Politics LIVE: Starmer REFUSES to rule out means-testing triple lock after Badenoch sparks pension fears

Independent pro-Gaza MP backs call for national grooming gang enquiry

The independent pro-Gaza MP for Blackburn has announced that he is backing calls for a national grooming gang enquiry.

Adnan Hussain, who was one of the four MPs who joined former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's Independent Alliance group last year, told the Commons the crimes had "haunted" northern towns.

He said: "All the correspondence demands a public inquiry into this scandal, to determine the failures—both historical and present—of the institutions involved that allowed these heinous crimes against vulnerable children to go on for so long and so widely, without being stopped and without the victims being safeguarded and protected sufficiently.

"In northern towns such as Blackburn in my constituency, crimes of this nature and grooming gangs continue to haunt our streets and vulnerable children. Further public inquiries and reports are needed to find out why this has gone on for such a long time? We need to provide my constituents and everybody across the country with solace."

Parliament bar forced to close as police probe spiking allegations

Parliament's Strangers' Bar is set to close in just days following an allegation of drink-spiking.

A message to MPs and staff today reads:

"On January 16, the House leadership published a statement relating to a serious allegation of spiking in Strangers' Bar, which the Metropolitan Police are now investigating.

"Mr Speaker, in consultation with the Clerk of the House and the Director of Parliamentary Security, has now taken a decision to close Strangers' Bar from Monday, January 20, while security and safety arrangements are reviewed.

"The safety of everyone on the estate is a key priority of both Houses.

"We always encourage colleagues to trust their instincts and report anything suspicious or that does not feel right."

Tories' push to ban cousin marriage labelled ISLAMOPHOBIC as campaigners claim Bill 'incites hate'

The Conservatives' push to ban cousin marriage has been labelled "Islamophobic" by campaigners who have claimed a Tory MP's proposed Bill "incites hate".

Basildon & Billericay MP Richard Holden, who warned that first-cousin marriage poses "risks to health, freedom [and] the cohesion of our society", had brought his private members Bill to the Commons last month - and it is due to get its second reading today.

In December, pro-Gaza independent MP Iqbal Mohamed had argued against his proposed ban, claiming cousin marriage "helps build family bonds".

And now, Natasha Rattu, CEO of charity Karma Nirvana, which works with survivors of forced marriage and "honour-based" abuse, claimed an "Islamophobic" outcry following Holden’s bill was "counterintuitive to anybody affected by the negative impacts of first-cousin marriage, who would surely, on the back of seeing that, be more reluctant to get help if they needed."

Meanwhile, a statement from the charity reads: "[We] cannot support Richard Holden's Bill... not because we condone cousin marriage, but because we believe the true agenda is not to address the harms that can arise from it, but to use it as a tool for political point-scoring, inciting hate and driving a wedge between communities."

Professor Neil Small, co-author of the Born in Bradford study, which tracks people's health in the city, told The Guardian that cousin marriage would be "better dealt with" by more readily available "genetic testing" and education about its risks.

He also claimed "upsetting rhetoric" from Tory politicians could put people off "science-based" approaches that would help them make informed choices about marrying their cousins.

A spokesman for Ahmadiyya Muslim Community UK, which represents 30,000 Muslims, said a ban on cousin marriage would be "damaging".

The group said it would "curb fundamental freedoms and stigmatise", and that "marriages within extended families often are a means of providing support, stability and love within the family unit".

Sadiq Khan under investigation by City Hall watchdog over breach of rules

Sadiq Khan has been placed under investigation for accepting free tickets to a Taylor Swift concert last summer.

On Friday, City Hall's standards watchdog confirmed it would be examining whether Labour's Mayor of London "exercised an appropriate level of caution in deciding to accept the tickets" to the show last August.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

UK secures 'remarkable' post-Brexit victory as Britain becomes major European gateway port's top trading partner

Britain has surged ahead of the US to become a major European gateway port's top trading partner in what has been branded a "remarkable" post-Brexit victory.

UK trade with the North Sea Port, which stretches across Belgium and the Netherlands, soared by 26 per cent last year - while the same port's trade with the US slumped by six per cent.

In total, Britain traded six million tons of goods with the port in 2024, up by 1.2 million on 2023's numbers, and reversing the drop-off in the years immediately after Brexit.

Over in Belgium, commentators from news site VRT called the resurgence "remarkable" - while the Brussels Times said "the effects of Brexit on the port's activity appear to be fading".

And Maarten Den Dekker, of the North Sea Port, told VRT: "That trade is now recovering gives us hope for the future."

Labour in-fighting erupts over Elon Musk as Minister REJECTS warning that X boss forced action on rape gangs

Labour's Culture Minister Lisa Nandy has rejected Chris Bryant's warning that Elon Musk's intervention forced the Government to take action on grooming gangs.

Bryant said it was "certainly true" that the Tesla owner had "expedited" fresh interest and investigations into the scandal.

He told BBC Question Time: "I think we've had more of a debate because of what he's been engaged in, yeah, because of what he said, that is certainly true.

"And I welcome the fact that we're having a debate about it because this is one of the most despicable things that has happened in British society."

Asked about Bryant's remarks, Nandy told the broadcaster this morning: "I don't agree for a moment that this Government is being driven by what happens on social media.

"There is far too much heat on social media. Not enough light."

'Woke' Tories forced Dame Andrea Jenkyns's pensioner mum to endure DIVERSITY COURSE after liking immigration social media post

Dame Andrea Jenkyns's late mother was forced to endure diversity training and barred from the party after liking a social media post about illegal migration.

Jenkyns, who defected to Reform UK from the Conservatives late last year, said that her mother, Valerie, was handed a 10-module "woke" course after liking the post - and was stripped of her Tory membership to boot.

Jenkyns, now running to be the mayor of Greater Lincolnshire, said that her mother used a smartphone to scroll through social media sites, and frequently liked posts by mistake - including posts by the Labour candidate in her former Morley and Outwood constituency.

Valerie, in her late 70s, was immediately suspended as a Conservative Party member - barring her from attending local association meetings in support of her daughter.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Banned Russian diplomats sneak into restricted areas of Parliament in major security breach

Russian diplomats gained access to restricted areas of the Houses of Parliament in a "major" security breach last month, it has emerged.

Just before Christmas, a small group of dignitaries on a public tour of the Palace of Westminster snuck off to an out-of-bounds area, before being discovered and turfed out by security personnel, The Guardian reports.

"It's not ideal but they were caught before any damage was done," they added.

Ministers are said to have been left alarmed by the breach - and as a result, MPs and peers alike have been given a clear written warning not to invite Vladimir Putin's diplomats to Westminster, with the speakers of both houses reminding Parliamentarians of a ban on the country's officials which has been in place since 2022.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Deporting 'every single foreign rapist' a 'no-brainer', Musk says

Deporting "every single foreign rapist" from Britain is a "no-brainer", Elon Musk has said.

The X owner was replying to a post by Reform UK's Rupert Lowe on social media this morning which read: "If I'm a far-right racist for wanting to deport every single foreign rapist, without question, then so be it.

"I don't want these degenerates in our country, and I'm certain that every single decent Brit agrees with me."

In response, Musk jabbed: "It's a no-brainer."

The Tesla chief has toned down his words on grooming gangs in recent days after tearing into Sir Keir Starmer and Jess Phillips over their response to the scandal.

Just yesterday, he welcomed the Home Office's introduction of a series of locally-led inquiries into the rape gangs, saying: "This is a step in the right direction, but the results will speak for themselves."

Ed Davey bursts out LAUGHING at prospect of Farage 'interlocutor' role with Trump - 'He wants to lick his boots!'

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey burst out laughing at the prospect of Nigel Farage taking on an intermediary role between the UK and Donald Trump's America this morning.

Davey was asked by GB News whether the Reform UK leader - a close ally of the President-elect - was "needed" to smooth over relations with the incoming US administration.

But the Lib Dem leader burst into a fit of laughter at the ideas - and took a series of swipes at Farage in the process.

Holding a copy of Trump's book, The Art of the Deal, he said: "Just read what Trump says. When people are so sycophantic and want to lick his boots and be his best mate, that's not how you do good deals.

"Anyone knows that who has been in business. I have done plenty of deals in different guises and you have to be strong.

"Farage is so weak!"

WATCH ED DAVEY'S INTERVIEW HERE

UK braces for trade war with Trump as Labour admits tariffs will be 'paid for by Britons'

While trade with European ports is booming, Labour has warned that Donald Trump's return to the White House could spark a "tariff war".

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said yesterday that a second Trump Presidency will be "challenging" - and warned that any tariff hikes would be "paid for by Britons".

"It's going to be a challenging time for anyone who is responsible for trade in a big economy because of some of those pledges that were made in [Trump's] campaign," Reynolds told Sky News.

Asked if he was worried about a tariff war, he said: "I am, because the UK is a very globally-orientated economy, so the exposure, the danger to the UK is actually greater than even some comparable countries around that.

"Ultimately, tariffs are paid for by your own people. So, it's got real pressures in terms of inflation, in terms of your ability to employ people, to export to other markets."

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