Politics LIVE: Angela Rayner eyes up BANNING right to buy council homes - despite having bought her own
Rayner unveils overhaul of planning system in drive for 1.5 million homes
GB News
Angela Rayner has indicated she will ban new council homes from being sold under the Right to Buy scheme, despite buying her own property in 2007.
The Deputy Prime Minister told the BBC the government would put restrictions on new social homes in England "so that we aren’t losing that stock."
The scheme, first launched by Margaret Thatcher in 1980, allowed tenants living in council houses to buy them, often at a significant discount.
While it was initially popular for increasing rates of home ownership among working-class people, it has proved controversial more recently and has been blamed for exacerbating homelessness and causing a housing crisis.
Rayner told the BBC that she doesn’t want those newly built properties “leaving the system" adding: "We’ll be putting restrictions on them so that we aren’t losing those homes… we’re not losing that stock."
Ministers will launch a consultation on the issue later this year.
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BREAKING: Mike Amesbury MP charged with assault after 'man punched in street'
Mike Amesbury has had his Labour membership suspended MIKE AMESBURYMP Mike Amesbury has been charged with assault after a video emerged of him appearing to punch a man to the ground.
The Runcorn and Helsby MP, who was suspended from Labour after footage emerged appearing to show him hit a man in the street, will appear before magistrates at a later date, police said.
The charge relates to an alleged attack on a 45-year-old man on Main Street in Frodsham, Cheshire, which was reported to officers at 2.48am on Saturday October 26.
New Home Office record high number of potential victims of modern slavery
The number of potential victims of modern slavery reached a record level according to the latest official data. A total of 4,758 potential victims were referred to the Home Office between July and September.
This is up 10 per cent compared to the previous three months and a rise of 15 per cent on the same quarter in 2023. The Home Office said the number of referrals for the latest three-month period is the highest since the National Referral Mechanism (NRM) began in 2009.
The previous record was 4,742 referrals between January and March 2023. Almost a quarter (23 per cent or 1,092) of referrals were of UK nationality, with the second most common being Albanian (11 per cent; 523) and Vietnamese (11 per cent; 514).
Some 74 per cent of UK nationals referred into the system were children, while 91 per cent of the Albanian nationals and 81 per cent of Vietnamese nationals referred were adults. Overall, almost a third of referrals (31 per cent or 1,498) were children, down from 34 per cent in the previous quarter.
Starmer and Reeves rent out their London homes for thousands after moving into Downing Street
Sir Keir Starmer and Rachel Reeves are renting out their homes for thousands of pounds after moving into Downing Street, it has emerged.
Just days after a row erupted over the party's definition of "working people", it has come to light that the two Labour leading lights are both landlords, according to a new list of ministerial declarations.
The Prime Minister's four-bed north London home, valued at some £2million, is up for rent, despite Starmer having paid off his mortgage earlier this year, while the Chancellor's own four-bedroom pad, in the south of the capital, is also open to tenants.
Keir Starmer told to SACK David Lammy amid fears it is 'impossible' to work with Trump
Lammy will serve as Foreign Sec for entire five-year Parliament, No10 saysParliament TVA US analyst has called on Sir Keir Starmer to sack Foreign Secretary David Lammy over past comments about President-elect Donald Trump.
Director of The Heritage Foundation's Margaret Thatcher Center for Freedom Nile Gardiner said Trump would see the Prime Minister as a "novice" when it comes to negotiating and a "woke lefty."
Lammy posted on social media in 2017: "Yes, if Trump comes to the UK I will be out protesting on the streets. He is a racist KKK and Nazi sympathiser."
One year later, the Tottenham MP wrote: "Trump is not only a woman-hating, neo-Nazi-sympathising sociopath...he is also a profound threat to the international order that has been the foundation of Western progress for so long."
Now, Gardiner has claimed that firing Lammy from the cabinet would be the start of fixing the relationship between Starmer and Trump, however, he conceded that it may be politically difficult.
He told MailOnline: "The smartest thing would be to sack David Lammy and apologise for the intervention by Labour staffers. But I'm in no doubt that it will be practically impossible for Sir Keir to work with the Trump Presidency."
Earlier this year, Lammy defended calling Trump "a neo-Nazi sympathising sociopath", saying all politicians had something to say about him "back in the day." He also said he had met Trump’s Vice-President JD Vance and that the two men had “common ground".
Lammy said: "We’re both from poor backgrounds, both suffered from addiction issues in our family which we’ve written about... both of us [are] Christians. And now I’ve met [Vance] on a few occasions, and we have been able to find common ground and get on."
Liberal Democrats and Greens express outrage at 'dangerous, destructive' Trump victory
Party leaders have expressed their anger after Donald Trump declared victory in the US presidential election.
Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey said it was "a dark, dark day for people around the globe".
He added: "The world’s largest economy and most powerful military will be led by a dangerous, destructive demagogue. Fixing the UK’s broken relationship with the EU is even more urgent than before - we must strengthen trade and defence cooperation across Europe to help protect ourselves from the damage Trump will do."
Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer said: "A convicted criminal, a fascist who does not respect the rule of law is once again set to become leader of the most powerful country in the world.
"For a man who denies the reality of climate change, has no respect for the truth and engineered the overturning of women’s right to choose, for him to have so much power feels frightening.
"His relentless attacks on migrants, his racism, his misogyny, his homophobia, it leaves many in our communities feeling threatened this morning.
"So on this dark day, I want to say that we stand in solidarity with all those who dreaded this moment and must now live with its consequences, including those in Gaza and in Ukraine."
Falklands War defence secretary dies aged 92
Former Secretary of State for Defence, John Nott, pictured in 1982
PA
Sir John Nott, the defence secretary during the Falklands War, has died aged 92.
The senior Conservative twice offered his resignation to Margaret Thatcher after the Argentinian invasion of the South Atlantic islands in 1982 but she refused to accept it, instead keeping him in place for the operation.
His daughter, the writer Sasha Swire, the wife of Tory peer Lord Swire, said: “RIP my beloved father, John Nott, protector, politician, farmer, me. Sir John also had two sons – composer Julian, who wrote the Peppa Pig theme music, and William who worked in the oil industry.
Shadow foreign secretary Dame Priti Patel said: “John Nott was an inspiring defence secretary and politician who stood up, alongside Margaret Thatcher, to aggression.His resolute determination to free British sovereign territory from tyranny is as important today as it was during the Falklands conflict.
"My condolences go to his family and loved ones at this sad time."
Mel Stride says Labour government are in a 'difficult position already' with Trump’s administration and should 'build bridges'
Shadow Chancellor Mel Stride has said that Labour need to "build bridges" with the US after David Lammy's tweets about President-elect Donald Trump.
Speaking to GB News, Stride said: "I think those remarks were very unfortunate. And clearly it's incumbent on the government to build those bridges with Donald Trump and his new administration.
"I think Kemi Badenoch yesterday in Prime Minister's Questions, was absolutely right to press the Prime Minister on ensuring that those remarks are effectively withdrawn because I think they're extremely unhelpful."
Labour comments about Donald Trump will not 'interfere' in the 'important alliance' between the UK and US, says McFadden
Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden has said comments made by Labour Cabinet ministers about Donald Trump will not “interfere” in the “important alliance” between the UK and US.
He told Sky News: "I think a lot of things that have been said over the years, but not just here in the UK, including in the US. If you look at what Vice President Elect JD Vance said about President Trump, he mused whether this was going to be another Richard Nixon or America’s Hitler, and it’s not held him back from being the running mate.
"Elon Musk as well, advised Trump to walk off into the sunset a couple of years ago, and he’s become President Trump’s biggest, biggest backer in business. So I think a number of things have been said over the years, but the truth is, the alliance between Britain and the United States is long and deep and enduring."
He added: "I don’t think any of these things will interfere in what is such an important alliance for the world, based on defence, security, shared values, shared history. It’s all more important than all of those things, and that is the footing we begin on, and that’s the footing that we’ll continue on."
UK Government confirms nearly £1.4bn for local projects in Scotland
Secretary of State for Scotland Ian Murray MP
PAThe UK Government has said nearly £1.4billion will be spent on dozens of local growth projects in Scotland over the next 10 years. Scottish Secretary Ian Murray has written to all 32 local authorities to confirm the greenlit projects.
Murray announced £160million each for investment zones in Glasgow and the North East, £26million each for the Cromarty and Forth freeports, and £26million for the Fair Isle Ferry in Shetland.
Nearly £39million will be allocated for the Amids (Advanced Manufacturing Innovation District Scotland) South transport project in Renfrewshire while £15million will be spent on the regeneration of Drumchapel town centre in Glasgow, and £18million will be spent on the Elgin city masterplan.
Ten areas will receive £20million each as part of the long-term plan for towns programme.
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