Latest news with #PoliticsAtSamAndAnne
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Has Trump betrayed Starmer steel deal?
👉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. The UK steel industry - which was on the verge of collapse just weeks ago - will no longer face the heaviest of Donald Trump's tariffs, the US announced overnight. We're the only country spared the doubling of tariffs on steel imports to the US to 50% - ours instead capped at 25%. This sounds great - until you remember last month's UK-US agreement - when the PM negotiated President Trump's 25% tariff down to zero - a deal that is yet to come into force. What's happened? And how big a win is this for Sir Keir Starmer and for Labour in any case? Is this ensuring the revival of British steel, or merely another stay of execution?
Sky News
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Starmer's Reform funk
👉Listen to Politics At Sam And Anne's on your podcast app👈 Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy preview how the day will play out in British politics. As Westminster gets back to work after last Thursday's election results, is there the least surprising briefing ever to start the week? There's a new crackdown on asylum claims days after Reform's by-election and council victories. We focus on the Labour reaction to those results this morning - from rumours of a reshuffle to shooting down stories about winter fuel changes. What is the best way to face down a very happy Nigel Farage?
Sky News
25-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
Starmer's 8 days to convince Trump
👉Listen to Politics At Sam And Anne's on your podcast app👈 Your morning politics digest with Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy. The countdown to Trump's tariff "Liberation Day" continues with the UK looking at its options ahead of announcing any trade deal. Is abolishing Britain's digital services tax still one of the most likely moves? That'd mean missing out on hundreds of millions from the likes of Meta and Amazon. Elsewhere, with Rachel Reeves struggling to shake off the story about her Sabrina Carpenter tickets before the spring statement, there's another story to trouble the cabinet this morning. There are reports that Angela Rayner wanted to tag a private safari tour on to an official trip. Does it all matter? Sam and Anne start the morning with a disagreement.
Sky News
17-03-2025
- Business
- Sky News
Welfare system will be here 'for years to come' amid backlash over impending cuts
The welfare state will be there for those who need it "now and for years to come", the work and pensions secretary has said - as the government faces pressure from its own MPs over benefit changes. Liz Kendall acknowledged there has been "lots of speculation" about the government's plans to reform welfare, which are due to be announced on Tuesday following a delay because of concerns from Labour backbenchers. Speaking in the House of Commons, Ms Kendall said she wanted to assure the public the announcements will "ensure there is trust and fairness in the social security system" - and that it will remain in place for those who need it. Earlier on Monday, Sky News revealed the government has chosen not to freeze the personal independence payment (PIP) next year following pressure from Labour MPs over the past week. Ministers had wanted to stop PIP (a payment of up to £9,000 a year for people with long-term physical and mental health conditions, and disabilities) rising with inflation as part of a drive to cut the welfare budget. The proposal had been set to save about £5bn, as Chancellor Rachel Reeves searches for savings. She has lost £9.9bn of fiscal headroom (the amount she could increase spending or cut taxes without breaking her fiscal rules) since the October budget due to a poor economy and geopolitical events. 1:13 What's the government's case? The government is expected to make qualifying for PIP more difficult when Ms Kendall reveals her plans on Tuesday. Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates, on the Politics At Sam And Anne's podcast, said the Treasury is also expected to abolish the Work Capability Assessment, which determines whether someone is fit or not to work and to then receive disability payments. The government has described the system as "dysfunctional", as those "not fit for work" do not receive employment support or further engagement after the assessment, which could lock them out of future work altogether. Sir Keir Starmer has made cutting the welfare budget a key project, as spending on sickness benefits soared to £65bn last year - a 25% increase since the year before the pandemic - and is expected to rise to £100bn before the next general election in 2029. The number of people in England and Wales claiming either sickness or disability benefit has gone from 2.8 million to about four million since 2019. Ms Kendall also revealed in the Commons the number of young people not working because of mental health conditions has risen by more than 25% in the last year, with the number considered "economically inactive" now reaching 270,000. 0:45 Unhappy Labour MPs Ms Kendall had been expected to announce welfare cut plans last week. But due to the scale of the backlash, the government took the unusual step of asking all 404 Labour MPs to attend "welfare roundtables" in Downing Street last week. Sky News' political correspondent Amanda Akass said Ms Kendall's Commons appearance offered no real answers to the "serious concerns" raised by MPs, though social security minister Stephen Timms insisted they would "welcome" many of the changes when they are announced. Treasury minister Emma Reynolds earlier played down the level of discontent over plans to freeze PIP, telling Sky News the roundtables were nothing more than "everyday business". She pointed out Labour created the welfare state in 1945, but said it needs to be "more sustainable".
Sky News
17-03-2025
- Politics
- Sky News
The Starmer backlash
👉Listen to Politics At Sam And Anne's on your podcast app👈 Sky News' deputy political editor Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy have their guide to the day ahead in British politics. With Chancellor Rachel Reeves's spring statement fast approaching, Labour faces a major challenge from its own backbenchers ahead of an announcement to restrict some sickness and disability benefits. Sam and Anne discuss the stakes for Sir Keir Starmer and the plausibility of a party rebellion. Plus, it's classroom war over schools and academies, as Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson comes under pressure over her plans to shake up curriculums. But why is the schools bill causing such a stir?
