country after serving half of their sentence. But under the plans, they will instead be removed after just 30% of their term. The measure would apply to those given determinate sentences - fixed maximum terms in prison that offenders do not necessarily serve all of behind bars. It would not apply to those convicted of terrorism or terror-related offences. The Ministry of Justice (MoJ) estimates that, combined with other upcoming reforms, some foreign prisoners would end up serving only 10% of their sentence in England and Wales, down from about 20 to 25% currently. The law is also being tweaked so they can be deported 48 months before the end of their custodial sentence, rather than 18 months before. The changes will free up an estimated 500 cells per year, with around 12% of the prison population currently made up of foreign offenders, according to the government. 2:28 The MoJ said the proposals should also save the taxpayer millions of pounds, with the average prison place costing £54,000 per year. Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood said: "With prisons close to bursting, I'm clear we shouldn't be giving bed and board to foreign criminals with no right to be here. "These changes will get more of them on planes out of the country much sooner, saving taxpayers' money and keeping our streets safe as part of our Plan for Change. "This government's message is crystal clear - if you come here and break our laws, you'll be sent packing in record time." 3:16 The proposals follow calls from the Conservatives for a change in the law to give the government the power to deport all foreign criminals. The MoJ said the measure would be a discretionary power, meaning that some prisoners may be refused permission to be deported in certain circumstances, such as if there was clear evidence they were planning further crime. The government hopes the shake-up will come into effect in September, if it is approved in Parliament. Ministers have repeatedly warned that the prison system is overcrowded, overstretched and understaffed. Last month, Ms Mahmood announced the government would be adopting a range of measures to ease prison overcrowding, following an independent review by former Tory justice secretary David Gauke.
The Guardian
14 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Ukraine war briefing: Russian attack on eastern region kills at least 19 as Zelenskyy flies in for Nato summit
A Russian attack on the industrial Dnipropetrovsk region on Tuesday killed at least 19 people and wounded nearly 300 in a region coming under mounting pressure. Dnipropetrovsk governor Sergiy Lysak said 17 residents of the central city of Dnipro were killed and 279 people, including children, were wounded. Two more were left dead in the nearby town of Samar. Police said an administrative building, shops, educational facilities and a children's hospital were damaged. Russian forces recently claimed to have reached the border of the Dnipropetrovsk region, gaining a foothold there for the first time in the war. The attacks came as Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in the Netherlands to meet with allies on the sidelines of the Nato defence alliance summit. The summit is expected to endorse a higher defence spending goal of 5% of GDP – a response to a demand by Trump and to Europeans' fears that Russia poses an increasingly direct threat to their security after the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. The new target – to be achieved over the next 10 years – is a big increase on the current goal of 2% of GDP. Trump said he would probably meet with Zelenskyy at the summit. The Ukrainian president' plans for a meeting with Trump in Canada last week were dashed when the US president left a G7 summit early, citing a need to focus on the crisis in the Middle East. Zelenskyy and his aides have said they want to talk to Trump about buying US weapons including Patriot missile defence systems and increasing pressure on Moscow through tougher sanctions. Keir Starmer has announced a fresh package of military aid for Ukraine – this time paid for using the UK's interest haul from frozen Russian assets. The UK will send 350 advanced air defence missiles, built in Britain and adapted in record time for ground launch, using £70m of interest raised through the government's extraordinary revenue acceleration (ERA) scheme. The move marks the first time the UK has used Russia-linked funds to directly bankroll weaponry for Kyiv. Russian air defence units destroyed dozens of Ukrainian drones over widely separated regions of Russia on Tuesday, including more than 40 over Voronezh region on the Ukrainian border, Russian officials said. Voronezh regional governor Alexander Gusev said there were no reports of injuries. In Rostov region, on Ukraines eastern border, governor Yuri Slyusar said air defence units had repelled a number of attacks in three areas, but drones had damaged a sports complex in the city of Taganrog and a grain storage area in the town of Azov.
