Badenoch claims Farage like ‘Corbyn with a pint’ as she prepares to deliver speech – UK politics live | Politics
Badenoch claims Farage like ‘Corbyn with a pint’, saying Reform UK promising ‘unaffordable giveaways’ on welfare
Kemi Badenoch is also going to describe Nigel Farage as like “Jeremy Corbyn with a pint and a cigarette” in her speech, according to the overnight briefing. She will say:
Nigel Farage pretends to be a Thatcherite Conservative but really, he’s just Jeremy Corbyn with a pint and a cigarette. On welfare he shows his true colours – promising unaffordable giveaways with no plan to fix the system.
Badenoch is referring to Farage announcing last month that Reform UK would lift the two-child benefit cap.
Key events
Streeting says resident doctors have lost support of public with latest strike threat
In the Commons Wes Streeting, the health secretary, has just delivered a statement about the announcement from resident doctors (hospital medics, formerly known as junior doctors) that they will go on strike in England for five days.
Streeting argued that it was unprecedented for a union to go on strike after receiving as good a pay deal as that offered to resident doctors. Elaborating on what he said in his open letter to the BMA released yesterday, Streeting said that when resident doctors were on strike when the Tories were in power, refusing to even meet them, they had the support of the public. But now they don’t, he said. He urged them to take up his offer to meet them so the strike can be averted.
His statement was theoretically addressed to MPs, but in practice it was directed at the BMA, and at the public at large. He is trying to use public opinion as leverage against the union.
Badenoch claims Farage like ‘Corbyn with a pint’, saying Reform UK promising ‘unaffordable giveaways’ on welfare
Kemi Badenoch is also going to describe Nigel Farage as like “Jeremy Corbyn with a pint and a cigarette” in her speech, according to the overnight briefing. She will say:
Nigel Farage pretends to be a Thatcherite Conservative but really, he’s just Jeremy Corbyn with a pint and a cigarette. On welfare he shows his true colours – promising unaffordable giveaways with no plan to fix the system.
Badenoch is referring to Farage announcing last month that Reform UK would lift the two-child benefit cap.
Badenoch calls for foreign nationals and people with less serious medical conditions to lose right to sickness benefits
Kemi Badenoch is giving a speech on welfare later. According to the briefing sent out overnight, she will claim that the welfare system amounts to a “ticking time bomb” because of the rate at which spending is going up and she will propose significant cuts.
She will outline a three-point plan to “fix welfare”. According to CCHQ, this involves:
1) Limit benefits – ending handouts to foreign nationals and restricting sickness benefits to more serious conditions. Modelling by the Centre for Social Justice shows that tightening mental health-related claims like anxiety alone could save up to £9bn.
2) Face to face assessments – restoring face-to-face checks and requiring proper medical evidence to stop the system being gamed.
3) Get people back to work – through retraining and early intervention. Under the last Conservative government, unemployment halved and 800 jobs were created every single day. The Conservatives will get people back to work again.
Of these, point 1) is by far the most significant, because the government is already planning a £1bn-plus investment in getting people back to work, and Liz Kendall, the work and pensions secretary, has said she wants more face-to-face assessments for sickness benefits.
Badenoch is expected to say:
It is not fair to spend £1bn a month on benefits for foreign nationals and on handing out taxpayer-funded cars for conditions like constipation.
We should be backing the makers – rewarding the people getting up every morning, working hard to build our country.
Our welfare system should look after the most vulnerable in society – not those cheating the system.
Badenoch’s speech coincides with the publication of a new analysis by the Centre for Social Justice thinktank saying that people on sickness benefits can end up receiving more than people working full-time on the national living wage, and that the government could save up to £9bn a year by cutting benefits for people with mental health conditons. The CSJ was set up by Iain Duncan Smith, the former Tory leader, and Badenoch seems to agree with the broad thrust of what it is saying.
In its news release the thinktank says:
In 2026/27, an economically inactive claimant on Universal Credit (UC) with the average housing benefit and Personal Independence Payment (PIP) for ill health would receive an income of around £25,000 – rising to £27,500 for those awarded PIP’s highest rate.
For new claimants, this falls to £22,550 once the Welfare Bill’s £47 per week cut to UC Health is taken into account.
By comparison, a full-time worker on the National Living Wage (NLW) is expected to earn £22,500 after paying income tax and national insurance – leaving a £2,500 gap between work and welfare for existing claimants.
The Daily Mail has splashed on this argument. The Daily Telegraph has also put it on the front page.
Tom Pollard, head of social policy at the New Economics Foundation thinktank, has posted this comment on Bluesky.
It seems completely reasonable to me that someone who has been assessed by DWP as being unable to work due to disabilities/poor health & as facing significant health/disability related extra costs should be supported by the government to have an income around the level of a minimum wage salary 1/2
The ‘work disincentive’ argument implied here is completely disingenuous because people would keep PIP (& a decent chunk of their UC) if they moved into work The vast majority of people in this position would rather be working if their health allowed 2/2
Almost 1.7m children living in homes affected by two-child benefit cap, figures show
Campaigners have renewed calls to scrap the two-child benefit limit after the latest figures showed the number of children in affected households is approaching 1.7 million across Great Britain, PA Media reports. PA says:
There were 1,665,540 children living in households in England, Wales and Scotland affected by the two-child benefit limit in April, figures published by the Department for Work and Pensions showed.
This was a rise of 37,150 (2%) from April last year.
There were a total of 469,780 households on universal credit affected by the policy – an increase of 13,520 (3%) from the total number of households affected in April 2024.
More than half (59%) of households affected by the policy are in work, the data showed.
A total of 275,820 households affected are in work while 193,960 households are out of work, the department said.
The government is expected to publish a child poverty strategy in autumn, and a multitude of campaign groups have said it must contain a commitment to do away with the two-child benefit limit.
The limit restricts child tax credit and universal credit (UC) to the first two children in most households.
Organisations working in the sector argue that 109 children across the UK are pulled into poverty by the policy every day and that an estimated 350,000 children would be lifted out of poverty immediately if it was scrapped.
Joseph Howes, chair of the End Child Poverty Coalition, said the government’s “‘moral mission’ to end child poverty will fail if the two-child benefit cap remains, arguing that “no child poverty strategy will succeed in lifting kids out of poverty, if this policy remains”.
He added: “We have heard the government say that they are looking at all ‘the available levers’ to reduce child poverty. We all know that this is the lever that needs pulling first – backed up by the government’s own data released today. It’s time for the government to act.”
This chart, from today’s DWP report, shows how the number of households on tax credits or universal credit affected by the two-child benefit cap has risen since it was introduced.
And this table shows the number of households affected by the policy, the number of children living in those households, and the number of children directly affected (because they were not the first or second-born child). In practice, of course, all children living in these households are likely to be affected by a reduction in benefits paid to parents.
The government’s welfare bill passed its third reading in the Commons last night. Aletha Adu and Peter Walker have the story here.
Here is the list of MPs who voted against the bill at third reading, including 47 from Labour. Most, but not all, of them were backbenchers seen as leftwingers.
This is what Emmanuel Macron said about the agreement on defence cooperation. (See 9.29am.)
Our two armed forces together constitute what is really the bedrock of this European Nato pillar, to be able to be framework nations, to project ourselves on several theatres of operation, to defend European soil, at the site of our allies, is paramount.
I welcome the fact that this [summit] can seal first of all breakthroughs in terms of strategic capability and common efforts, but really take it to the next level in terms of capabilities on more sensitive issues such as nuclear deterrence.
On Ukraine, he says there is a shared resolve to support the country. There is a “Coalition of the Willing” meeting taking place this afternoon, with Keir Starmer and Macron participating.
President Zelenskyy is in Rome, where a Ukraine Recovery Conference is taking place, but a virtual “Coalition of the Willing” meeting is also taking place, for the countries led by the UK and France that are willing to support Ukraine militarily, and Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron will be contributing from a military HQ in north London.
Jakub Krupa is covering the Ukraine developments on his Europe live blog.
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This is what Emmanuel Macron said in his public remarks at the start of the summit about small boats.
We share the same resolve to fight against illegal criminal gangs with strong coordination with other EU states.
As we’ve said, ministers have worked on that. France is the final point before entering into the UK, but these men and women obviously, roots of poverty, who are exploited by these smugglers. We must work with entry point countries into Europe to stem these entry points. We have common resolve in fighting this traffic and protecting our people and the men and women from these smugglers, and engage all countries that have a co-responsibility on our side.
This is something the EU wishes to take forward and starts with a bilateral discussion that must be broadened. I think that’s the momentum underway through this summit, and in line with what was done through the Calais group.
Keir Starmer is attending the UK-France summit alongside Rachel Reeves, chancellor, Yvette Cooper, home secretary, John Healey, defence secretary, Nick Thomas-Symonds, Cabinet Office minister in charge of post-Brexit relations with the EU, and Ed Miliband, energy secretary.
Macron suggests EU needs to be involved in finding solutions to illegal migration
Emmanuel Macron is speaking now. After opening in English, he switches to French, for the benefit of the French media.
He says the UK and France are opening a new chapter in their relationship.
The two countries are working together on economic challenges, he says. That will involve having more integrated capital markets, he says.
They are working together on security issues, he says.
On small boats, he says poverty is a root cause. The migrants are exploited by smugglers, he says. He says there is a need to tackle this with “common resolve”, and to restrict the entry points into Europe.
We have common resolve in fighting this traffic and protecting our people and the men and women from these smugglers, and engage all countries that have a co-responsibility on our side.
Macron says the EU also wants to tackle illegal migration. He says this will start with a “bilateral discussion” (between the UK and France, he implies), but he says that must be “broadened” (implying that ultimately the EU must be involved in a solution).
UPDATE: See 10.45am for a fuller version of what Macron said.
Starmer says UK and France have agreed ‘new tactics’ to deal with small boats
Sky News is now broadcasting remarks from Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron at their summit in Downing Street.
Starmer says the situation in the Channel cannot go on as it is now.
We all agree the situation in the channel cannot go on as it is. So we’re bringing new tactics into play and a new level of intent to tackle illegal migration and break the business model of the criminal gangs.
UPDATE: Starmer said:
In uncertain times, we achieve more by strengthening our relationship with our allies, so that is what today is all about working together on the priorities that we share as two nations.
For us, it’s about delivering the changes that the British people want to see, and we will agree the situation in the Channel cannot go on as it is. So we’re bringing new tactics into play and a new level of intent to tackle illegal migration and break the business model of the criminal gangs …
We’re also updating the historic Lancaster House Treaty, an ambition that we put in motion very early on to strengthen our collective defence and security as Europe’s only nuclear powers providing about 40% of European defence spending, we share a unique responsibility for the security of this continent.
And it’s also right that we lead the response on Ukraine.
Later today, Emmanuel and I will bring the coalition of the willing together again to rally even more support to keep Ukraine in the fight for now, and to drive Putin to the negotiating table.
On all these fronts, we are working to meet danger and uncertainty together with a show of force, a show of unity.
Hospital waiting lists in England at lowest levels for more than two years, figures show
The waiting list for routine hospital treatment in England has fallen for the second month in a row and is now at its lowest level for more than two years, PA Media reports. PA says:
An estimated 7.36 million treatments were waiting to be carried out at the end of May, relating to just under 6.23 million patients – down from 7.39 million treatments and just over 6.23 million patients at the end of April.
These are the lowest figures since March 2023 for treatments and April 2023 for patients.
The list hit a record high in September 2023, with 7.77 million treatments and 6.50 million patients.
And this is what NHS England is saying about the figures in its own press release.
Monthly NHS data shows the overall waiting list dropped by nearly 30,000 in May to 7.36 million – the lowest total since March 2023 – with 60.9% waiting 18 weeks or less for planned care (the highest proportion since July 2022).
Staff carried out an average of 75,009 planned treatments each working day in May – the highest number on record – with a total of 1.5 million treatments across the month, which is up on 1.45 million in April and higher than 1,437,914 pre-pandemic (May 2019).
It was the busiest May ever for the number of tests and checks, with 2.5 million (2,465,184) carried out, up 23% on pre-pandemic (1,996,365 in May 2019), with community diagnostic centres seeing patients closer to their homes.
The new figures show June was the busiest month ever for A&Es with average daily attendances of over 78,300 – with last month seeing 14 days covered by heat health alerts, and another heatwave set to hit in the coming days. Despite this, the highest proportion of patients were seen within 4 hours since August 2024 (75.5%) and it was the best June performance since 2021.
Last Tory government helped to ‘wreck country’, says former party chair Jake Berry as he defects to Reform UK
As Jessica Elgot and Nadeem Badshah report, Jake Berry, the former Tory minister, has defected to Reform UK. This is more significant than most other Tory-to-Reform defections because Berry was chairman of the party – albeit only for a few weeks, when Liz Truss was PM.
It is also significant because Berry has written an article for the Sun saying that the last Conservative government wrecked the country. He says:
Let’s not kid ourselves. Britain is broken. Our streets are completely lawless. Migration is out of control.
Taxes are going through the roof. And day after day, I hear from people in my community and beyond who say the same thing — “This isn’t the Britain I grew up in.” And they’re right.
It didn’t start with Labour. The Conservative governments I was part of share the blame.
We now have a tax system that punishes hard work and ambition.
We face seeing record numbers of our brightest and best people leaving Britain because they can’t see a future here.
At the same time, our benefits system is pulling in the world’s poor with no plan for integration and no control over who comes in.
No leadership. No direction. No backbone.
If you were deliberately trying to wreck the country, you’d be hard-pressed to do a better job than the last two decades of Labour and Tory rule.
Berry is trying to be even-handed, but over the last two decades Labour has been in power for six of those years, and the Conservatives for 14 years (but governing in coalition with the Lib Dems for five of those). Berry was an MP for that entire 14-year period.
If he thought at the time that the government he was supporting was wrecking the country, he does not seem to have said so publicly.
Emmanuel Macron, the French president, is arriving at Downing Street.
Photograph: Isabel Infantes/Reuters
Britain and France agree use of their nuclear weapons could be coordinated in defence of Europe
John Healey, the defence secretary, was doing an interview round this morning primarily to talk about an Anglo-French defence agreement announced overnight. “The UK and France are stepping up together to meet today’s threats and tomorrow’s challenges,” he said.
The deal includes an agreement to order a new generation of anti-ship cruise missiles, to replace Storm Shadow. And there is an agreement that use of British and French nuclear deterrents could be coordinated. The Ministry of Defence says:
In an important step forward for the UK-France nuclear partnership – a newly signed declaration will state for the first time that the respective deterrents of both countries are independent but can be coordinated, and that there is no extreme threat to Europe that would not prompt a response by both nations.
As such, any adversary threatening the vital interests of Britain or France could be confronted by the strength of the nuclear forces of both nations. Co-operation between both countries on nuclear research will also deepen, while working together to uphold the international non-proliferation architecture.
The UK and France are Europe’s only nuclear powers, with deterrents that contribute significantly to the overall security of NATO and the Euro-Atlantic.
President Macron is due to arrive at Downing Street soon. The red carpet is out.
Tories claim ‘one in, one out’ migration deal with France ‘will not deter anyone’
Good morning. Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron, the French president, will mark the end of the three-day state visit with a press conference this afternoon where they will explain what has been agreed. And it is now clear that Starmer has got some sort of ‘one in, one out’ returns deal for small boat migrants. In our story this morning Kiran Stacey says:
Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron will announce a “one in, one out” migration deal on Thursday that will involve the UK accepting some cross-Channel asylum seekers but returning others to France.
The two leaders are expected to cap the French president’s three-day state visit to the UK with a press conference in London at which they will announce the new plan to tackle small boat crossings.
Officials were still in talks over the details of the plan on Thursday morning, including when it would begin, but other hurdles such as the opposition of other European countries are understood to have been cleared.
For Starmer, this is a big win. It is something that the last Conservative goverment never managed to negotiate (if anything, they managed the opposite, because they implemented Brexit, which halted returns under the Dublin agreement), and it means that Labour can respond more easily to claims that only an effective deterrent will stop the small boat crossings.
But … the scheme that is being set up seems to be relatively small, and already there are doubts about whether it will be effective. This is how Andrew McDonald and Bethany Dawson sum it up in their London Playbook briefing for Politico.
17 in, one out: The pair are expected to announce a limited trial of a one in, one out returns deal. And it is limited. Le Monde first reported that 50 migrants will be sent back to France per week from the end of next month. With an average of 843 arriving every week since Labour took power, that would equate to one in 17 if arrivals continue at that rate (and they’ve generally been rising).
This is how the Sun is summing it up on its front page this morning.
And this is what Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, told the Times for its report on the deal.
This deal will mean that 94 per cent of illegal migrants crossing the Channel will get to stay. That is pathetic and will not deter anyone. By contrast, the Rwanda deterrent would have seen 100 per cent of illegal migrants removed and that would have worked to deter people crossing the Channel. Keir Starmer’s failure continues.
Obviously, the Sun, and Chris Philp, are about the last sources you would turn to for a fair, objective assessment of a Labour immigration policy. But there are other people who are doubtful too. The government has not confirmed what has actually been agreed yet and John Healey, the defence secretary, was sidestepping questions about it when doing the interview round this morning. But the Today programme also interviewed Mike Tapp, the Labour MP for Dover. Tapp told the programme he was encouraged by the announcement. If migrants in Calais, who pay up to £6,000 to cross the channel, start to think they might be sent back immediately, then that “starts to break the smuggling gang model”, he said.
But, asked if just 50 people a week being returned would be enough, he replied:
I can’t comment on the exact numbers, because obviously these negotiations haven’t finalised. We’ll hear more in the very near future.
Asked again if 50 was enough, he replied:
I’m going to be completely honest with you, I don’t know until it happens.
Here is the agenda for the day.
Morning: Keir Starmer and Emmanuel Macron hold a UK-France summit in Downing Street. They are expected to speak to the media at about 9.45am, but they won’t be holding a press conference until the afternoon, after a military-themed visit.
9.30am: NHS England publishes its latest monthly peformance figures.
9.30am: The Department for Work and Pensions publishes figures on the impact of the two-child benefit cap.
10.30am: The intelligence and security committee publishes a report on the threat posed by Iran.
12.30pm: Kemi Badenoch gives a speech on welfare.
Lunchtime: Chris Philp, shadow home secretary, speaks at a press gallery lunch in Westminster.
3.30pm: Starmer and Macron hold a press conference.
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