Nigel Farage takes aim at 'EU fanatic' Michel Barnier as he reacts to appointment as PM

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Tomorrow, party conference season in England kicks off as the Green Party launches their conference in Manchester. We'll have all the coverage on GB News throughout the day.

Imposing VAT on private schools ‘wicked, stupid and cruel’, Government told

A plan to impose VAT on private schools is “wicked, stupid and cruel”, Parliament has been told.

In strongly worded criticism at Westminster, Tory former Cabinet minister Lord Forsyth of Drumlean accused the Labour Government of pursuing “an ideological driven policy”.

From January, the Government plans to remove the VAT exemption and business rates relief for private schools to enable funding for 6,500 new teachers in state schools.

Currently, independent schools do not have to charge 20 per cent VAT on their fees because there is an exemption for the supply of education.

But critics have warned over the short timescale involved and branded it a “blunt instrument” that risked unintended consequences, including the impact on children with learning difficulties who attend specialist independent schools and military families.

Lord Forsyth said: “I will sum up my view of this policy in three words: it’s wicked, it’s stupid and its cruel.”

He added: “Who in this chamber can defend the idea of sending a child halfway through term, suffering from autism, to another completely different environment?

“Anyone who knows anything about autism will know that would be a cruel and disgraceful thing to do and that is the consequence of this policy.”

Plan to impose VAT on private schools slammed as 'wicked, stupid and cruel'

From January, the Government plans to remove the VAT exemption and business rates relief for private schools to enable funding for 6,500 new teachers in state schools.

Lord Forsyth of Drumlean accused the Labour Government of pursuing “an ideological driven policy”.

He said: “I will sum up my view of this policy in three words: it’s wicked, it’s stupid and its cruel.” He added: “Who in this chamber can defend the idea of sending a child halfway through term, suffering from autism, to another completely different environment.

“Anyone who knows anything about autism will know that would be a cruel and disgraceful thing to do and that is the consequence of this policy.”

Rather than the part of “education, education, education” under Tony Blair it was now one of “taxation, taxation, taxation”, he argued.

Lord Forsyth said: “I fear that this is an ideological driven policy of the kind the Prime Minister showed during the election when he was asked, ‘If one of your family were desperately ill would you ever use the private sector?’ and he said no. We don’t want that kind of politics in this country.”

Tory peer Lord Black of Brentwood said it was a "spiteful" policy based on "voodoo economics", as he accused the Government of "heartlessly toying" with children’s education. He added: “It is time to put children before party.”

Labour peer Lord Winston said the amount of money raised by charging VAT on private schools would be “trivial” in comparison to the sum needed to fix the “crisis in our schools”.

Jenrick campaign handed £20,000 donation by millionaire ex-chancellor Nadhim Zahawi

Jenrick, the former immigration minister, topped the first round of voting in the race to replace Rishi Sunak yesterday.

MailOnline reports the handout from Zahawi was released today among more than £600,000 of donations handed to the six original candidates.

Dame Priti Patel, who was the first candidate to be eliminated from the contest yesterday, received the most declarable donations in the most recent period, the figures showed. She banked more than £175,000 despite trailing in sixth, with the backing of just 14 Tory MPs.

Her total was bolstered by a single donation of £70,000 from longstanding millionaire Tory donor Lubov Chernukhin.

PM and Defence Secretary pay tribute to 'dreadful', 'tragic' navy helicopter death

Sir Keir Starmer and Defence Secretary John Healey have paid tribute to the Royal Navy service member who lost their life in a helicopter accident last night.

In a statement released on Thursday afternoon, the MoD confirmed the incident took place while conducting a night flying exercise with HMS Queen Elizabeth.

Healey described the news as "dreadful" as he spoke to reporters on a visit to HMS Diamond in Portsmouth.

He said: "All my thoughts and the thoughts of those in the wider navy I've been with today are with the family, the friends and the close colleagues of the one we've lost today."

While in a statement released on social media, the PM said he was "deeply saddened to hear of the tragic death of a member of the Royal Navy".

Starmer added: "My thoughts are with the family and loved ones during this painful time."

Starmer stares down Labour REBELLION as revolting MPs look to block winter fuel allowance cuts

Earlier today, GB News reported how Sir Keir Starmer is staring down the barrel of a Labour rebellion in the Commons next week - a major blow just two months into his term as Prime Minister.

In PMQs yesterday, Starmer defended his party's controversial choice to scale back winter fuel payments for pensioners in an attempt to account for what Labour have called the Conservative Government's financial "black hole".

His predecessor, Rishi Sunak, accused him of prioritising train drivers over Britain's elderly population in "inflation-busting pay rises" while Tory MPs joined in with chants of "shame" from the benches - but it's not just the Tories taking aim at the PM.

The winter fuel allowance cuts will face a vote in Parliament next week, but 10 Labour MPs have already publicly declared their opposition to the move.

The 10 have signed a Parliamentary motion calling on their own party leader to push back ending the payments, while more MPs have failed to rule out rebelling.

Among the group of potential rebels sit several new MPs including Jessica Asato, Melanie Onn and Neil Duncan-Jordan - the latter of which put forward said motion.

The upcoming vote is set to be whipped, The Times reports, but sources have indicated that Labour haven't yet decided whether those who break rank would face the same level of discipline handed out to MPs who rebelled against the two-child benefit cap at the end of July.

Back then, the PM suspended seven Labour MPs for six months - but insiders have counselled that there might be a little more wiggle-room next week as the upcoming winter fuel payments vote isn't tied to the King's Speech.

Starmer defended the cuts yesterday, telling the Commons: "No Prime Minister wants to do what we have to do in relation to the winter fuel allowance, but we have to take the tough decision to stabilise our economy to ensure that we can grow it for the future."

Emmanuel Macron appoints Brexit-hating former EU negotiator MICHEL BARNIER as French Prime Minister

Michel Barnier, the man who led the EU's charge against the UK in Brexit negotiations, has been appointed as prime minister of France.

The country's president, Emmanuel Macron, named Barnier in the role early on Thursday afternoon - and has tasked him with forming a new government.

The appointment immediately prompted fury in France, with hard-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon urging his supporters to take to the streets in protest on Saturday, September 7.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Steve Reed outlines plans to tackle sewage in UK waters

Environment Secretary Steve Reed said claimed the former Conservative Government was “too weak” to stop water companies paying out millions in bonuses and dividends at the expense of infrastructure upgrades.

During a speech to industry stakeholders at the Thames Rowing Club in Putney about the newly announced Water (Special Measures) Bill, the Environment Secretary said 14 years of Tory failure has left much of the UK’s water infrastructure in disrepair.

“Instead of protecting our waterways, water companies were allowed to pay out multimillion-pound bonuses and billions in dividends and the Conservative government was too weak to stop them,” he said.

Reed later added: “Firmer action should have been taken over the last 14 years to ensure money was spent on fixing the water and sewage system and not siphoned off for bonuses and dividend payments. I am angry that over a decade of Conservative failure means customers will now have to pay higher bills to fix the system. This did not need to happen.

“While I can’t undo the failure of the past, I can stop it ever happening again. We’ve inherited a broken water system that affects us all, from the health and happiness of communities to the quality and resilience of our food systems and natural environment.

“These are systemic issues that require a proper reset with a reformed water sector in the vast quantities of investment that are needed.”

Priti Patel ‘would be very useful’ for Reform UK as Ann Widdecombe reacts to failed Tory leadership bid

Priti Patel would be a welcome addition to Reform UK’s ranks, according to party spokeswoman Ann Widdecombe.

The former cabinet minister crashed out of the Tory leadership race at the first hurdle after securing just 14 votes from fellow MPs.

Speaking on GB News, Widdecombe weighed up the prospect of Patel defecting to Nigel Farage’s populist party.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Badenoch hailed as 'fresh', 'modern', 'future-looking' as Coutinho laments how Britons 'fed up of politics'

Tory leadership contender Kemi Badenoch has been hailed by fellow front-bencher Claire Coutinho after yesterday's first round of voting in the contest.

Coutinho, the Shadow Energy Secretary, reaffirmed her support for Badenoch - who brought home 22 votes from Conservative MPs on Wednesday afternoon.

The 22 votes placed Badenoch second in the race - four behind fellow top contender Robert Jenrick on 26 - while Priti Patel failed to qualify for the next round with her 14.

Coutinho said: "The reason that I like Kemi is that I think people are slightly fed up of politics in general for lots of different reasons.

"And she is, I think, quite fresh in how she approaches politics.

"She's very courageous in the things that she takes on. She's fearless when it comes to telling the truth about different things and taking on things and fighting in the public's interests.

"And that's what I like about her, because not just here in the UK, but across the West, in Europe, in different parts of the world, we are seeing all of these new challenges... and I like the fact that Kemi is very modern, very future-looking."

Angela Rayner defends controversial Ibiza rave video

Angela Rayner has defended a controversial video which emerged of her raving in Ibiza last week as "a bit of downtime".

Footage had circulated online of the Housing Secretary-cum-Deputy PM dancing and gesturing on stage with an Australian DJ - and amid growing concerns over the state of housing and housebuilding in Britain, Rayner had taken some significant flak.

When probed on the issue on Sky News, she defended her on-stage appearance, drawing attention to the fact she was on holiday at the time.

She told the broadcaster: "People like to look at that element... Yes, I'm working class. I like a dance, I like dance music.

"I got criticised for going to the opera, if you remember - I wasn't allowed to. I was a champagne socialist for going to the theatre!

"You've got to have a bit of downtime as well... Everybody has to have downtime.

"But I do take my job really seriously."

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