Farage's Reform replaces Tories as Starmer's opposition in nightmare poll for Badenoch

Sir Ed Davey confirms he will publish his tax returns

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has confirmed to GB News that he will be publishing his 2023/24 tax return, alongside Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves.

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage have confirmed they will not publish their returns.

It is not yet known if the SNP's Stephen Flynn or the Green Party's Carla Denyer or Adrian Ramsay will be publishing theirs.

Hundreds of prisoners to be released early from Scottish prisons to ease overcrowding

Hundreds more prisoners will be freed early in Scotland as a new law is set to come into force.

The Prisoners (Early Release) (Scotland) Act was passed by Holyrood in November and will take effect from February 11. It will change the release point for those serving prison sentences of less than four years from 50% of their sentence to 40 per cent.

Those convicted of domestic abuse or sexual offences will not be released early under the changes. The Scottish Government said it expects the change to bring about a five per cent reduction in the sentenced prison population.

It said the law will make an immediate and longer-term difference to the number of people in jail. An estimated 260-390 short-term prisoners who have served 40 per cent of their sentence will be released by the Scottish Prison Service in three tranches over six weeks.

The change comes amid warnings from prison bosses of "critical challenges" as a result of the rising numbers of inmates.

First Minister John Swinney said last year that prisons were "absolutely bursting at the seams" with more than 8,300 people behind bars – above the target operating capacity of 8,007.

Duchess of Edinburgh rubs shoulders with Nigel Farage at Buckingham Palace

The Duchess of Edinburgh rubbed shoulders with Nigel Farage at Buckingham Palace today during a reception.

Sophie joined her husband, Prince Edward, as well as King Charles and Queen Camilla at a reception for newly elected MPs and members of the House of Lords.

The Duchess, who recently celebrated her 60th birthday, was photographed having a conversation with the leader of Reform, Nigel Farage, and the Deputy Leader, Richard Tice.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Lib Dems DEMAND Starmer move date forward for new hospitals

The Liberal Democrats have demanded that construction dates at the delayed new hospitals be brought forward to protect patients from out of date buildings.

Wokingham MP Clive Jones insisted that Sir Keir Starmer should meet with his constituents to explain to them "why he thinks it is acceptable that staff and patients dodge buckets collecting rainwater from leaking roofs for another 18 years."

Jones said: "Our community is heartbroken by the Government’s decision to push the start date of the Royal Berks’ construction to 2037; patients and staff are already suffering in a building that is no longer fit for purpose and this decision will prolong that misery.

"I invited patients and volunteers from the Royal Berkshire Hospital into Parliament. They are the people who will bear the burden of these decisions, and it is right that they heard the Prime Minister’s response, no matter how disappointing it was.

"The previous Conservative Government made promises they knew they were never going to keep, but Labour are pushing this rebuild out so far there is a real danger of serious harm to both patients and staff. I will continue to make this case to the Government until they realise the damage this decision will do for people here in Wokingham."

The Prime Minister said the Government was “building as quickly as we can” and agreed for a Minister to meet with constituents to hear their concerns.

Rachel Reeves 'U-turn' torn apart by Tory MP after unveiling growth plan: 'Doesn't deliver for the people'

Rachel Reeves has been forced into a U-turn because she has been "caught out" by her own decisions which have hit economic growth, shadow minister Paul Holmes has said.

Speaking to GB News, Holmes criticised the Chancellor's recent announcements, pointing to her October budget which he said raised the tax burden to its highest level in many years.

He highlighted that 92 per cent of businesses have indicated they lack confidence to increase employment under current conditions.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Ed Miliband skips Reeves announcement as questions raised over previous Heathrow objections

Ed Miliband was absent during Rachel Reeves’s speech announcing support for a third runway at Heathrow in an apparent snub to the plans.

A source close to the Net Zero and Energy Secretary was asked to explain the absence. They told The Telegraph that Miliband had “meetings” but did not give any specifics.

It comes as opponents to the announcement have highlighted Miliband's previous objections to the expansion to Britain's biggest airport.

In a post on Twitter in June 2018, the MP for Doncaster North said: "We owe it to future generations not just to have good environmental principles but to act on them. That is why I will be voting against the third runway at Heathrow."

Local Government thinktank calls for more funding for councils

The Local Government Association (LGA) has called on higher investment for local councils following Rachel Reeves' announcement.

Responding to the Chancellor's speech on growth, Labour councillor and Chair of the LGA Louise Gittins said: "National economic growth can only be achieved if every local economy is firing on all cylinders.

“Councils have a critical and unique role in delivering local growth across all sectors and communities and are already driving growth - working with businesses, supporting jobseekers, planning regeneration, and improving infrastructure.

“Government investment in our places and people is therefore key to supporting long term sustainable, inclusive economic growth which brings increased prosperity to every part of the country.”

Greens slam Chancellor's announcement as 'Alice in Wonderland thinking'

The Green Party's co-leader Adrian Ramsay has slammed Rachel Reeve's announcement about the third runway at Heathrow as "Alice in Wonderland thinking."

The MP for Waveney Valley wrote on social media: "Regulators are not there to serve business - they are there to protect consumers, the open market and crucially the environment. It's deeply worrying that the Chancellor seems to want to sweep aside protections in her pursuit of growth at any cost

"The Chancellor seems to think a third runway at Heathrow can be delivered in line with legal, environmental & climate objectives, while meeting rules on carbon emissions, noise & air quality.

"[It's] Alice in Wonderland thinking which flies in the face of the Climate Change Committee's advice & the evidence."

Lord Mandelson says Donald Trump has 'won my respect' as incoming ambassador admits prior remarks were 'ill-judged and wrong'

Incoming British ambassador to the US Lord Peter Mandelson has claimed Donald Trump has "won his respect" in a major walk-back on his prior attacks on the President.

Mandelson, who just yesterday was referred to the FBI by US Senators over his China links, admitted his previous comments on Trump were "ill-judged and wrong" - and said "times have changed".

He told Fox News: "I consider my remarks about President Trump as ill-judged and wrong... I think that times and attitudes toward the President have changed."

"I think that he has won fresh respect... He certainly has from me, and that is going to be the basis of all the work I do as His Majesty's ambassador in the United States."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Badenoch coy on tax return despite Reeves's U-turn - Christopher Hope

Kemi Badenoch has "no plans" to publish her tax return amid a growing will-she-won't-she row over the Chancellor's HMRC filings, Christopher Hope reports.

One Tory source told GB News' Political Editor: "Kemi has no plans to publish her tax return. The Conservatives are in Opposition."

Probed on how Sir Keir Starmer and Jeremy Corbyn published their tax returns when they led the opposition, the source says that they did so "a month or so before a General Election".

'She hasn't got a clue!' Ryanair boss rages at Reeves as Chancellor sticks to 'insane' air travel tax hike

Ryanair boss Michael O'Leary has said Rachel Reeves "hasn't a clue" about how to generate growth in aviation after she backed a third runway at Heathrow Airport today.

O'Leary said the Chancellor should scrap air passenger duty (APD) rather than "waffle on" about Heathrow, which he described as "a dead cat" which would not be complete until the 2040s.

Reeves announced increases in APD from the 2026/27 financial year in her October Budget - for passengers travelling in economy on a short-haul flight, this will see APD jump from £13 to £15.

O'Leary told reporters today: "The UK continues to lose out on enormous growth opportunities because you have a Chancellor who hasn't a clue about how to deliver growth, has had five years to get ready for it, and yet has managed to screw it up in her first Budget."

"Nothing is designed to damage growth faster than increasing taxes on air travel," he added.

O'Leary also labelled hiking APD to £15 "insane" - for flyers on his low-cost airline, the raid represents "a rate of tax of 33 per cent on Ryanair's average ticket price", he said.

Kemi Badenoch issues warning over £1 BILLION sick pay bill as Starmer pledges to stick to radical workers' rights overhaul

Kemi Badenoch has issued a stark warning over Labour's radical workers' rights overhaul - which could threaten British taxpayers with a £1billion-valued sick pay bill.

Accusing Sir Keir Starmer of being "anti-growth" at Prime Minister's Questions, Badenoch urged the PM to drop the Employment Rights Bill.

"This isn't an employment Bill, it is an unemployment Bill," she said.

"We must get more people of sickness and welfare and into work... His own Government estimates that these changes will increase business costs to £1billion per year in sick pay!".

Starmer, in response, claimed his party's Bill was "good for workers and good for growth," adding: "We believe in giving people dignity and protection at work."

'As votes of confidence go, it might need a bit of work,' says Griffith as Lloyds prunes 136 branches

Shadow Business Secretary Andrew Griffith has lashed out at Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves in the aftermath of Lloyds Banking Group's closures announcement.

"Yesterday, the Lloyds CEO sat down to breakfast with the Prime Minister and Chancellor," he said on social media.

"24 hours later, Lloyds announce likely job losses and the closure of almost 140 branches. As votes of confidence go, it might need a bit of work."

Lloyds Banking Group, which is made up of Lloyds Bank, Halifax and Bank of Scotland, confirmed plans this afternoon to close 136 of its high street branches in a blow to customers and the economy alike.

READ THE FULL STORY ON THE CLOSURES HERE

Farage backs Starmer's attack on Tory migration record - 'They're right to be dismayed!'

Nigel Farage was seen nodding along to Sir Keir Starmer's attack on the Tories' migration record as PMQs came to a close today.

Andrew Rosindell had warned that his constituents in Romford were left "shocked, angry and dismayed" by yesterday's damning ONS figures on net migration - and said there "was no mandate for such a colossal increase in migration to this country".

But Starmer hit back, accusing Kemi Badenoch of "cheering on" a quadrupling in migration under the former Conservative Government's watch and saying Rosindell's constituents were "right to be dismayed" - a statement of which Farage appeared to approve.

'You CAN'T tax your way to growth!' Badenoch tears into Labour on red tape as she hails Trump and Argentina's Milei

Kemi Badenoch has warned that Labour "can't tax their way to growth" in another attack on the Government's Employment Bill.

She said: "He thinks that it is his government that creates growth. He is wrong. It is business that creates growth.

"Our economy is built by entrepreneurs, risk-takers and the hard graft of working people.

"They know that you can't tax your way to growth. You can't borrow your way to growth. You can't legislate your way to growth.

"Other countries are serious about freeing business from red tape. President Trump is doing it in America. Argentina is taking a chainsaw to regulations.

"Even the EU is not going as far as this left-wing Government. This Bill will put us at the bottom of the pack.

"Add it to the jobs tax, the family business tax, it is no wonder wealth creators are fleeing Britain in droves!"

Sir Keir Starmer replied: "She has got a nerve. They broke the economy... completely destroyed it. They broke the health service, completely destroyed it... they failed on every front - they are in no position to give us lectures on anything."

Starmer issues sly Liz Truss swipe at Badenoch - 'She'll be the next lettuce!'

Sir Keir Starmer has laid into Kemi Badenoch with a Liz Truss-inspired swipe in response to her criticism of his Employment Bill.

"It is no wonder that this Bill has been called an adventure playground for lawyers," Badenoch jabbed. "[It will be] terrible for business, but it is great employment for lawyers."

But Starmer went on the attack, saying: "I understand she likes straight talking. She is talking absolute nonsense.

"She knows - and anybody who understands anything about the Bill or any employment law will know - you can't start in the morning and got to a tribunal in the afternoon.

"We know she is not a lawyer, she is clearly not a leader.

"If she keeps on like this she is going to be the next lettuce."

Labour DESTROYING economic growth, Badenoch warns

Kemi Badenoch has claimed that Rachel Reeves had "embraced a series of Conservative policies" to increase economic growth - but warned the measures will take some time to actually benefit Britons.

She asked: "What is the Government doing for growth now? It is destroying it."

But Sir Keir Starmer hit back, saying the Tories had not exactly left a "golden inheritance" on the economy - which showed at the General Election

“We are not taking lectures from them,” the Prime Minister added.

From earlier: Rachel Reeves vows to 'fight' amid mounting pressure over economy as she admits Budget had 'costs'

Rachel Reeves has vowed to "fight" amid mounting pressure over Britain's economy in a landmark speech setting out Labour's growth plans.

Speaking at a Siemens plant in Oxfordshire, Reeves admitted her Budget came with "costs" - but claimed that no opposition parties put forth a proper alternative.

She admitted the Budget came with "consequences on business and beyond" with its £25billion rise in employers' National Insurance contributions, saying: "I accept there are costs to responsibility, but the costs of irresponsibility would be far higher."

She added that since October, she has "seen no alternative put forward by the opposition parties".

In another swipe at the Tories, the Chancellor said: "For too long, politicians have lacked the courage or the strength to confront these challenges.

"When presented with a choice, they have not prioritised growth. Instead, they have accepted the status quo and they have been the barrier - not the enablers - of change."

But the Conservatives have been hitting back - across the morning, the party has been labelling Reeves and Sir Keir Starmer "barriers to growth".

"The call is coming from inside the house," a Tory campaign message said.

Reeves REFUSES to rule out future tax raids despite backlash: 'Not going to write 5 years of Budgets!'

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has refused to rule out another tax raid on businesses despite widespread backlash from the private sector over her decision to hike National Insurance.

The Chancellor outlined her plans to "kickstart economic growth" in the UK, which included the expansion of a third runway at Heathrow and the creation of a "British Silicon Valley".

Reeves offered an olive branch to the business community following her controversial autumn Budget decisions, which included raising the National Living Wage.

But she stopped short of committing to no more tax rises on employers in future fiscal statements...

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Sadiq Khan keeps up Labour split to decry Heathrow expansion - 'Severe impact on climate change targets!'

Sadiq Khan has said he remains "opposed" to a third runway at Heathrow Airport because of its "severe impact on climate change targets".

The Mayor of London said: "I remain opposed to a new runway at Heathrow airport because of the severe impact it will have on noise, air pollution and meeting our climate change targets.

"I will scrutinise carefully any new proposals that now come forward from Heathrow, including the impact it will have on people living in the area and the huge knock-on effects for our transport infrastructure.

"Despite the progress that's been made in the aviation sector to make it more sustainable, I'm simply not convinced that you can have hundreds of thousands of additional flights at Heathrow every year without a hugely damaging impact on our environment."

READ IN FULL: Heathrow Airport responds to Chancellor's backing

Heathrow Airport has released a statement responding to Rachel Reeves's speech today.

It reads: "We welcome the Chancellor's support for the aviation industry and recognition of the critical role we play for the economy and in delivering growth across the UK.

"Heathrow is the UK's gateway to growth and prosperity. A third runway and the infrastructure that comes with it would unlock billions of pounds of private money to stimulate the UK supply chain during construction.

"Once built, it would create jobs and drive trade, tourism and inward investment to every part of the country. It would also give airlines and passengers the competitive, resilient hub airport they expect while putting the UK back on the map at the heart of the global economy.

"With strict environmental safeguards, it would demonstrate that by growing our economy responsibly we can ensure our commitments to future generations are delivered.

"This is the bold, responsible vision the UK needs to thrive in the 21st century, and I thank the Government and Chancellor for their leadership.

"It has given us the confidence to confirm our continued support for expanding Heathrow. Successfully delivering the project at pace requires policy change - particularly around necessary airspace modernisation and making the regulatory model fit for purpose.

"We will now work with the Government on the expected planning reform and support Ministers to deliver the changes which will set us on track to securing planning permission before the end of this Parliament."

Budget was 'once in a generation', Chancellor claims

Last year's October Budget was a "once in a generation" set of measures designed to ward off the "economic and fiscal mismanagement" of the former Tory Government, Rachel Reeves has said.

"I am not going to write five years' worth of budgets in the first six months of office, but that was a once-in-a-generation Budget to fix the inheritance and to draw a line under the economic and fiscal mismanagement of the Conservatives," she told reporters.

'We WILL reduce net migration,' Reeves vows - but has 'no plans' to publish tax return

Labour "will reduce net migration", Rachel Reeves has vowed, following questions by GB News' Political Editor Christopher Hope.

Harking back to her pledges at the World Economic Forum last week, Reeves said that the UK was looking to attract "the best and brightest" through visa routes.

Chopper also probed the Chancellor on whether she would be making her tax return public this week.

She said she had "no plans" to do so - pointing to how Prime Ministers and Chancellors in the past generally do not make their filings public.

Though, as Chopper points out, both Rishi Sunak and Jeremy Hunt published their tax returns when they were Chancellor.

Britain 'could have had this all in 2022' - Tom Harwood

GB News' Deputy Political Editor Tom Harwood writes: "Patrick Vallance to be the champion of the Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor.

"He will work with Peter Freeman - who is leading Cambridge's new quarter development. And there will be a new growth commission for Oxford too.

"The country could have had this all in 2022, of course, had the then-Government not ditched what was then called the Oxford Cambridge Arc."

London Heathrow WILL receive third runway, Reeves vows, in attack on 'no progress in 80 years'

London's Heathrow Airport will receive a "badly needed" third runway after "no progress in 80 years", Rachel Reeves has confirmed.

In a blow to Energy Secretary Ed Miliband's net zero hopes but a boon to British business, the Chancellor vowed that Labour would take a "totally different" approach to the Tories - and will be taking proposals to build the new runway from now into the summer.

Decisions to expand Luton and Gatwick airports "will be made shortly" by the Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander, she added.

Reeves vows to 'go further and faster' with mega northern transport boost 

Rachel Reeves has vowed to go "further and faster" with Labour's growth plans in a bid to boost transport across the North.

The Chancellor said Manchester and Leeds "have great potential and promise" and that "there is so much more that Government can do to support our city regions".

She pointed to her Budget's funding boost for upgrades to the Transpennine route, as well as "delivering railway schemes to improve journeys for people across the North".

She also said she commited to support delivery of a "mass transport system" in Yorkshire - and, further south, has backed a privately-financed Lower Thames Crossing to link Kent and Essex alongside the Dartford Crossing.

Starmer approval rating slumps below Sunak's worst-ever tally

Sir Keir Starmer's approval rating has slumped to below Rishi Sunak's worst-ever level, fresh data from pollsters at More In Common has revealed.

The Prime Minister now sits at a -42 rating, one point lower than Sunak's -41 in July last year.

Meanwhile, Kemi Badenoch sits 26 points higher at -16, while Nigel Farage sits at -13, some 29 points above the PM.

Reeves: 'Building on the special relationship with Trump is in the national interest'

Rachel Reeves has vowed that "building on our special relationship" with President Donald Trump's America is "in the national interest for our economy".

The Chancellor insisted that Labour would be "guided by one clear principle, above all, to act in the national interest for our economy".

"That means building on our special relationship with the United States... of President Trump," she said.

From earlier: Lammy sparks Trump backlash over Chagos Islands as China 'threatens critical US military posture'

Foreign Secretary David Lammy was directly challenged by his new American counterpart over Labour's attempt to surrender the Chagos Islands, it has emerged.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio is understood to have pressed Lammy on whether the agreement will undermine US security interests given the strategic American base on one of the islands, the Telegraph reports.

The Trump administration has now been given full details of the UK's as-yet-unpublished agreement to hand control of the islands to Mauritius - which will allow his top team to pore over every line, with rumours of an American veto still in the balance.

A US readout of Lammy and Rubio's call said the pair discussed both "China's malign influence" and the need for a "free and open Indo-Pacific" - though neither statement on the call issued by the US or UK explicitly mentioned Chagos.

But now, multiple sources briefed on the call have confirmed to The Telegraph that it was indeed discussed.

Rubio has form on Chagos. He was publicly critical of Sir Keir Starmer's handover announcement back in October.

At the time, he warned that Britain giving up the islands could allow "communist China" to spy on the US Navy - and with Mauritius inching ever closer to China and Iran, his boss Donald Trump could still kill off the deal.

Reeves on collision course with Oxfordshire farmers as tractors pile up ahead of Chancellor's speech

Tractors are beginning to line the streets in Oxford ahead of Rachel Reeves's much-hailed "growth" speech in the city today.

Farmers - who have spent months protesting Reeves's inheritance tax raids on family farms, appear set to make their voices heard once again.

Heathrow expansion exposes Labour fault lines as mega-donor Vince forced into clash with Business Secretary

Eco-tycoon Dale Vince has labelled Labour's move to expand Heathrow a "big mistake" in the latest intra-party clash over growing the UK's largest airport.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds warned this morning that Britain "can't afford" to be a country which "doesn't build runways" - laying down the gauntlet for vocal opponents Vince and Energy Secretary Ed Miliband.

"I think it's a mistake. Actually, I think it's an illusion of growth," Vince said.

"It'll take 10 years to build a runway, cost maybe £50billion. It'll create the wrong kind of growth - we'll be exporting tourism money abroad, creating a bigger imbalance than we already have, and it will come at the expense of our carbon-cutting effort."

He added: "We've got to decarbonise energy, transport and food, and at the moment we're on course to do energy, and we won't do that with this Heathrow expansion, which is a big mistake."

Miliband has warned that the expansion may not go ahead if it breaches Labour's net zero targets - but Rachel Reeves has maintained that growth "trumps" his environmental concerns.

Labour's 'pro-growth agenda' is a FARCE, Farage warns

Labour's "pro-growth" messaging this morning ahead of Rachel Reeves's Oxfordshire speech is a "farce", Nigel Farage has warned.

Writing on social media, the Reform UK leader said: "The pro-growth and deregulation agenda coming from No10 and 11 is a farce.

"None of the frontbench have ever run a business and they have no idea what they are talking about."

'The sooner Lammy backs down, the better!' Braverman vows Labour's Chagos surrender will NOT proceed

David Lammy has been urged to "back down" and his Chagos Islands surrender will not go ahead, former Home Secretary Suella Braverman has claimed after speaking to Donald Trump's team.

Writing on social media, Braverman said: "I am currently in Washington DC and have been speaking people in the Trump administration.

"I cannot see how the Chagos deal will proceed.

"The sooner Starmer and Lammy back down, the better for all concerned.

"Sovereign UK territory should stay sovereign UK territory."

Business Secretary hails 'excitement and dynamism' as Treasury FINALLY starts sounding optimistic

Britons will start to feel better off from Labour's so-called "Plan For Change" "this year", Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds has vowed.

In an optimistic shift in tone from the Treasury, Reynolds told the BBC this morning: "People will fill the difference in their pockets this year.

"Inflation is coming down, wages are rising, and the excitement, dynamism we will generate... [will] unleash the animal spirits in the UK."

Labour's Budget could crush Britain's high streets as retail and hospitality venues risk being squeezed for half a BILLION in business rates

Labour's Budget could take its toll on Britain's small businesses and "exacerbate" the decline of the high street, a leading tax firm has warned.

New analysis by consultancy firm Ryan Tax reveals that Rachel Reeves's attempts to squeeze tech giants for extra cash may actually end up affecting high street retailers - which now risk facing larger tax bills under her reformed business rates system.

Alex Probyn, an analyst at Ryan, said: "The legislation won't address the current tax imbalance nor level the playing field, but will actually exacerbate it."

In the Treasury's business rates proposals, properties with a rateable value of £500,000 or more are set to be subjected to a higher rate of tax - the revenue from which will then be used to fund discounts for smaller properties.

Reeves's policy will fail to target online stores and will instead leave bricks-and-mortar retailers with higher tax bills, Ryan Tax's analysis warns.

The firm's figures show that retail, leisure and hospitality properties risk having to pay an extra £482million in business rates following the changes.

That's almost double what companies with large distribution warehouses are set to pay: an extra £263million.

'It's crunch time!' Reeves issued make-or-break business warning as Chancellor relaunches Labour's growth plabs

Rachel Reeves has been warned that it is "crunch time" ahead of her pivotal growth "relaunch" speech later today.

The Chancellor is heading to Oxfordshire today to put her name behind a series of major new infrastructure projects - including a third runway at Heathrow airport, a £100million-valued upgrade to Manchester United's Old Trafford, and an "Oxford-Cambridge Growth Corridor" said to boost the UK economy by as much as £78billion by 2035.

She will say: "Low growth is not our destiny, but that economic growth will not come without a fight without a Government that is on the side of working people. Willing to take the right decisions now to change our country’s course for the better.

"Britain is a country of huge potential. A country of strong communities, with local businesses at their heart.

"We are at the forefront of some of the most exciting developments in the world like artificial intelligence and life sciences. We have great companies based here delivering jobs and investment in Britain."

But CBI chief executive Rain Newton-Smith has warned: "It's crunch time for growth, and today the Chancellor has heeded business's call to go further and faster.

"This is most evident in ministers grasping decisions that have sat on the desk of government for too long. This positive leadership and a clear vision to kickstart the economy and boost productivity is welcome."

While Tory Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride jabbed: "The biggest barriers to growth in this country are Rachel Reeves, Keir Starmer, and their job-destroying Budget."

Politics LIVE

Welcome back to GB News' Politics LIVE blog.

We'll be updating this page throughout the day with live politics updates as they come in.