Met Police investigates Rupert Lowe over bullying allegations as Reform UK suspends MP

Former Tory quits council to join Reform UK citing decision to postpone local elections

A former Tory councillor has joined Reform UK, citing the decision to postpone local elections this year.

Julian Kirk, who represents the Marshland North seat, has resigned, announcing he will join Nigel Farage's party.

Kirk won the Marshland North seat in the 2021 county council elections. He also sits on King's Lynn and West Norfolk Borough Council.

The farmer was previously the deputy chairman of the Conservative association in former Prime Minister Liz Truss's constituency of South West Norfolk.

His decision has triggered a by-election for the seat.

Miliband dealt blow as Treasury ‘weighs up funding cuts at GB Energy’

Net Zero Secretary Ed Miliband has been hit with a blow as the Treasury is reportedly weighing up the possibility of cutting planned funding for GB Energy.

The Financial Times reports the Treasury is to cut £3.3bn earmarked for the scheme to fund low-interest loans via local authorities, for projects such as solar panels and shared-ownership wind projects.

Sources close to the government said the Treasury was now running the rule over "everything" before the spring statement this month, which is expected to show that Reeves’s headroom against her fiscal rules has been wiped out.

A Treasury spokesman said: "We are fully committed to the £8.3bn for GB Energy, which is at the heart of our mission to make Britain a clean energy superpower and to ensure our homes are cheaper and cleaner to run."

Reform UK suspends the whip from Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe

Reform UK has suspended the whip from Rupert Lowe following allegations of bullying.

It comes after the Great Yarmouth was accused of "serious bullying" and making "two threats of physical violence" as the party's recent row explodes into a police matter.

Lowe was accused of making threats of "physical violence" against party chairman Zia Yusuf on two separate occasions. A friend said the claims were "all c***" and the allegations were "cooked up". Lowe as denied the allegations, saying: "Allegations of physical threats are outrageous and entirely untrue."

He continued on X: "I have never made any derogatory comments about women, or those with disabilities. This is a lie. These allegations are not even referring to me. I will be seeking legal advice immediately.

"There is no credible evidence against me, as the KC has stated on numerous occasions. It is no surprise that this vexatious statement has been issued the day after my reasonable and constructive questions of Nigel and the Reform structure.

"It was issued on X late on a Friday afternoon, with no prior warning."

Khan denies reports Ulez is about raising money for Transport for London

Sir Sadiq Khan has said that the ultra-low emission zone (Ulez) is not about raising money for Transport for London. Speaking at at event at a nursery in Barnet, north London, the city’s mayor declared "unequivocally" that the controversial scheme works.

It comes after the release of the Ulez One Year report on Friday which found the London boroughs which opposed Khan's expansion of the scheme have seen the largest reductions in a harmful air pollutant because of the policy.

The mayor told reporters: "This is about supporting Londoners to have cleaner air. No level of air pollution is safe and that’s why we have got to make more progress.

"Ulez is not about raising money for TFL. When we embarked on this journey, 39 per cent of vehicles in London were Ulez compliant, now it’s 97 per cent."

Conservatives call on Reform to remove the whip from Lowe if 'allegations are true and as serious as they claim'

The Conservatives have demanded Reform UK remove the whip from Great Yarmouth MP Rupert Lowe if allegations are proved to be true.

A Tory spokesman said: "If these allegations are true and as serious as they claim, then Reform would remove the whip from Rupert Lowe.

"If they are not removing the whip, then it can only be seen as a stitch-up to ruin Lowe’s reputation and punish him for criticising their messiah."

Labour MP ridicules Reform UK over claim Keir Starmer is ‘terrified’ of Nigel Farage

A Labour Minister has ridiculed Reform UK over its claim Sir Keir Starmer is "terrifed" of the threat posed by Nigel Farage.

Scottish Secretary Ian Murray rejected the suggestion from Reform's deputy leader Richard Tice that the populist party could supplant Labour north of the border.

Speaking after a speech in Edinburgh, Murray said: "We're certainly not terrified of a party (whose deputy leader) doesn't know the name of his own councillors."

The Edinburgh South MP added: “We’ve set out our stall, we’ve set out our missions."

Murray appeared to be taking a jab at Tice after the Boston & Skegness MP was unable to recall the surnames of new defectors James Gray and Ross Lambie.

In a quip about Tice making the blunder during a visit to a fish and chip shop, Murray claimed the deputy Reform leader had been "battered" by the questions he faced in Scotland's largest city.

PM 'applauds' EU over 'ReArm' mega-defence deal

Sir Keir Starmer has "applauded" the European Union after the Brussels bloc agreed to its new defence pact.

Following a call with the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the leaders of Canada, Turkey, Norway and Iceland this morning, a Downing Street spokeswoman said: “The Prime Minister spoke to the President of the European Council, the President of the European Commission and the leaders of Canada, Turkey, Norway and Iceland this morning.

“The Prime Minister applauded the progress the European Union had made at the European Council yesterday, saying it was a historic step forward and another sign of Europe stepping up.

“Closer collaboration between the European Union, its partners and our combined defence industrial base was vital as Europe stepped up to counter egregious Russian aggression, the Prime Minister added.

“Updating on the intensive diplomacy between the US, UK, France and Ukraine, the Prime Minister welcomed the potential for peace talks in Saudi Arabia next week.

“The leaders also discussed the Coalition of the Willing and looked ahead to the Chiefs of Defence meeting in Paris on Tuesday. It would be another important moment to drive forward planning, they agreed.

“The leaders agreed to stay in close touch.”

Farage secures defection DELUGE as Welsh councillors switch en masse - 'The Establishment has FAILED'

Reform UK has announced the defection of four councillors in Wales as the party steps up its efforts to break into power in local politics.

Two of the councillors have switched from the embattled Welsh Conservatives - while the other two have joined Reform having previously stood as independents.

The four are:

• Cllr Geoff Morgan, Ithon Valley Ward (Independent);
  
• Cllr Claire Jonson-Wood, Llanyre with Nantmel Ward (Independent);
• Cllr Iain McIntosh, Yscir with Honddu Isaf and Llanddew (Conservative);
• Cllr Karl Lewis, Llandinam with Dolfor Ward (Conservative).

READ IN FULL: What does the Foreign Affairs Committee want to know about Starmer's EU 'reset'?

The Foreign Affairs Committee has put out a call for evidence in its inquiry into Sir Keir Starmer's EU "reset" amid "the threat of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, an ascendant China and a US administration increasingly pivoting away from Europe".

The committee, led by Emily Thornberry, is currently seeking written evidence to answer the following questions:

• What would a positive outcome to the May 19UK-EU Summit look like for the UK? Which policy areas are the most contentious for the UK? For the EU? How can these different 'asks' be accommodated?
• Is the current Machinery of Government set up the most efficient way to deliver the reset? How should trade-offs between different policy areas be managed?
• Has the Government clearly articulated a whole-of-Government approach to the negotiations? Are there any policy areas that have not been included but should be that should be included?
• What role should the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office play in supporting the reset? Are UK embassies in EU member states, resourced and equipped to support this process?
• What are the Government's long-term strategic objectives for the UK-EU relationship in security and defence? How can the UK and EU manage the immediate shared challenges in Ukraine and the Middle East?
• What, if any, new frameworks or agreements are needed to support a UK-EU strategic partnership? Is a non-binding security and defence partnership in the form of an MoU [memorandum of understanding] sufficient, or should the UK pursue a formal security and defence agreement?
• What are the Government's long-term strategic objectives for the UK-EU relationship on economic security?
• How can the UK maintain strong relations with the US and EU when their respective positions are at odds? How can it best balance these relationships?
• Could UK divergence from the EU’s approach to ‘de-risking’ its economic relationship with China affect the UK-EU reset, and if so how?

Elon Musk DEFENDS free speech for hundreds of Britons as it's revealed he REFUSED to hand over account details to police amid Southport unrest

Elon Musk's social media platform refused to hand the account details of hundreds of British people to police during and after last summer's unrest.

New figures published by X showed that Musk's firm turned down over half of UK Government information requests in the second half of 2024, The Telegraph revealed on Friday.

X said it shared user information in 379 out of 806 cases, a disclosure rate of 47 per cent - significantly lower than those of other firms like Google, Meta, TikTok and LinkedIn.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

'It's not just wasteful, it's INSANE!' Labour's supervised toothbrushing scheme faces serious questions over 'undermining parental responsibility'

Labour has announced a £11million-valued nationwide supervised toothbrushing scheme in a bid to combat alarming levels of tooth decay in Britain's youth.

As many as 20 per cent of five-year-olds suffer from tooth decay - and this morning, the Prime Minister said: "The main reason our children go to hospital shouldn't be rotting teeth.

"I promised that my Government would fix this. Today we are launching a supervised toothbrushing scheme, so children across the country have a lifetime of good dental health."

But the drive has been labelled "wasteful and insane" by critics.

William Yarwood, media campaign manager at the TaxPayers' Alliance, said: "Boots sells three toothbrushes and toothpaste for a total cost of £2.50.

"Teaching kids to brush properly costs nothing. Spending £11m on 'supervised toothbrushing' isn't just wasteful - it's insane and undermines parental responsibility."

'How much of it is going to Mauritius?!' - Lowe launches Chagos challenge at Reeves's defence pledge

Rupert Lowe has claimed that Labour is including payments to Mauritius in its recently-hiked defence spending drive as part of a pointed dig at Rachel Reeves.

The Chancellor had witten on social media: "A strong economy needs a strong national defence.. Our increase in defence spending will keep our country safe and deliver for British business."

But the Great Yarmouth MP retorted: "How much of it is going to Mauritius, Rachel? Nobody will answer. Why is that? I think we all know why."

Treasury confirms first payment worth nearly £1 BILLION arrives in Ukraine

The Treasury has confirmed that a multi-million-pound aid payment has reached Ukraine - the first instalment of a massive £2.26billion loan to Volodymyr Zelensky's forces.

A statement from No11 this morning read: "The first £752million of a £2.26billion loan to Ukraine has been transferred.

"The funds will help to bolster Ukrainian military capability and will be paid back using profits generated on sanctioned Russian sovereign assets."

Infamous 'two-tier' sentencing guidelines based on David Lammy report - 'Labour's fingerprints are all over this!'

The sentencing guidelines at the centre of a "two-tier justice" row were based on a report written by David Lammy, it has emerged.

New guidance issued by the Sentencing Council, coming in on April 1, tells judges to consider factors like ethnicity and religion in a pre-sentencing background report when deciding convicted criminals' fates.

The council said its new guidance was influenced by several pieces of research - including a 2017 review by Lammy, a new report by The Times has revealed.

The future Foreign Secretary found "widespread" racial discrimination in the criminal justice system, and put forward changes to improve outcomes for "black, Asian and minority ethnic" offenders.

In his review, Lammy called for more scrutiny of sentencing decisions - and said judges must be equipped with more information about offenders' backgrounds.

The Tottenham MP also urged for more use of pre-sentence reports - which are compiled by the Probation Service to give judges extra information about offenders' character and circumstances.

Lammy wrote: "These reports 'assist the court in determining the most suitable method of dealing with an offender' and may be particularly important for shedding light on individuals from backgrounds unfamiliar to the judge.

"This is vital considering the gap between the difference in backgrounds, both in social class and ethnicity, between the magistrates, judges and many of those offenders who come before them."

Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood has vowed to overrule the Sentencing Council if it fails to reverse the guidelines "as soon as possible", and has requested an urgent meeting to discuss the controversy.

And her shadow counterpart Robert Jenrick has kicked off legal proceedings in an attempt to axe the advice through a judicial review - calling the guidelines "anti-white and anti-Christian".

He later added: "Labour's fingerprints are all over this two-tier sentencing guidance. Lammy's report failed to establish conclusive evidence of direct discrimination in sentencing decisions. Now it's being used to justify abandoning the foundational principle of equal treatment under the law."

Labour Minister steps in to smooth Nato rift after Trump left 'unsure' if allies would step up

Donald Trump's call for European Nato partners to spend more on defence is "fair enough", Health Minister Stephen Kinnock has said.

Speaking to Sky News this morning, Kinnock said: "Donald Trump's not actually the first President to say that the European arm of Nato needs to step up.

"More needs to be spent on defence, military capability needs to be made fit for purpose.

"Sadly, in our country, we've seen our armed forces hollowed out by 14 years of Conservative neglect and incompetence, and it's about now rebuilding our military capability to look after our own backyard.

"And, you know, I think that's fair enough - the challenge has been laid and we must now show that we are equal to that challenge."

The President had warned last night that he was "not so sure" whether France would support the US if it were called upon - despite Europe stepping up to defend America after 9/11.

Asked whether he would defend Nato countries which didn't meet the alliance's defence spending requirement, Trump said: "I think it's common sense, right?

"If they don't pay, I'm not going to defend them."

Everyone is talking about ethnicity in 'two-tier' sentencing guidelines - but there's one alarming detail that's been missed...

With new court recommendations fuelling claims of "two-tier justice" in Britain, GB News has sifted through the guidelines at the centre of the controversy - and found one key detail that is being underreported - and likely to cause concern.

The furore revolves around new sentencing guidelines for England and Wales. These guidelines, set by the Sentencing Council, recommend that a pre-sentence report (PSR) should "normally be considered necessary" before sentencing offenders from ethnic, cultural, or faith minorities.

Although the focus has largely been on the differential treatment of ethnic minority criminals, the report goes on to recommend that a court consider whether an offender has disclosed one key detail...

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Labour's defence push handed fresh setback as pension firms REFUSE to invest in Britain's military tech

Some of the country's top pension funds have been accused of restricting investment on Britain's defence sector in a fresh setback to Labour's push to boost military spending.

Aviva, Royal London and the National Employment Savings Trust (Nest) are among a group of pension giants which restrict or block investment in the defence industry on "ethical" grounds, The Telegraph reports.

A row over "ethical" investment came to light yesterday following a report in the Financial Times, which revealed that a "Labour Growth Group" of more than 100 party MPs and peers have written to British banks and fund managers urging them to stop classing defence investments as "unethical".

Rachel Reeves is said to believe that defence investment is indeed "ethical" - and last night, a Treasury spokesman released a fiery statement hitting out at sluggish spending.

"If opaque ESG ratings are blocking vital private investment to our defence sector, this has to change," the spokesman said.

Meanwhile, former British Army chief Lord Dannatt said: "In the current climate, the principle [that defence companies are unethical] does not make sense.

"We don't live in a perfect world and states have got to stand up for themselves and they need weapons and trained military to be able to do that. That's the ethical argument."

Nest's "ethical funds" - valued at almost £400million of Britons' savings - come with the promise: "We don't put your money in companies that make weapons, test cosmetics on animals or carry out controversial mining practices."

But a spokesman for the firm said: "Defence companies already form part of Nest's portfolio. They'll remain within our investable universe and, where appropriate, our fund managers can consider further investment."

Lowe and Philp clash over damning migrant data following GB News exclusive - 'You could have put a stop to this madness!'

Shadow Home Secretary Chris Philp and Reform UK's Rupert Lowe have butted heads this morning over damning migration figures revealed by GB News.

A new report by the Centre for Migration Control shared with the People's Channel has revealed that first-generation migrants could make up 25 per cent of Britain's population by 2035 - which Philp has warned is "far too much".

The Shadow Home Secretary said on social media: "This is far too much. It will undermine social cohesion and put pressure on services. That's why we will introduce a binding, annual cap on visas given out, voted on by Parliament."

But as both Labour and Reform UK have been keen to point out, Britain's recent migration surge began under the former Tory Government - which Lowe again laid into today.

"If only we had a 'conservative' government for 14 years that could have put a stop to this madness, don't you think Chris?" he jabbed.

Jenkyns weighs into Reform UK 'rift' with staunch defence of Nigel Farage - 'He's the man to lead Britain!'

Reform UK's Dame Andrea Jenkyns has mounted a fierce defence of Nigel Farage following an unexpected rift between the party leader and MP Rupert Lowe.

The Greater Lincolnshire mayoral candidate said she does "not recognise what has been printed about Nigel" - and hailed the Reform boss as "incredibly supportive" in a message of support late last night.

"I only saw him a couple of days ago as we had a campaign meeting," the former Tory minister said.

"He listens to ideas and has amazing vision and belief in our country. He has decades of political experience and is, in my view, the man to lead Britain.

"The party is also professionalising, including support and training for all candidates, including council candidates. Reform UK is the party of the brave, who is standing up for the silent majority."

Starmer to go face-to-face with EU bosses after White House pours praise on 'encouraging' European 'stepping up'

Sir Keir Starmer is set to "dial in" to a videocall with EU leaders, Turkish President Recep Erdogan and Canadian PM Justin Trudeau later today.

The Prime Minister, as part of his bid to ramp up a European push to defend Ukraine, will be in talks just a day after the bloc sanctioned a multi-billion-Euro military spending hike - and after Defence Secretary John Healey went to Washington DC for a high-stakes meeting with US counterpart Pete Hegseth.

Hegseth said it was "very encouraging" to see France and Britain say they are prepared to take a leading role.

He also said suggestions that the US had adopted a "pro-Russia" stance were "garbage" - and vowed that Donald Trump is "working with both sides in a way that only President Trump can".

Speaking to US network Newsmax after the meeting, Healey said Britain and Europe were on a "push for peace" in Ukraine.

"It's a lasting, secure peace that we all want to see. We've got a big role to play in Europe and we are determined to do that," he added.

First-generation migrants to make up 25% of Britain by 2035 as population boom takes UK to 73 million, report shows

Unprecedented levels of migration could lead to a population surge among first-generation migrants in the UK, a report exclusively shared with GB News has revealed.

The Centre for Migration Control, who conducted the report, found that the UK population will explode to over 73 million by 2035, with almost a quarter being first generation migrants.

The total number of first-generation migrants will be 18,318,530, roughly 24 per cent of the total population of the UK.

READ THE FULL GBN EXCLUSIVE HERE