“Grooming gang victims have attacked a Labour cabinet minister for calling the scandal a “dog whistle” issue, as Sir Keir Starmer refused to sack her. Lucy Powell was forced to apologise after making the remarks during a debate about a Channel 4 grooming gangs documentary. Conservative and Labour figures have criticised Ms Powell, Leader of the House of Commons, with some calling for her to resign. On Sunday, Wes Streeting, the Health Secretary, defended her, saying “we all make mistakes” and insisting Ms Powell would not be sacked.” – Daily Telegraph
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“Louise Haigh has urged Keir Starmer to avoid a “simplistic and naive” response by lurching to the right after Reform UK’s success in the local elections, in her first interview since being in effect sacked as transport secretary. The former cabinet minister warned the prime minister to “pick some battles” with the right as it would not be enough to ask progressive-minded voters to back Labour at the next election just to keep Nigel Farage out of power. Haigh was one of Starmer’s most prominent cabinet ministers on the “soft left” of the party and drove through his rail nationalisation bill, before she resigned as transport secretary in November when it emerged she had been convicted of fraud over a missing work phone a decade ago.” – The Guardian
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“Nigel Farage is ready to go to court to stop asylum seekers being housed in Reform-run areas. A legal battle with Ministers is now on the cards within 100 days in a major push to close migrant hotels blighting communities. The battle-hardy tactics were revealed by party chair Zia Yusuf who revealed “every instrument of power” will be deployed by local authorities. The move follows Sir Keir Starmer declaring he would bring asylum hotels, costing £5.5 million PER DAY, to an end in an election pledge.” – The Sun
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David Gauke: The direction the Conservatives will be tempted towards to seek salvation is not the way they need to go
> Yesterday: Jenkyns predicts more defections to Reform from the Conservative ranks
Badenoch – ‘Four years ago Keir Starmer had his worst result, he is prime minister now’
“Labour’s net zero push risks making the party “electorally toxic”, Lord Blunkett has said. The Labour peer and former home secretary urged Sir Keir Starmer to take a more flexible approach towards green targets to save businesses and consumers money. It comes days after Sir Tony Blair said net zero policies were “doomed to fail” and people were being asked to make financial sacrifices for a “minimal” impact on global emissions. A spokesman for Sir Tony later insisted he believed Sir Keir’s approach was “the right one”, but the intervention has opened a debate in the party about its green policies.” – Daily Telegraph
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“The European Union has rejected British appeals for access to critical crime and illegal migration databases as part of a Brexit reset with the bloc. In a blow to Downing Street’s attempts to improve security ties with Europe, Brussels has told UK negotiators the EU cannot share information, including the fingerprints of illegal migrants, with British police and immigration officials. Sir Keir Starmer had made improved access to data one of his central requests to the EU, saying: “[The] more we can share, the better.”” – The Times
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