Farage slams Starmer and Sunak as Channel crossings crush 2023 numbers - 'Well done, Keir!'

The BBC must "apologise" for its "misleading" coverage of the fatal police shooting of Chris Kaba, Tory leadership hopeful Robert Jenrick has claimed.

Jenrick, who is positioning himself as the Conservative contender to rival Reform UK, said: “From the outset, the BBC’s coverage revealed that it went into this story with a predetermined view of what happened.

"That sort of bias is not consistent with the BBC’s charter. They need to apologise both to the public and to Sergeant Blake and his family for the distress their misleading reportage has caused.”

Six separate BBC articles have repeated claims made by Kaba's family that the Metropolitan Police is "racist".

However, the 24-year-old was fatally shot by 40-year firearms officer Martyn Blake after attempting to ram his Audi into officers.

A jury acquitted the Metropolitan Police officer earlier this week, with more details about Kaba's criminal past emerging soon after.

Struggling pensioner who voted Labour blasts 'unfair' Winter Fuel scrap

A County Durham pensioner has expressed his regret in voting for Labour at this year's general election as millions of pensioners are struggling to cope with the scrap of the Winter Fuel Payment.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves is set to unveil even more unrest for Britain's elderly in the Government's upcoming Budget announcement on October 30, including a potential cut to tax-free pension withdrawals.

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Reform launches scathing attack on ‘arrogant’ Keir Starmer over definition of ‘working people’ - ‘Incredibly offensive!’

Reform UK has launched a blistering attack on the Prime Minister's definition of "working people".

It comes after Sir Keir Starmer appeared to suggest that asset owners would not fall within his concept of what a working person is, but Downing Street later clarified that people who hold a small amount of savings in stocks and shares still count as working people.

Now, Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe has criticised the Prime Minister, saying that Starmer understands "nothing" about wealth creation.

The Reform MP wrote on social media: "Starmer suggesting that landlords and shareholders are not ‘working people’ is incredibly offensive. So speaks a man who understands NOTHING about how entrepreneurial wealth is created, jobs are sustained and businesses are developed. The arrogance is astounding."

The Government has been asked repeatedly to define the term in a bid to establish which taxes may rise in next week’s Budget as Chancellor Rachel Reeves looks to bridge what she calls the “£22billion black hole” in the public finances.

Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury James Murray told Sky News that "a working person is someone who goes out to work and who gets their income from work."

Asked whether a working person could also get income from shares or property, he added: “We’re talking about where people get their money from, and so working people get their money from going out to work.

“And it’s that money that we’re talking about in terms of those commitments we made around income tax, around national insurance. That’s what’s important to focus on, where people are getting their money from – getting their money from going out to work.”

Jenrick warns UK and Nato appear 'dangerously exposed'

Tory leadership candidate Robert Jenrick had used his speech at the Henry Jackson Society to set out his approach to defence, saying the UK and Nato appear "dangerously exposed."

Taking a hawkish stance on China, he warned the Government "must wake up to the next big threat on the horizon" posed by Beijing, and branded the treatment of the Uighurs by the country’s government a "genocide" a term the Labour administration has resisted using since taking office.

He said spending three per cent of GDP on defence should be the new standard for the military bloc, expected of all member states, and Britain should be “leading by the force of our example”.

This would be funded by welfare cuts rather than taxation, the Newark MP claimed.

Political commentator Samuel Sweek - 'I would rather chop off my own arm than vote Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick'

Political commentator Samuel Sweek declared "I would rather chop off my own arm" than vote for either Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick.

Speaking to Nana Akua and Matt Goodwin the commentator from the Peace and Justice project explained: "As I said, I find the level of debate, the level of the end product of a Tory leadership contest, a worrying development for UK democracy."

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Tories make gains across the UK in local council by-elections

The Conservatives made several gains overnight in the local elections amid calls from Nigel Farage to defect to Reform UK.

Middleforth on South Ribble Council and Town on Monmouthshire Council both swung from Labour to the Conservatives. Talybolion on the Isle of Anglesey Council went from Plaid Cyrmu to an Independent candidate.

Muscliff & Strouden Park in Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole Council swung from Independent to Conservative, while the Liberal Democrats won the Old Dean by-election on Surrey Heath Council from the Tories.

Rachel Reeves set to tear up Britain’s debt rules amid fears she will unleash £50billion borrowing spree

Rachel Reeves is set to tear up Britain's debt rules in a bid to reassure nervous investors that she will not go on a borrowing binge.

The Chancellor confirmed she will change the debt target allowing her to borrow up to £50billion more to invest, and that she will set a fixed date to get debt down as a share of the economy.

In a change from the previous Government's debt rules, the Chancellor said her fiscal rules would ensure that debt fell "during the course of this parliament."

Speaking to reporters at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) annual meetings in Washington, Reeves said: "Debt as a share of our economy today is very high and we spend a very large chunk of taxpayers’ money every year servicing that debt. So it is important to get that debt on a downward trajectory, and we will do that during the course of this parliament.

"It is important to do that in the course of the parliament, because otherwise...it’s always in the future, and it never actually gets met. So the previous Government always had a plan to reduce it, but it never actually happened."

Reeves also sought to tell investors that she will not embark on a borrowing binge as she seeks to fund a series of infrastructure investments.

She added: "I think it is really important to be clear about what this investment is for. It’s not to pay for day-to-day spending. It’s not to pay for tax giveaways. It’s to invest in things to get a long-term return for our country and for taxpayers."

However, she vowed to plough on with a plan to borrow to invest, adding that it was important to "free up the money...to invest in things or get a return for taxpayers. Our growth performance has been very poor."

UK should 'reject' claims of reparations, says Jenrick

Conservative leadership candidate Robert Jenrick has said the UK should “unequivocally reject” claims of reparations.

He told a press conference: "While the topic of overseas aid and reparations is being discussed, let me confront it head on.

"We must unequivocally reject these claims, they are based on false and misleading narratives about our past, after all it was Britain that worked harder than nearly any other country to eradicate the slave trade."

Jenrick says leadership contest is 'not over yet' despite lagging in polls

Conservative leadership candidate Robert Jenrick has said the contest is “absolutely not” over after a survey by ConservativeHome suggested he was trailing Kemi Badenoch by 31 per cent to 55 per cent

Asked whether the contest was all over, the Newark MP said: "Absolutely not – this is neck and neck, that’s a survey not a poll."

He claimed that previous polls had shown the contest to be "neck and neck", adding: "There’s everything to fight for, and I’m certainly going off around the country as I have throughout the summer.

"And I think my message is resonating with members and with the public that we need to learn our lessons, we need to have strong and clear policies now, not the vague promise of one tomorrow, unite the party and take the fight to Labour as quickly as possible."

Lord Blunkett warns Reeves’s pensions tax raid ‘will erode living standards’

Labour grandee and former Home Secretary Lord Blunkett has warned that imposing national insurance on employers’ pension contributions risks damaging people’s standard of living in their retirement.

Blunkett told The TImes: "The widespread reporting of a possible extension of employers’ national insurance in next week’s budget is very worrying. It is one thing to increase the rate of national insurance, and quite another to levy this on employer pension contributions.

"As the former work and pensions secretary who signed off, with Tony Blair and Gordon Brown, pensions auto-enrolment — which recognised the genuine crisis, for generations to come, in maintaining living standards in retirement — I would advise strongly against this."

No 10 climbs down on PM’s claim stocks and shares owners not ‘working people’

Sir Keir Starmer does not think all owners of stocks and shares fall outside his definition of “working people”, Downing Street has signalled.

The Prime Minister had suggested asset owners would not fall within his conception of what a working person is. The Government has been asked repeatedly to define this term, in a bid establish which taxes may rise in the Budget.

Labour’s manifesto said the party would not increase taxes on working people, including VAT, national insurance, and income tax.

During a broadcast interview at a Commonwealth summit in Samoa, Sir Keir told Sky News that he does not consider people who have an income from assets such as shares of property to be working people.

“They wouldn’t come within my definition,” he said.

Badenoch retains lead over Jenrick in new poll

Kemi Badenoch remains the member's favourite to succeed Rishi Sunak as the new Conservative leader according to a new poll.

According to ConservativeHome, Badenoch is still in the lead with 55 per cent of members saying she should be the new Tory Party leader, with Jenrick behind on 31 per cent and "don't know" on 14 per cent.

With Badenoch, MP for Saffron Walden and Jenrick, MP for Newark, the last two standing, the party membership will now cast their votes; this is scheduled to close on October 31. The winner of this vote will be announced on November 2.

EXCLUSIVE - Tory councillor sparks fury after slamming Labour for 'not consulting trans and non-binary communities' on public toilets

A London councillor has been accused of stirring up "divisive nonsense" after criticising his Labour-run council for not consulting "trans and non-binary communities" on some new public toilets.

The new loos - part of Westminster City Council's modernisation scheme to freshen up the existing facilities - are set to be split into men's and women's toilets, and have large signs denoting as such.

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MPs tell Sir Keir Starmer that considering reparations for slavery is the 'right thing to do'

Considering reparations for slavery is the "right thing to do" according to black Labour MPs.

It comes as the issue could be included in a document due to be signed off at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting this week, the UK has conceded despite opposition from the Prime Minister.

Labour MP for Brent East Dawn Butler told the Commons: "I understand that the Prime Minister has said that we have to look to the future, and he's dealing with 14 years of corruption and mismanagement by Conservative government, but we do have to consider reparations because it's the right thing to do."

Battersea MP Marsha de Cordova said Butler was making a “vital point” with regard to reparations, adding: "It’s so important that we do open and have that discussion about reparations because like her, or myself, we are descendants of those that were enslaved."

Home Office launches new charter in ‘crackdown’ on insurance fraud

The Home Office has announced a new charter with the insurance sector to “crack down” on fraud. The department said the voluntary agreement would target fraudsters “seeking to manipulate the insurance market with bogus claims and duping innocent people into buying fake insurance policies”.

It added that the charter includes pledges to “identify and address loopholes, enhance collaboration and improve victim support”.

The Home Office said the charter covers the “vast majority of the insurance sector”, ranging from “general insurance firms to underwriters”.

It comes as fraudulent insurance claims detected by the Association of British Insurers (ABI) topped £1.1billion in 2023, a 16 per cent increase in the number of detected claims compared to the previous year.