
Starmer suspends Labour rebels over repeated unrest
The suspensions are reportedly due to "persistent breaches of party discipline", with the exact number of affected MPs to be confirmed on Wednesday afternoon.
The move comes as MPs prepare to depart Westminster for the summer recess early next week.
There had been speculation that some Labour MPs were in talks to join a new party being established by Jeremy Corbyn and Zarah Sultana.
Rachael Maskell, Brian Leishman, Chris Hinchliffe, and Neil Duncan-Jordan are understood to be among those expected to have the whip suspended.
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BBC News
24 minutes ago
- BBC News
MPs urge UK to immediately recognise Palestinian state
The UK should immediately recognise the state of Palestine, a majority of MPs on the Commons foreign affairs committee have said. It comes as Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer faces fresh calls from within Labour's ranks to make the move, amid warnings of mass starvation in Gaza, and after France indicated it would be doing so within months. In a new report, the Labour and Lib Dem MPs on the select committee argue that statehood is an "inalienable right" that should "not be made conditional".But their two Tory colleagues said a state of Palestine should only be recognised as part of a long-term political solution to the conflict in the Middle East, echoing the Labour government's position. French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday evening that his country would officially recognise a Palestinian state at a UN meeting in Keir has previously said the UK should reserve recognition of Palestinian statehood for when it would have the "greatest impact" - without specifying when this would in a report published on Friday, the committee said the government should make the move "while there is still a state to recognise". "An inalienable right should not be made conditional," the report adds."The government cannot continue to wait for the perfect time because experience shows that there will never be a perfect time."That section of the report was backed by all six Labour MPs who voted, including chairwoman Dame Emily Thornberry, and the two Lib Dems on the was not endorsed by its two Conservative members, Aphra Brandreth and Sir John Whittingdale, who said the UK should only back the move as part of a wider two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian is not unusual for select committees to be split on controversial issues but they will normally try to speak with one Tory MPs on the foreign affairs committee made an unsuccessful attempt to change the report to reflect their views, arguing that recognition should accompany the release of hostages taken by Hamas in October 2023, and the creation of Palestinian authorities without Hamas 60 MPs reportedly called for the UK to immediately recognise Palestine in a letter earlier this month, with London major Sir Sadiq Khan also making the call on Wednesday. In a statement on Thursday evening condemning "unspeakable and indefensible" conditions in Gaza, Sir Keir said statehood was an "inalienable right".He reiterated his call for a ceasefire in the conflict, adding this would "put us on a path" towards recognising a Palestinian Secretary Jonathan Reynolds had earlier said Labour ministers were "deeply committed" to recognition, but they wanted it to be "meaningful," adding: "At the minute, there is not a Palestinian state there". 'Not listening' Most countries - about 139 in all - formally recognise a Palestinian state, although many European nations - and the United States - say they will only do so as part of moves towards a long-term resolution to the Ireland and Norway formally took the step last year, hoping to exert diplomatic pressure to secure a ceasefire in currently has limited rights to participate in the work of the UN, and is also recognised by various international organisations, including the Arab argue recognition would largely be a symbolic gesture unless questions over the leadership and extent of a Palestine state are addressed their report, the MPs acknowledged that the Israeli government "is not listening to the UK," and was only "sporadically" listening to the United States, by far its most significant military to the BBC on Tuesday, former UK Foreign Office boss Lord McDonald argued recognition itself "doesn't really amount to very much," adding that a Palestine state lacked defined borders or an "agreed government". Aid distribution call The report comes after the UK and 27 other countries condemned the "drip feeding of aid and the inhumane killing of civilians" seeking food and water in foreign ministry rejected the countries' statement, saying it was "disconnected from reality and sends the wrong message to Hamas".In the rest of their report, which was endorsed unanimously, the MPs called for a UN-led system to distribute aid in Gaza, replacing the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) in place since also said the UK should justify how "allowing indirect exports" of British parts for F-35 fighter jets used by Israel complies with the UK's obligations under international UK says it does not export the parts directly to Israel, but rather to manufacturing centres abroad as part of a global programme, and it cannot prevent Israel from obtaining the components. Sign up for our Politics Essential newsletter to read top political analysis, gain insight from across the UK and stay up to speed with the big moments. It'll be delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.

South Wales Argus
41 minutes ago
- South Wales Argus
No firm proposals on Kymin View Primary says Monmouthshire
A petition to 'Save Kymin View School' has been signed by more than 280 people amid claims Monmouthshire County Council is proposing the school close and the recently established Welsh medium Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy move into the building. However, a spokesman for the county council said while it is drawing up plans to address surplus places in the Monmouth area it has made no firm proposals as yet, and when it does publish plans they will be in line with strict Welsh Government requirements on allowing parents and the wider community the chance to comment as part of a consultation. The petition, which claims the council's Labour-led cabinet will propose a statutory consultation at its October 15 meeting, has been started by Xavier Turner, who is standing as Conservative candidate in the Monmouth Town Council by-election for the Wyesham ward due to take place on Thursday, July 24. His petition states: 'The council is proposing that Kymin View would close and that Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy (Monmouth's Welsh-medium primary school), which is currently based at Overmonnow, would move into the Kymin View site. 'This would force Wyesham families to transport their children either on a 14-mile round trip to Llandogo or across the Wye Bridge every day to attend another Monmouth primary school, but Osbaston only has about a dozen surplus places, so only Overmonnow would have spare capacity.' The petition, in support of the Wyesham school which had 129 pupils at the time of its most recent inspection in March 2024 and a nursery, states taking action could 'stop this proposal before it reaches the formal consultation stage'. At the county council's July meeting Conservative opposition leader, Mitchell Troy and Trellech councillor, Richard John asked director of education Will McLean if he agreed Ysgol Gymreag Trefynwy is 'where it needs to be'. Mr McLean said the Welsh medium had been established as a 'seedling school' with the intention of growing by a class every year and its future is linked to how the council addresses surplus places in Monmouth, with around 200 empty places in local primaries. Mr McLean said: 'I think it will be a complex and challenging period of time as we work through the potential options. No decisions have been made and there are no formalised proposals as yet. We want to work with the four schools and community in Monmouth to make sure we come to a position that is reasonable, very well informed and we are able to advance.' The strategic director acknowledged 'limited flexibility' in the code governing school reorganisation in Wales and said it was important the council 'get our proposals right before we start that formal process.' A spokesman for Monmouthshire County Council said the claim it would close Kymin View and move Ysgol Trefynwy to its building 'is entirely speculative and there is currently no preferred option.' The spokesman said officers met with headteachers, staff and governors from Kymin View, Osbaston Church in Wales Primary, Overmonnow Primary and Ysgol Gymraeg Trefynwy on July 8 to share 'relevant data with them and explain the rationale to consider the surplus places and the need to plan accordingly' The spokesman said: 'It was made clear to attendees that there was no preferred option at this time. 'When further consideration has been given to the position of the four schools we will engage with them prior to any formal process of consultation beginning. This process is set out in two defined stages under the Welsh Government's School Organisation Code and takes approximately four to five months to complete. Any school impacted by any future proposals will be a full participant in the process.' There are two other candidates in the Wyesham ward by-election they are independent Jim Lin Jenkins-Jones and Reform UK candidate Robert James Andrew Kavanagh.


Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Govt 'shadowy' to reveal Rayner warning about social cohesion in 'readout', Harriet Harman says
It was "shadowy" of the government to reveal Angela Rayner warned about the threat to social cohesion in a "readout", Harriet Harman has said. On Wednesday, Downing Street released a "cabinet readout" saying the deputy prime minister told ministers the government "had to show it had a plan to address people's concerns" to defuse community tensions. She said immigration was having a "profound impact on society" and noted 17 out of 18 places where protests broke out last summer after kicking off in Southport were the most deprived areas in Britain. This was widely interpreted as a warning that riots could happen this summer. But Baroness Harman told Beth Rigby on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast that announcing it in a "readout" - given to journalists after a cabinet meeting - was not the way to do things. "These are quite huge issues - the potential for disorder, social integration, the public mood, and ahead of summer," the Labour peer said. "I don't know whether I'm just a bit old-fashioned about this, but I think it's better when government are making statements like that they give people an opportunity to ask questions rather than this kind of sort of rather shadowy way of doing it." 3:58 The former minister added that cabinet meetings are supposed to be secret so that everybody around the table can speak and say "anything they want because there is this protected thing". "You don't say what's happening at cabinet," she added. "And if anybody asks in the House of Commons or anywhere else, what happened in cabinet, the automatic response is 'we don't talk about what's happened in cabinet, it's private'. And they've sort of slightly breached that now. "So is it now a situation where anybody can be asked, what did somebody say in cabinet? "Or is it only that the prime minister can say what happened in cabinet? "It's a bit puzzling." Baroness Harman's comments came after protests in Epping last week outside a hotel housing asylum seekers turned violent. More than 1,000 people gathered outside The Bell Hotel in protests over two nights after an asylum seeker was arrested and charged on suspicion of alleged sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl in the town. Counter-protesters joined, and this week Reform UK leader Nigel Farage accused Essex Police of bussing them in, which the force said was "categorically wrong".