Category Archives: Keir Starmer

UK coronavirus live: Boris Johnson faces Keir Starmer at PMQs after new restrictions unveiled

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English rules don’t go ‘anywhere near far enough’, says leading government Covid adviser

Starmer says Johnson said the opposite yesterday. Everyone can read it in Hansard. He says a week ago the PM acknowledged that there was a problem. Is the PM saying capacity is the problem, as Dido Harding says? Or he is saying that too many healthy people are requesting tests, as Matt Hancock says?

Johnson says the attacks on Harding from Labour are unseeming. He says the government is going to get testing up to 500,000 per day. He says he wants to hear “more of the spirit of togetherness” that was on display yesterday.

So why did Johnson says yesterday it had “very little” to do with the spread of the disease, Starmer asks.

Johnson says it is an “epidemiological fact” that transmission takes place human to human. And capacity today is at a record high, he says.

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UK coronavirus live: Covid testing shortage will take weeks to resolve, says Matt Hancock

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News updates: health secretary signals access to testing could be prioritised for those most in need; just 1% of deaths in England and Wales linked to Covid, ONS says

Almost nine in 10 pupils have attended schools in England since their full reopening this month, government figures show. Around 92% of state schools were fully open on Thursday September 10, and approximately 88% of students were back in class on the same day, the Department for Education analysis suggests.

There have been a further 110 cases of Covid-19 in Wales, bringing the total number of confirmed cases in the country to 19,681. Public Health Wales said no further deaths had been reported, with the total number of deaths since the beginning of the pandemic remaining at 1,597.

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Brexit: Ed Miliband accuses Boris Johnson of ‘failure of governance’ in internal market debate – live

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Former chancellor Sajid Javid becomes most senior Tory MP to say he cannot back bill in its current form

The politics live blog will be paused for now, thank you all for reading along so far. We may be back later as the debate continues.

Heald also expressed his unhappiness at the UK government claiming precedent for breaking international law.

He said:

Can I just also say that I was surprised to see this justified by the precedent, allegedly, of the Finance Act 2013 General Anti-Abuse Rule by the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.

I was a law officer at the time, Dominic Grieve was attorney general. And one thing I can say about Dominic Grieve is that he was very correct and made sure that Government legislation did not offend the rule of law - he was extremely painstaking.

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No kicks, coughs or slip-ups as party conferences go online

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Attendees of this year’s virtual gatherings may be spared any gaffes, but at what cost?

Utter the phrase “conference season” to a Westminster veteran and don’t be surprised if their initial reaction is a shudder. For regular attendees of the annual party gatherings, which kick off next weekend, they raise the prospect of lengthy policy sermons and curled cheese sandwiches by day, followed by sweaty bars and third-hand gossip by night.

Related: Keir Starmer's conference challenge is to avoid the shadow of past leaders | Zoe Williams

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Desperate Boris Johnson to step up personal attacks on Keir Starmer

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Prime minister said to be ‘furious’ after being asked in the House of Commons to withdraw comments about the Labour leader

An increasingly desperate Boris Johnson has ordered his staff to step up personal attacks on the Labour leader Keir Starmer and his record as a lawyer, as confidence in the prime minister’s leadership collapses among Tory party members.

The Observer has been told that Johnson was so furious after last Wednesday’s prime minister’s questions – where he was asked to withdraw comments he made about the Labour leader and the IRA by the Speaker, Lindsay Hoyle – that he turned on his staff for leaving him under-prepared, and asked them to come up with more attack lines on the Labour leader’s career as a lawyer.

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UK coronavirus live: Gavin Williamson chose to cancel exams while Ofqual wanted them to go ahead, MPs told

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News updates: Ofqual wanted exams to go ahead but Williamson chose to cancel

The education commitee has published the written submission it has received from Roger Taylor, chair of Ofqual, about the exam grade debacle. There is a link to it here.

We have received this written statement from @ofqual.

You can read it in full here: https://t.co/R4OO4eB1Qx pic.twitter.com/EG9jdZ0X2y

Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland’s first minister, has posted a nine-item thread on Twitter explaining the reasons for the decision to tighten coronavirus restrictions in three local authorities in the Greater Glasgow and Clyde area. It starts here.

1. New restrictions have come into effect in Glasgow City, West Dunbartonshire & East Renfrewshire. I know residents in these areas - I am one - feel frustrated and are wondering why we have done X and not Y...so I thought it would be helpful to set out some of the rationale...

3. Our data suggests that spread in and between households is driving much of the transmission just now. That doesn’t mean there are no cases in pubs etc - but unlike in Aberdeen, pub clusters don’t appear, at this stage, to be main driver. That analysis has guided decisions...

4. Based on data, clinical advice is that restricting household gatherings indoors - where it is most difficult to keep physical distance - is vital. Closing pubs wouldn’t be an alternative to that - but an additional measure which, for now, they don’t consider proportionate

8. Data has also told us in recent days that we’ve had a number of positive cases amongst people returning from Greece - that’s why we’ve had to add Greece to quarantine list. Given uncertainties of situation, my advice remains to avoid non essential foreign travel for now

9. Finally, I know how difficult all this is. I hate having to take these decisions and you all hate the impact of them. My plea is that we treat yesterday’s developments as a wake up call and take seriously our individual responsibilities to stop #COVID spreading. Thank you!

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Former Labour donors returning to party under Keir Starmer

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Several former financial backers report rejoining, with some ‘ready to give again’ in wake of Jeremy Corbyn’s departure

Former Labour donors who had abandoned the party are already considering renewing their support under Keir Starmer’s leadership, it has emerged.

Figures who have given the party large sums in the past said they had rejoined Labour, with one major donor saying they were already prepared to give again. Another former supporter said there was “a long road” ahead after allegations of antisemitism in the party, but that they had been impressed with Starmer’s start.

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Antisemitism settlement plunges Labour party into civil war

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Jeremy Corbyn’s statement caused astonishment among litigants in libel action

Labour’s decision to pay a six-figure libel settlement to ex-staffers who claimed the party was failing to deal with antisemitism has plunged the party back into civil war, with Jeremy Corbyn publicly condemning his successor’s decision to settle the case.

Corbyn’s statement caused astonishment among the litigants in the libel action, with the Panorama journalist John Ware confirming to the Guardian that he was “consulting his lawyers” and raising the prospect of another costly court battle over Labour and antisemitism.

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Boris Johnson indicates at PMQs he has not read winter coronavirus report

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Keir Starmer presses PM over scientists’ call for preparations for possible second wave

Boris Johnson has indicated he has not read a government-commissioned report setting out urgent measures needed to prepare for a possible second wave of coronavirus, telling the Commons only that he was “aware” of it.

Johnson was questioned at length by Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions about the study by 37 senior doctors and scientists, published this week, and the need for an effective test-and-trace system to mitigate any new outbreak.

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Starmer overtakes Johnson as preferred choice for prime minister

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Opinium poll also shows Labour more trusted over Covid-19 response

Labour leader Keir Starmer has overtaken Boris Johnson as the public preferred choice for Prime Minister, according to the latest Opinium poll for The Observer.

Starmer is preferred to lead the country by 37% of voters polled on Thursday and Friday last week, compared with 35% who say Johnson would be the best Prime Minister.

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Lisa Nandy leads calls for sanctions on Israel over West Bank annexations

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Labour hardens stance to apply imports ban if highly controversial proposals go ahead in face of mounting international opposition

The UK must ban the import of goods from illegal settlements in the West Bank if the Israeli government presses ahead with annexation plans this week, Lisa Nandy, the shadow foreign secretary, has said.

The move would be a “major step” and require “courage that so far ministers have not been willing to show”, she told the Observer. But “such a blatant breach of international law must have consequences”.

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UK coronavirus live: council workers appeal for calm after ‘frightening’ levels of abuse on coast

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Three stabbed in Bournemouth fight; 186 people die of Covid-19 since yesterday; police injured breaking up London music event

Boris Johnson urged people to stop “taking too many liberties with the guidance” after a major incident was declared on the south coast yesterday, warning people “the virus is still out there”.

The prime minister said on Friday:

Let me be very clear about the scenes in Bournemouth - it’s very important for people to understand if you look at what’s happening elsewhere in the world where people have been coming out of lockdown.

I’m afraid what you’re also seeing is people taking too many liberties with the guidance, mingling too much, not observing social distancing.

You may think you’re not going to get it and you’re immortal and invincible and so on. And very likely that’s true, particularly if you’re a young person.

“But the bug you carry can kill elderly people particularly. It’s still dangerous. The virus is still out there.

With the virus now more under control – at least for now – Boris Johnson will use a major speech next week to switch the focus back to the “people’s priorities” of December’s Tory manifesto: including a rash of infrastructure projects aimed at “levelling up” Britain.

“We’re going to be building loads of stuff,” said one Whitehall source.

Related: Boris Johnson hopes bullish approach can bring back the 'bustle'

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Rebecca Long-Bailey sacking reignites Labour turmoil over antisemitism

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Swift decision by Keir Starmer is praised by Jewish groups but condemned by Labour left

Keir Starmer is facing a showdown with the left of Labour after his decisive sacking of Rebecca Long-Bailey reignited the party’s internal turmoil over the issue of antisemitism.

In a swift move, Long-Bailey was summarily dismissed as shadow education secretary for sending an approving tweet about an interview in which the actor Maxine Peake said the US police tactic of kneeling on someone’s neck was taught by the Israeli secret service.

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Johnson’s ‘culture war’ trap seems designed for Corbyn, not Starmer

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As No 10 hopes to divide Labour on statues and TV archives, its leader has made practical demands on race inequality

Boris Johnson appeared to have had his say about the Black Lives Matter (BLM) protests earlier this week, telling the nation in a carefully phrased article for the black newspaper the Voice: “I hear you.”

Yet on Friday morning, he dramatically returned to the fray, tweeting that taking down controversial statues was to “lie about our history” and warning would-be protesters: “The only responsible course of action is to stay away.”

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Labour’s left uneasy with leader’s view on tearing down Colston statue

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Keir Starmer condemns ‘criminal damage’ but says we can’t have ‘a slaver on a statue’

The Labour leader, Keir Starmer, sparked unease among some on the left of his party on Monday, as he condemned as “completely wrong” the tearing down of the statue of the slave trader Edward Colston in Bristol at the weekend.

Starmer and the shadow home secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, said they shared the sense of injustice that had brought more than 100,000 people out on to the streets of the UK to join Black Lives Matter protests in recent days.

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Keir Starmer warns PM: get a grip or risk second wave of coronavirus

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Labour leader accuses Boris Johnson of ‘winging it’ in stinging attack

Keir Starmer has accused Boris Johnson of causing a collapse in public confidence over the government’s handling of the coronavirus crisis, saying No 10 will be directly responsible if the infection rate starts to rise again.

In an exclusive interview with the Guardian, the Labour leader launched a stinging attack on the the prime minister, accusing him of “winging it” over the easing of the lockdown and making an already “difficult situation 10 times worse”.

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Johnson’s defence of Cummings sparks anger from allies and opponents alike

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Possible police investigation of aide is latest in series of Guardian disclosures that have rocked the government

Boris Johnson has staked his political reputation on saving the career of Dominic Cummings, amid growing anger among Conservative MPs that the No 10 chief adviser has not been forced out for breaking lockdown rules.

Under intense pressure to explain why Cummings drove his wife, who was suffering coronavirus symptoms, and son 264 miles to his parents’ farm in Durham, the prime minister said on Sunday that Cummings had “acted responsibly, legally and with integrity”.

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Starmer confronts PM on care home deaths, missing data and lack of testing – video highlights

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Sir Keir Starmer faced off with Boris Johnson during prime minister's questions for the second time since he became Labour leader.

Starmer pushed Johnson on the UK's care home death rates, the removal of international comparison data and the lack of PPE and testing 

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PMQs: Keir Starmer presses Boris Johnson over care home deaths

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PM accused of not knowing government’s coronavirus advice after clash in Commons

Boris Johnson has been accused by Labour of not knowing the government’s advice on coronavirus after he told Keir Starmer at prime minister’s questions that it “wasn’t true” that the care home sector had been advised it was unlikely to face an outbreak.

In a tricky series of exchanges in the Commons, Starmer put Johnson under intense pressure to explain the extent of care home deaths.

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