PM ‘incapable of sticking to a decision' after welfare U-turn
The reforms would only have made 'modest reductions to the ballooning welfare bill', but Sir Keir Starmer was 'too weak to hold the line', the Conservative Party leader is expected to say.
In a speech to the Local Government Association Annual Conference in Liverpool on Wednesday, Ms Badenoch will criticise Sir Keir for creating a 'punishing welfare trap that shuts people out of going back to work'.
The Labour party is 'making everything worse', she will say (Stefan Rousseau/PA)
'This week, the Prime Minister backed down on limited reforms that would have made modest reductions to the ballooning welfare bill,' she will say.
'He was too weak to hold the line.
'The result? A punishing welfare trap that shuts people out of going back to work.
'Right now, Labour are making everything worse. And Keir Starmer sums up exactly what's wrong with politics today.
'Now that his backbenchers smell blood, there's almost certainly another climb down on the two-child benefit cap in the offing.
'Labour told us 'the adults were back in charge', but this is actually amateur hour. The Prime Minister is incapable of sticking to a decision.
'If he can't make relatively small savings to a benefits bill that is set to exceed £100 billion by 2030, how can we expect him to meet his promised 5% defence spending, or ever take the tough decisions necessary to bring down the national debt?'
On Saturday, the Prime Minister told the Welsh Labour conference the 'broken' welfare system must be fixed 'in a Labour way'.
In a speech to the Welsh Labour conference, he said: 'We cannot take away the safety net that vulnerable people rely on, and we won't, but we also can't let it become a snare for those who can and want to work,' the Prime Minister said.
'Everyone agrees that our welfare system is broken: failing people every day, a generation of young people written off for good and the cost spiralling out of control.
'Fixing it is a moral imperative, but we need to do it in a Labour way.'
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Sky News
13 minutes ago
- Sky News
Glastonbury's Emily Eavis says anti-IDF chants 'crossed a line' as Sir Keir Starmer condemns 'appalling hate speech'
The prime minister has criticised chants of "death to the IDF" during a Glastonbury performance on Saturday, while festival organiser Emily Eavis said they had "very much crossed a line". Responding on Sunday to rap duo Bob Vylan's set the day before, Sir Keir Starmer said: "There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech." In the same statement, the prime minister repeated his previous argument that the Belfast rap group Kneecap should have been removed from the line-up after one member was charged with a terrorism offence. "I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence. "The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast." On Sunday, Ms Eavis, whose father Michael co-founded the festival, posted her response to Bob Vylan's performance. "Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the Festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence," she wrote. She said that while "as a festival, we stand against all forms of war and terrorism - we will always believe in - and actively campaign for - hope, unity, peace and love", adding a performer's comments "should never be seen as a tacit endorsement of their opinions and beliefs". Eavis added: "With almost 4,000 performances at Glastonbury 2025, there will inevitably be artists and speakers appearing on our stages whose views we do not share." The rappers' set was streamed live on the BBC on Saturday, showing one of them shouting the slogan into the mic, with some of the crowd joining in. They also performed in front of a screen that claimed Israel's actions in Gaza amount to "genocide". Posting on Instagram on Sunday, drummer Bobby Vylan doubled down by repeating elements of the chant alongside a picture of himself. The Israeli embassy posted on X in the hours after the set saying it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric". It said the slogan used "advocates for the dismantling of the State of Israel". The post on X added: "When such messages are delivered before tens of thousands of festivalgoers and met with applause, it raises serious concerns about the normalisation of extremist language and the glorification of violence." In a separate post on X on Sunday, Israel's foreign ministry published graphic footage following the attack by Hamas on the Nova festival in Israel on 7 October 2023. The message directly appealed to those at Glastonbury who joined in the chants. "On October 7th, Hamas terrorists murdered hundreds of innocent partygoers at the Nova festival. For those at the Glastonbury festival who need a reality check, let this footage serve as a reminder to what you are supporting." Meanwhile the Campaign Against Antisemitism (CAA) said it will be formally complaining to the BBC over its "outrageous decision" to broadcast the performance. Avon and Somerset Police said they are looking at whether a criminal offence was committed. "Video evidence will be assessed by officers to determine whether any offences may have been committed that would require a criminal investigation," the force said in a post on social media. Bob Vylan's set may have pushed things too far Bob Vylan, a punk-rap duo known for their politically charged lyrics taking on racism, fascism, police brutality, toxic masculinity, inequality and more, performed on the festival's third biggest stage, West Holts, with a capacity of about 30,000. They played to their own fans but no doubt thousands who had turned out to secure their place for the controversial Irish-language rappers Kneecap who followed. After the Bob Vylan performance was aired live, clips quickly flooded social media - shared by those supporting the band and condemning them. "The BBC didn't cover Kneecap's set at Glastonbury Festival over Free Palestine chants, so Bob Vylan, who BBC covered, stepped in," posted the Celebrities4Palestine account alongside a clip on Instagram, also shared by Bob Vylan. The IDF comments on stage may well have been made regardless. Or did Kneecap's "cancelling" by the BBC, as some people saw it, encourage other acts to speak out even more? Police are investigating both performances. Kneecap's Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, at one point mentioned "a riot outside the courts" over his bandmate Liam Og O hAnnaidh's (Mo Chara) upcoming second appearance on a terror charge, before clarifying: "No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine." With its history of activism, Glastonbury has always championed free speech. But it seems Bob Vylan's set may have pushed things too far. It's fair to say that here at Glastonbury, for most of the 200,000 people on site this weekend, it is still all about the music. The majority did not see these sets and many are not even aware of the criticism outside Worthy Farm. Today is the final day of artist performances, with acts including Olivia Rodrigo, Rod Stewart and the Prodigy on the bill. But instead of the magic of the most famous festival in the world, both organisers and the broadcaster are now facing more questions about Bob Vylan and, to a lesser extent, Kneecap, as criticism mounts. Bob Vylan went on stage just ahead of a performance by Kneecap, the Irish rap band that the prime minister and others called to be removed from the Glastonbury and other festival line-ups over alleged on-stage endorsements of terrorist groups Hamas and Hezbollah. Ultimately, the BBC decided not to broadcast Kneecap's set live, but have since made it available to watch on catch-up on iPlayer. One of its members, Liam Og O hAnnaidh, was charged with a terror offence in May after being accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah at a gig. His bandmate Naoise O Caireallain told Glastonbury crowds on Saturday they should "start a riot outside the courts", before clarifying: "No riots just love and support, and support for Palestine." O hAnnaidh - also known as Mo Chara - wore a Palestinian keffiyeh scarf for their set and told fans he was a "free man". Questions over why BBC broadcast chants The government's culture Secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to BBC boss Tim Davie for an "urgent explanation" about what steps were taken around the Bob Vylan set. Speaking to Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips on behalf of the government, Health Secretary Wes Streeting described the chant as "appalling" and a "shameless publicity stunt". "The fact that we saw that chant at a music festival - when there were Israelis at a similar music festival who were kidnapped, murdered, raped, and in some cases still held captive," he said in reference to the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack at the Nova music festival. He added that while "there's no justification for inciting violence against Israelis… the way in which Israel's conducting this war has made it extremely difficult for Israel's allies around the world to stand by and justify". "I'd also say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order, in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank," he told Phillips. Meanwhile, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch reposted a clip of the Bob Vylan set describing it as "grotesque". "Violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked," she said on X. Lucy McMullin, who was in the crowd for Bob Vylan, told Sky News: "When there's children and civilians being murdered and starved, then I think it's important that people are speaking out on these issues. "However, inciting more death and violence is not the way to do it." A BBC spokesperson confirmed the Bob Vylan stream will not be made available to watch on its iPlayer. "Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive," their statement said. "During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand."
Daily Mirror
35 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
BBC issues statement on Kneecap performance after Bob Vylan decision
The BBC has issued a statement following the controversy caused by both Kneecap and Bob Vylan's performance at Glastonbury. Both acts have faced outrage from some viewers as well as politicians for their messages on stage. During Kneecap's performance on the West Holts Stage, they started chants of 'Free Palestine' and 'f*** Keir Starmer'. Duo Bob Vylan took to the stage just before the Irish rap group, and have come under fire for chanting 'Death to the IDF'. Bob Vylan's set was aired live on the BBC at the time, while the corporation decided not to air Kneecap's set as it happened. They have since decided to upload Kneecap's performance to iPlayer. In response a BBC spokesperson said: "We have made an on-demand version of Kneecap's performance available on iPlayer, as part of our online collection of more than 90 other sets. "We have edited it to ensure the content falls within the limits of artistic expression in line with our editorial guidelines and reflects the performance from Glastonbury's West Holts stage. As with all content which includes strong language, this is signposted with appropriate warnings. "As we have said before, acts are booked by the festival, and the BBC doesn't ban artists. We didn't stream Kneecap live." They continued: "Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. "During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand." Kneecap's set on the BBC still includes their chants while Bob Vylan's set is nowhere to be found. Glastonbury also issued a statement following criticism over the acts. Festival bosses said: "Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence." It comes after they were blasted by Health Secretary Wes Streeting and the Israeli embassy, with the Labour MP warning that both the BBC and Glastonbury had "questions to answer". He went on to brand it a "pretty shameless publicity stunt". 'I thought it's appalling, to be honest, and I think the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens,' he told Sky News' Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips. 'But I also think it's a pretty shameless publicity stunt, which I don't really want to give too much indulgence to for that reason.' Asked if the BBC should have cut the live feed, he said the broadcaster has questions to answer, but that he did not know what the editorial and operational 'challenges' are of taking such action. Meanwhile, the Israeli embassy said that it was "deeply disturbed" by the scenes on Saturday. Police are also investigating the incident after clips emerged online.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Starmer: BBC must explain how ‘appalling' anti-IDF ‘hate speech' was aired
Sir Keir Starmer has demanded the BBC explain how 'appalling' chants of "death to the IDF" were broadcast as part of its coverage of Glastonbury. Police are assessing footage of sets by Bob Vylan, who led crowds in chants of 'free, free Palestine ' and 'death, death to the IDF', the Israeli Defence Force, and Irish rap trio Kneecap, who suggested fans 'start a riot' outside one of the band's upcoming court appearance. The prime minister said: 'There is no excuse for this kind of appalling hate speech... The BBC needs to explain how these scenes came to be broadcast.' The Independent understands the row is expected to discussed when MPs on the Commons culture committee meet on Tuesday, raising the spectre that BBC bosses, such as the director general Tim Davie, could be called to give evidence to Parliament. The culture secretary Lisa Nandy has spoken to Mr Davie about Bob Vylan's performance. Sir Keir added: 'I said that Kneecap should not be given a platform and that goes for any other performers making threats or inciting violence.' Health secretary Wes Streeting denounced the scenes as 'appalling' and said 'the BBC and Glastonbury have got questions to answer about how we saw such a spectacle on our screens." On social media, the Israeli Embassy said it was "deeply disturbed by the inflammatory and hateful rhetoric expressed on stage at the Glastonbury Festival". But, in response Mr Streeting also told the Israeli government to get its 'own house in order" and take violence against Palestinians more seriously. The shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said the BBC should have cut the live feed for Bob Vylan's performance. 'I think if you were in the BBC and seeing that you were broadcasting that to the nation, that can't be the right thing,' she said. 'I mean, yes, I believe in free speech, but that was incitement to violence. It was incitement to kill. That is not something that we support in this country. And I think the BBC should have shifted to something else.' Former Conservative culture secretary Lucy Frazer said the BBC 'failed in its responsibility to the licence fee payer', while ex-BBC executive and presenter Roger Bolton told Times Radio the channel "should have cut away" from the performance and "cancelled the broadcast" after the chants of "death to the IDF". Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch called the scenes at Glastonbury "grotesque", writing on X: "Glorifying violence against Jews isn't edgy. The West is playing with fire if we allow this sort of behaviour to go unchecked." A BBC spokesperson said: "Some of the comments made during Bob Vylan's set were deeply offensive. "During this live stream on iPlayer, which reflected what was happening on stage, a warning was issued on screen about the very strong and discriminatory language. We have no plans to make the performance available on demand." Glastonbury Festival said it was "appalled'' by the actions of Bob Vylan, adding: "Their chants very much crossed a line and we are urgently reminding everyone involved in the production of the festival that there is no place at Glastonbury for antisemitism, hate speech or incitement to violence.'' Kneecap, from Belfast, hit the headlines in recent weeks after Liam Og O hAnnaidh, who performs under the name Mo Chara, was charged with a terror offence. Discussing his bandmate's forthcoming court date, Naoise O Caireallain, who performs under the name Moglai Bap, said they would "start a riot outside the courts", before clarifying: "No riots, just love and support, and support for Palestine". In the run-up to the festival, several politicians called for the group to be removed from the line-up, including Sir Keir, who said their performance would not be "appropriate". During the performance, Caireallain said: "The prime minister of your country, not mine, said he didn't want us to play, so f*** Keir Starmer." Asked about the Israel embassy's response to chants at Glastonbury, Mr Streeting added that he would 'say to the Israeli embassy, get your own house in order in terms of the conduct of your own citizens and the settlers in the West Bank. "I think there's a serious point there by the Israeli embassy I take seriously. I wish they'd take the violence of their own citizens towards Palestinians more seriously." He said what people should be talking about in the context of Israel and Gaza is the humanitarian catastrophe and the fact that Israeli settlers attacked a Christian village this week. He added: "All life is sacred. And I find it pretty revolting we've got to a stage in this conflict where you're supposed to sort of cheer on one side or the other like it's a football team."
