Politics LIVE: Radical overhaul of UK electoral system backed by half of Britons - with Farage a key winner

Sir Keir Starmer accused of 'bowing down' to EU amid latest visit to Brussels: 'Put British people first!'

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer's latest Brussels visit has sparked outrage on GB News, with commentator Sunil Sharma arguing the Labour leader's presence in the EU capital demonstrates the UK "bowing down" to the bloc.

Speaking to GB News, Sharma emphasised that Britain is "no longer part of the European Union", and the Government should be "putting British people first".

"We need to start to think about the priorities of Britain and putting British people first," Sharma declared.

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Kemi Badenoch meets King at Buckingham Palace in age old tradition

Kemi Badenoch has held a one-to-one audience with the King – reviving an old convention of the monarch meeting with the new leader of the Opposition.

Charles welcomed the Conservative Party leader in the grand 1844 Room of Buckingham Palace this morning.

A royal source said: “It was a convention that fell by the way in latter years of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth’s reign and seemed a courtesy to revive in the new reign.”

Badenoch, who was elected Tory leader in November, was pictured grinning as the smiling King gestured and held his his arms out wide at the start of their meeting.

Starmer crawls back to the EU amid talks of visa-free deal for under-30s as Macron tells PM 'Brexit has failed'

Sir Keir Starmer is considering opening discussions with the European Union regarding visa-free travel for under-30s, with Emmanuel Macron telling the Prime Minister that "Brexit has failed".

An updated youth visa scheme would allow 18 to 30-year-olds in the UK to live, work and study abroad, and the EU has maintained that without “free movement for young people” returning, relations between the two is unlikely to reset.

Whilst Yvette Cooper has said previously that the scheme is not on the table, behind the scenes, both sides have indicated that they would be willing to compromise.

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'It's STILL blunt!' Schools minister grilled on Ofsted reform amid backlash: 'It will drive up standards'

Minister of State for School Standards Catherine McKinnell has defended Ofsted's proposed new inspection system, rejecting suggestions that it remains too simplistic.

Speaking to GB News, McKinnell said the new approach would provide "a much more granular insight" into school performance compared to the previous system's single-word judgments.

The minister's comments come as Ofsted launches a consultation on plans to replace the current outstanding to inadequate ratings with a new colour-coded report card system.

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Education secretary says Ofsted overhaul is 'critical' and 'important'

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said the school system should focus on “need” and “not diagnosis” as she set out plans to overhaul the way Ofsted inspects schools.

The changes are “critical” for all children, she said, but “nowhere are they more important” than for children with special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

Phillipson is delivering a speech unveiling the Government's proposals for a new Ofsted school inspections process, with a 12-week consultation on the process being launched today.

Due to come into effect in autumn of this year, some of the proposals include a new report card format to replace the single-word grade system, where schools were given an "Outstanding", "Good", "Requires Improvement", or "Inadequate" rating.

Phillipson said that "stuck schools are the new front in the fight against low expectations", adding: "I will not accept a system that is content for some to sink, even while others soar."

Schools "must improve", and "with the right help, I know they can", Phillipson added.

Former Labour MP insists Keir Starmer will resign ‘if guilty’ amid fresh allegations of rule-breaking

A former Labour MP has insisted Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will resign if found guilty of breaking Covid rules, amid fresh allegations about a meeting with a voice coach during lockdown restrictions.

Speaking to GB News, Stephen Pound defended the Prime Minister's character, stating: "Look, Keir Starmer said without any equivocation that if the police found him guilty and he received an official caution he would resign.

"I'd imagine he'd do the same thing now, because you cannot say he's anything other than a man who obeys the law."

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US is 'indispensable ally and one of our closed trading partners', Government says

The Government has said that the US is an "indispensable ally" and "one of our closest trading partners", responding to Donald Trump's comments about the bilateral trading relationship.

Trump said last night that the UK is "out of line" on trade with the US but could be spared from a wave of tariffs if a deal could be "worked out".

Responding to the President's comments, a Government spokesperson said: "The US is an indispensable ally and one of our closest trading partners, and we have a fair and balanced trading relationship which benefits both sides of the Atlantic.

"We look forward to working closely with President Trump to continue to build on UK-US trading relations for our economy, businesses and the British people."

Trump warns 'out of line' Britain may avoid worst of trade war as imbalance could be 'worked out' in major boost for Starmer

Donald Trump has issued stark warnings about imminent trade tariffs against the European Union while suggesting the UK might be spared due to his relationship with Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The US president declared that while both the UK and EU are "out of line" in their trade practices, Britain's issues could potentially be resolved.

"The UK is way out of line, and we'll see," Trump told reporters upon returning to Washington from his Mar-a-Lago estate.

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The UK has 'every reason to look forward' to positive trading relationship with US, Labour minister says

The UK has “every reason to look forward” to a positive trading relationship with the US, a minister has said.

As Donald Trump threatened to extend his tariffs to Europe, education minister Catherine McKinnell told Times Radio: “We have a really strong trading relationship with the United States.

“Our trade is worth around £300 billion per year, we are the largest investors in one another’s economies – £1.2 trillion invested in each other’s economies.

“I think we have every reason to look forward to a positive future with the United States and trade.”

Starmer denies breaching Covid rules by hiring a voice coach in 2020

Sir Keir Starmer is facing accusations that he breached Covid rules by hiring a voice coach in 2020.

He reportedly employed Leonie Mellinger to help him prepare a response to Boris Johnson’s Brexit deal as leader of the opposition.

The classically trained dramatist advised STaremr on his speaking style, according to a book by two Sunday Times journalists.

A Labour Party spokesperson has denied any rules were broken, saying in a statement: "The rules were followed at all times."