Politics LIVE: 'You can’t blame Margaret Thatcher!' Kemi Badenoch swats away climate hecklers over attack on Iron Lady

Labour has no plans to ban smacking and physical punishment despite Lib Dem and Green support

Calls to ban smacking and other forms of physical punishment against children in England have failed to receive support from Labour.

Education minister Stephen Morgan said the UK Government is “looking closely” at legal changes made in Wales and Scotland but it has “no plans to legislate at this stage” for England.

Morgan added the Government wants to “look at the evidence” before taking such a "significant legislative step." According to the Children Act 2004, it is unlawful to hit your child except where it is “reasonable punishment”, and this is judged on a case-by-case basis.

Labour MP Jess Asato tabled an amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill which would remove the “reasonable punishment” defence from law in England. Asato said her proposal is “not about criminalising parents” but would provide “clarity” and improve the “tool box that parents have to positively raise their child”.

The Liberal Democrats said the law change is "long overdue" and Green Party co-leader Carla Denyer urged England to follow Scotland and Wales.

Starmer meets with new Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney 

Sir Keir Starmer thanked his Canadian counterpart Mark Carney for his “approach to Ukraine” and for joining him on a call on Saturday for his “coalition of the willing” to enforce a peace deal in Ukraine.

The Prime Minister said: "It doesn’t surprise me that our two countries see this through a similar lens, with the same objectives."

Carney said his country and the UK have a "remarkable" history built on "shared values."

He said: "We’re at a point in history where the world is being reordered, and your leadership, the leadership of the UK, I’ll use the example … of Ukraine, what you’ve been able to do with President Macron to bring together a coalition of the willing at a crucial time, I think, will be decisive, must be decisive, in coming to a lasting solution there.”

Martin Daubney in extraordinary showdown with ‘rude’ GB News guest over ‘clown’ remark: ‘Do NOT be insulting!’

Watch the remarkable clash on GB News involving Martin Daubney and his guest, Professor Jonathan Portes over new figures suggesting benefits are being claimed by over one million migrants.

Portes accused Martin and his guest, Rob Bates from the Centre for Migration Control of pedalling "fake news."

He said on the People’s Channel: "I think your viewers ought to be outraged that GB News continues to pedal fake news."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Lib Dems back proposed ban on smartphones being used at school

The Liberal Democrats have backed a Tory amendment to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which proposes a ban on using and carrying smartphones during the school day.

The party's education spokeswoman Munira Wilson said: "In this unprecedented digital age, we need to treat children’s social media and phone addiction as a public health issue.

“We have long supported the previous government’s guidance to schools to try and restrict mobile phones during the school day with, importantly, proper mitigations that teachers and headteachers can use for young carers and those with medical conditions."

The MP for Twickenham also backed an amendment proposed by Labour MP for Lowestoft Jess Asato, which would abolish the common law defence of reasonable punishment, including smacking.

Badenoch's keynote speech disrupted within seconds as boos ring out over protester's outburst

A speech by Kemi Badenoch was disrupted by hecklers just seconds after she began speaking.

The Conservative leader was speaking at the Centre for Policy Studies conference when she was interrupted.

READ THE FULL STORY HERE.

Labour warned 'perverse' planning statement is 'grossly unfair'

An agriculture expert has warned Labour's planning strategy is "a step too far."

Parliament and Government Relations Manager at the Countryside Alliance David Bean told the Express: "We are supportive of many elements of the Government’s proposed changes to planning policy, and we recognise the urgent need for more affordable housing, upgrades of infrastructure including electric vehicle networks, and streamlining the planning system.

"However, some of the Government’s proposals are a step too far, and we cannot support them. The state should pay the market price for land it wants to acquire. Excluding ‘hope value’ from the price paid for assets compulsorily purchased is grossly unfair."

Lammy warns Putin to prove he is serious about peace by agreeing a 'full and unconditional ceasefire'

David Lammy has called on Russian president Vladimir Putin to prove he is serious about peace by agreeing a "full and unconditional ceasefire now."

The Foreign Secretary said: "Now it is Putin who stands in the spotlight, Putin who must answer, Putin who must choose – are you serious, Mr Putin about peace?

"Will you stop the fighting or will you drag your feet and play games, pay lip service to the ceasefire whilst still pummelling Ukraine? My warning to Mr Putin is this: if you are serious, prove it with a full and unconditional ceasefire now.

"And if Putin does not deliver, and I must tell the House that I currently see no sign yet that he is, the G7 meeting helped us ready the tools to get Russia to negotiate seriously. We’re not waiting for the Kremlin. If they reject a ceasefire, we have more cards that we can play."

Greens accuse Labour of creating 'genuine fear' over welfare cuts

Green Party MP Sian Berry has accused Labour of creating "genuine fear" over their trailing of welfare cuts.

The MP for Brighton Pavilion told the Commons: "For weeks the Government’s active trailing of welfare cuts has generated genuine fear. Disabled people in Brighton Pavilion are writing to me in literal terror.

"Will the Secretary of State apologise for this and reassure the public that actual benefit changes will not take place this calendar year or without parliamentary votes in this House?"

Work and pensions minister Sir Stephen Timms responded: "I recognise there has been a good deal of anxiety and I regret that that has occurred. But there won’t be long to wait, the proposals will soon become clear and I think she will welcome a great deal of the changes we want to make."

Tories and Workers Party confirm candidates for Runcorn & Helsby by-election

The Conservatives and Workers Party have announced their respective candidates for the upcoming Runcorn and Helsby by-election.

The Tories have picked Sean Houlston, of the National Federation of Builders, as their candidate. He said: "Our green spaces are under threat and we now have to pay to get our green bin collected. All while funding is diverted into Ellesmere Port and Runcorn by Labour. Having watched on as our area was treated as second best under a Labour council for years.

“Enough is enough. I’m not really interested in national politics. I just want to get stuff done for our area. So we get a fair deal. Get our roads fixed. And protect our green spaces."

Meanwhile, the Workers Party, led by George Galloway, has chosen former British Ambassador to Syria and party deputy chair Peter Ford.

He said: "It’s not Reform or Labour That’s what the media want you to think. As if Rupert, Jason and Nigel’s Reform were anything but Tories masquerading as something new.

"Boris got away for a while with selling snake oil to the working class. Don’t fall for that trick again. Re-form Tory, same old story."

Mike Amesbury officially resigns as MP triggering the by-election process

Mike Amesbury has written to Chancellor Rachel Reeves formally resigning as the MP for Runcorn & Helsby, after he was handed a suspended prison sentence for punching a man in the street."

He told GB News he was "sad" and "devastated", adding: "Not only for me, but (…) my staff as well, because, course, it goes beyond me, for my family. This is a result of something that I did on October 26."

The former Labour MP has been sitting as an independent for the Cheshire seat since he was suspended by the party after his arrest last year. He subsequently resigned his membership.

An MP cannot simply resign from the Commons, instead they are disqualified as a result of being nominally appointed as either the Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds or the Manor of Northstead.

Tories launch furious attack at Reform UK's councillor defections - 'It's a SHAM announcement!'

The Conservatives have launched a furious attack at Reform UK's councillor announcement today, the Express reports.

A Tory spokesman claimed that just seven of the 29 councillors were "new" arrivals to the party - with some having joined a number of weeks ago.

"This sham announcement from Fake Farage looks like a desperate attempt to distract from the open warfare at the top of Reform," the spokesman said.

Mike Amesbury reveals he has to wear 'alcohol tag' as 'devastated' MP officially QUITS Commons

Mike Amesbury has revealed that he now has to wear an "alcohol tag" for 120 days in an exclusive sit-down with GB News, hours before his official departure from the House of Commons.

Amesbury officially steps down as an MP today after he was handed a 10-week jail sentence, suspended for two years, for punching a constituent in a late-night bust-up.The former Labour MP has been sitting as an independent for the Cheshire seat since he was suspended by the party after his arrest last year. He subsequently resigned his membership.

An MP cannot simply resign from the Commons, instead they are disqualified as a result of being nominally appointed as either the Steward and Bailiff of the Chiltern Hundreds or the Manor of Northstead.

And now, the disgraced MP has revealed to GB News that he had been "binge drinking" on the night of the assault.

"That particular night I had been binge drinking, there is obviously an issue in regards to that," he said. "As part of my sentence, I need to wear an alcohol tag and it measures your sweat, it needs to stay at zero alcohol. I need to wear it for 120 days."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Kemi Badenoch's constituents 'crying out for an alternative', Essex councillor warns

Residents in Kemi Badenoch's North West Essex constituency are "crying out for an alternative" from the two largest parties, defecting councillor Heather Asker has warned.

Councillor Asker is the second local representative to speak today - and has decried how locals in her Saffron Walden ward feel "let down by establishment parties".

It comes after Nigel Farage held a large-scale Reform UK rally inside Badenoch's seat at the end of January, where he vowed that the party would herald "the biggest historical political change this country has ever seen".

Who are Reform's 29 new councillors? READ IN FULL

Bill Barrett - Ashford Borough Council, Singleton East, (Previously: Independent)

Cathy Hunt - Durham County Council, Woodhouse Close (Previously: Independent)

Christine Palmer - Swale Borough Council, Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch (Previously: Independent)

Claire Johnson-Wood - Powys County Council, Llanyre with Nantmel (Previously: Independent)

Dirk Ross - Kent County Council, Ashford South (Previously: Independent)

Edward Kirk - Wiltshire Council, Trowbridge Adcroft (Previously: Conservative)

Emma Ellison - Blackpool Council, Norbreck (Previously: Conservative)

Felix Bloomfield - Oxfordshire County Council (Previously: Conservative)

Geoff Morgan - Powys County Council, Ithon Valley (Previously: Independent)

Graham McAndrew - Hertfordshire County Council, Bishop's Stortford Rural (Previously: Conservative)

Heather Asker - Uttlesford District Council, Saffron Walden Castle (Previously: Residents for Uttlesford)

Iain McIntosh - Powys County Council, Yscir with Honddu Isaf and Llanddew (Previously: Conservative)

Jan O'Hara - North Northamptonshire Council, Burton and Broughton (Previously: Conservative)

Joanne Monk - Worcestershire County Council, Arrow Valley East (Previously: Conservative)

Julian Kirk - King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Borough Council, Walsoken, West Walton and Walpole (Previously: Conservative)

Kirk Harrison - North Northamptonshire, Irthlingborough (Previously: Conservative)

Mandy Clare - Chester West and Chester Council, Winsford Dene (Previously: Independent Labour)

Manzur Hasan - South Holland District Council, Spalding St John’s (Previously: Independent)

Matthew Salter - Lancashire County Council, Wyre Rural Central (Previously: Conservative)

Paul Ellison - Wyre Council, Marsh Mill (Previously: Conservative)

Paul Irwin - Buckinghamshire Council, Stone and Waddesdon (Previously: Conservative)

Reg Kain - Cheshire East Council, Alsager (Previously: Liberal Democrat)

Richard Palmer - Swale Borough Council, Hartlip, Newington and Upchurch (Previously: Independent)

Robert Gibson - South Holland District Council, Spalding St Paul’s (Previously: Independent)

Stephen Atkinson - Ribble Valley Borough Council, Brockhall and Dinckley (Previously: Conservative)

Stephen Reed - North East Derbyshire District Council, Killamarsh East (Previously: Conservative)

Stuart Davies - North Somerset Council, Wick St Lawrence and St Georges (Previously: Independent)

Thomas Sneath - South Holland District Council, Moulton, Weston and Cowbit (Previously: Independent)

PICTURED: Reform UK's council defectors 

Farage rolling out council defectors - follow live

Nigel Farage is announcing a spate of council defections from across the country.

So far, the Reform UK leader has welcomed several councillors from Wales, Gloucestershire, Chester and beyond - from independent parties, the Conservatives and Liberal Democrats.

The local authority figures are lining up behind Farage right now - the seats on stage are nearly all filled.

Farage: Runcorn & Helsby will be a 'two-horse race'

Nigel Farage has said that an impending by-election in Runcorn & Helsby will be a "two-horse race" between Labour and Reform UK - and that a Conservative vote is a "wasted vote".

He has also said that whenever a date is confirmed, the party will hold a press conference in the seat to announce its candidate.

Yusuf hails 'heroes of the grassroots movement' as Reform UK gears up for announcement

Reform UK chairman Zia Yusuf has been hailing the "heroes of the grassroots movement" ahead of the party's announcement today.

Speaking to the media from a packed-out conference room in London, Yusuf has been teasing Reform's surge in the polls and "professionalising" ahead of local elections on May 1.

He is standing in front of a large number of chairs - which could add weight to earlier reports about a mass defection of councillors.

Reform UK confirms defection deluge ahead of major press conference

Reform UK will be announcing a host of defections at its midday press conference, it is understood.

The party's YouTube live-stream is titled "defections announcement" - while political blog Guido Fawkes reports that 29 councillors will be joining Nigel Farage's party.

We'll bring you live updates from the announcement as they come in.

Keir Starmer SUED over 'unlawful' Chagos surrender: 'Our human rights have been stripped away!'

Labour's impending deal to hand the Chagos Islands to Mauritius has been met with a fresh legal challenge just days after top Tory peers announced they would be taking the Government to the High Court.

Two British women born on Diego Garcia - home to a joint UK-US military base - are vowing to take the Foreign Office to court over the "unlawful" handover - branded a "surrender" by critics including Shadow Justice Secretary Robert Jenrick.

Bernadette Dugasse and Bertrice Pompe say the islands should remain British, and both want the right to return to live where they were born, The Telegraph reports.

The native Chagossians were forced to leave the Indian Ocean territory by 1973 to make way for the base - and their plight has become a lightning rod for critics of Labour's controversial handover.

Dugasse and Pompe's lawyers have sent a pre-action letter to David Lammy's department, which warns that the Chagossian people have unlawfully not been given a say in the deal.

Pompe said: "Chagossians were removed from their place of birth, without their consultation, and have been treated badly for 60 years.

"Since then we have been struggling to understand why we have been treated so poorly by the British government. Our human rights have been stripped away.

"Today the British Government is repeating the same mistakes which it made 60 years ago... All our suffering and cries to be heard have been falling on deaf ears... I want to stay British and I also want the right to return to the Chagos Islands."

Barrister Michael Polak, representing the pair, added: "The Government's attempt to give away the Chagossians' homeland whilst failing to hold a formal consultation with the Chagossian people is a continuation of their terrible treatment by the authorities in the past."

A spokesman for the Foreign Office - which is set to issue a response to the letter by March 25, said: "We do not comment on potential legal challenges. The negotiations were between the UK and Mauritius with our priority being to secure the full operation of the base on Diego Garcia. However, we have worked to ensure this agreement reflects the importance of the islands to Chagossians."

Britain's growth forecast SLASHED in latest headache for Rachel Reeves and Labour

Britain's economic forecast has been slashed in a fresh blow to Rachel Reeves and Labour's repeated pledges for growth.

The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) cut its predictions for UK growth to 1.4 per cent in 2025 and 1.2 per cent in 2026 - down from 1.7 per cent and 1.3 per cent in its previous predictions.

The OECD has also cut its global growth forecast - with tariffs and trade wars to blame.

Around the world, growth is expected to slow from 3.2 per cent in 2024, to 3.1 per cent in 2025, then 3 per cent in 2026, down from the 3.3 per cent level previously forecast for both years.

But in the face of the figures, the Chancellor has claimed Labour is "delivering a new era of renewal".

"This report shows the world is changing, and increased global headwinds such as trade uncertainty are being felt across the board," she said.

"A changing world means Britain must change too, and we are delivering a new era of stability, security and renewal, to protect working people and keep our country safe."

READ THE FULL STORY HERE

Starmer gears up to deploy British troops in Ukraine for YEARS - 'As long as it takes!'

Sir Keir Starmer has said he is ready to place British troops in Ukraine for "as long as it takes" - and is gearing up to deploy British service personnel in Ukraine for years alongside western allies in order to maintain a ceasefire.

The "coalition of the willing" will meet in London once again this Thursday to speak "in great specificity" on where the peacekeeping force should be sent.

Starmer has neither confirmed nor denied whether the force will have authorisation to fire at Russian soldiers in the case of an attack - but his remarks have raised eyebrows from Conservative MPs.

West Suffolk MP Nick Timothy, writing in The Telegraph, warned: "The casual ease with which our political leaders and commentators are discussing decisions that could lead us to armed conflict should alarm us all.

"History tells us the most disastrous of wars often start with small and apparently harmless steps. The Prime Minitser should be prepared to answer these very serious questions."

READ THE FULL STORY ON STARMER'S TROOP DEPLOYMENTS HERE

Kemi Badenoch could be OUSTED by covert Tory-Reform 'Unite the Right' pact - 'She's doomed!'

Tory leader Kemi Badenoch could be ousted by a Conservative-Reform UK "Unite the Right" plot led by former officials with "significant" donor backing, according to The Telegraph and Sunday Times.

With local elections looming, the Tories bracing for major losses, and Nigel Farage having met ex-Boris Johnson supremo adviser Dominic Cummings to mull over the future of the British right, a deal between the two parties in blue could be on the cards.

Reform and the Conservatives could move to emulate Germany's centre-right parties - with the former concentrating on the north and the latter the south.

A Reform UK spokesman said: "There is no deal. The only reason the Tories are talking about it is because their poll ratings are about to fall off a cliff."

According to The Sunday Times, those involved in the plot are moving to oust Badenoch "sharpish" - with one warning that "more and more MPs realise she's doomed" and that they were planning to "bury her in disaster" following the local elections and "keep the pressure on".

Farage said "any suggestions that we are teaming up are false" - while a friend of Cummings said: "He spends his time mostly helping people outside Westminster and a few inside Westminster he thinks are trying to build interesting things, regardless of their party or whether they’re political or official or in the forces."

Now Andy Burnham joins Labour's benefits civil war in direct rebuke to Wes Streeting - 'It'll trap people in poverty!'

Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham has weighed into a growing Labour row over impending benefits cuts following Wes Streeting's "overdiagnosis" warning on Sunday.

The Health Secretary had warned that doctors were too quick to diagnose Britons with mental health conditions - thus making them eligible for welfare payments - and has vowed that the Government could give people the right "resilience and coping skills" instead.

But now, Labour heavyweight Burnham has warned that slashing benefits handouts would "trap people in poverty" in a direct attack on the Government's position.

Writing in The Times, Burnham said: "I would share concerns about changing support and eligibility to benefits while leaving the top-down system broadly in place.

"It would trap too many people in poverty. And to be clear: there is no case in any scenario for cutting the support available to disabled people who are unable to work."

Reform UK teases 'special announcement' in just hours as speculation over Runcorn by-election candidate looms

Reform UK has teased a "special announcement" at midday today amid mounting speculation over who the party may select to contest a by-election in Runcorn & Helsby.

Nigel Farage's party will gather in London at noon with its four MPs and chairman Zia Yusuf in attendance - though ousted MP Rupert Lowe will not be there, Politico reports.

One Reform insider predicted two possible avenues for today's announcement, according to the magazine: either the announcement of a candidate to stand in Runcorn, or a fresh defection to the party.

'Kowtowing to communist China!' Inside the fightback against Keir Starmer's 'surrender' of the Chagos Islands

A movement to save the Chagos Islands for Sir Keir Starmer's "surrender" deal is gathering pace - with activists now pushing harder than ever to stop Labour from subjecting the British territory to the same fate at communist-controlled Hong Kong.

The Prime Minister has stumbled over the sticky issue of handing over the Chagos and has struggled to live up to his Labour predecessor.

And Labour’s capitulation of the archipelago harks back to "painful memories of 1997", one former Home Secretary has told GB News, refreshing Tony Blair’s "Hong Kong betrayal" at home and abroad as Starmer bows to Beijing.

Speaking to the People’s Channel, Suella Braverman said: "The Chagos capitulation is a modern Chinese takeaway that brings back painful memories of Blair’s Hong Kong betrayal.

"Yet Labour seem incessant on kowtowing to communist China.

"Have we learnt nothing from our mistakes in 1997? The Chinese Communist Party can’t be trusted and aren’t our friends despite how much Labour might want to wish otherwise."

READ THE FULL GB NEWS EXCLUSIVE HERE

Labour left in UPROAR over Starmer's looming benefits cuts as PM takes aim at fraudsters

Labour MPs are bracing for the "worst week of the parliament" as Sir Keir Starmer pushes ahead with his plans to slash welfare payments across Britain, The Guardian reports.

It is understood that Ministers will drop plans to freeze personal independent payments (PIP) after fierce backlash from left-wing MPs - but will still tighten its eligibility criteria in new plans set out by Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall tomorrow.

One Labour MP said they were preparing for the days ahead with "absolute horror" and feared it would be "the worst week of the parliament".

Another said they had been contacted by constituents in despair at what might be coming.

"We all get the case for reform, but we can also see that some of these cuts don’t actually seem to be targeted at the areas most in need of reform," they said.

MPs who spoke to the newspaper said it appeared "perverse" to target out-of-work Britons.

Emma Reynolds, the Economic Secretary to the Treasury, told Times Radio this morning that she would not comment on speculation about the changes, but said: "What I will say is that what's really important here is that there will always be a safety net for the most vulnerable.

"We are the party that created the welfare state back in 1945 and of course, we need a system that is sustainable, and in being more sustainable it will maintain that crucial safety net for the most vulnerable."

Waspi women to descend on London in protest at Labour 'betrayal'

Waspi campaigners are gathering outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London on Monday as they step up their battle for compensation.

The Women Against State Pension Inequality group is seeking a judicial review to force the Government to reconsider its decision to rule out a compensation package for women affected by the way changes to the state pension age were communicated.

A previous report by the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman (PSHO) suggested compensation ranging between £1,000 and £2,950 could be appropriate for each of those affected.

But in December 2024, the Government said that, while it accepted the ombudsman’s finding of maladministration and apologised for there being a delay in writing to 1950s-born women, a blanket compensation scheme, which could cost taxpayers up to £10.5billion, cannot be justified.

Campaigners said they have raised more than £150,000 in recent weeks to fund a High Court challenge.

Waspi chair Angela Madden said: "We do not want to be taking legal action, but we have been forced to, due to the Government’s total denial of justice.”

A Government spokesman said that "evidence showed only one in four people remember reading and receiving letters that they weren’t expecting and that by 2006 90 per cent of 1950s-born women knew that the state pension age was changing”.

“The Government cannot justify paying for a £10.5billion compensation scheme at the expense of the taxpayer.