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PM considers ‘special award’ for Harry Kane after Ballon d’Or triumph
Andy Burnham could hand England captain Harry Kane a knighthood following his Ballon d’Or triumph.
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “The PM would like to congratulate Harry Kane on winning the Ballon d’Or.
“To be the first Englishman to win it in 25 years is an extraordinary achievement, and what a moment to do it here at home.
“Seventy years after Sir Stanley Matthews won the inaugural award, it caps a remarkable season, and Harry continues to set a brilliant example to young players across the country, and the PM knows the whole nation will be incredibly proud of him.
“And hopefully, there’s another trophy to celebrate with England before too long.
“On your question about a knighthood, I think everyone would agree, Harry Kane has given enormous amount to English football, and this is a very special moment for him in the country, but as ever, I’m not going to pre-empt the honours process.”
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Andy Burnham meets Muslim leaders and takes veiled swipe at Nigel Farage: ‘Completely unacceptable!’
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Andy Burnham has met with Muslim community leaders and accused his political rivals of using “completely unacceptable language”.Mr Burnham, who was raised Catholic, convened his first meeting with faith leaders in Downing Street since becoming Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Housing Secretary Angela Rayner.
Speaking around the Cabinet table, Mr Burnham said: “We want to counter any form of hatred, discrimination, Islamophobia, wherever we find it and work with you to bring forward an agenda that says that to the community.
“And I think perhaps the way the political debate is at times, Angela referenced some of the positions of opposition parties to us anyway, they are completely unacceptable.
“And some of the language that they use about the community is unacceptable.
“We just need to find ways with you to demonstrate that more and more.
“And actually, to talk about the positive contribution of the community to British life in every way.”
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Labour faces defence spending investigation on Budget eve amid claims public was misled
Labour is facing an investigation over claims that it misled the public about defence on the day before Andy Burnham and John Healey’s first Budget.
Former defence secretary Sir Ben Wallace has accused the Government of inflating its defence budget by including billions of pounds in intelligence spending.
He claims the move creates a misleading impression that Britain is on course to meet its Nato spending commitments.
Nato rules stipulate that funding for security services does not qualify as defence expenditure.
In a letter, Sir Ben wrote: “As the world gets more unstable and our allies start spending real cash increases in their budgets, Britain seems to be falling behind.
“Telling the men and women of the Armed Forces and the public that they are spending more while in real terms day-to-day funding on our Armed Forces is being cut is an insult to them.
“It fools no one inside defence, our allies and our enemies.”
The Office for Statistics Regulation confirmed it would consider the concerns raised in Sir Ben’s complaint.
A spokesman said: “We can confirm that the Office for Statistics Regulation will consider the concerns that have been raised with us in relation to the presentation of UK defence spending by the Government.”
A Government spokesman told GB News: “The UK is the third highest spender in Nato and we, as with all Allies, calculate defence expenditure in accordance with Nato’s definition, which has not changed.”
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Labour MP detained for eight hours after being denied access to West Bank
Labour MP Clive Lewis has claimed he was detained for eight hours after trying to visit the West Bank.
After trying to enter the West Bank with SNP MP Lara Bird, Mr Lewis said: “For more than eight hours, we were held, interrogated and made to feel as though we had done something wrong simply by attempting to enter.
“The simple truth is we had done nothing wrong.
“We went to show our support for the Palestinian people and highlight the terrible injustice and violence being perpetrated against them.
“We want to ensure that people back home do not look away from the reality of what is happening.
“Ultimately, we went to show solidarity. But we left with an even greater determination to speak out.
“We will not be silenced, and we will not look away. None of us should.”
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Labour unveils cost-of-living package that could save households £1.75 a month
Families could pay less for more than 100 everyday products after the Government announced a sweeping reduction in import taxes.
Marmalade, baked beans, chocolate and gherkins are among the supermarket staples expected to become cheaper.
Chancellor John Healey unveiled the tariff suspensions on Monday evening, two days before his first Budget.
They form the centrepiece of Prime Minister Andy Burnham’s latest “everyday fixes” package.
The Government estimates that the latest tariff cuts could save households up to £21 a year, or £1.75 a month, on food shopping.
This figure includes earlier reductions introduced in June on products such as pasta, fruit juice and tuna.
Together, the two packages are expected to reduce costs for consumers by between £245million and £595million annually.
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Nigel Farage urges Restore voters to ‘come back to us’ amid poll drop and snap election fears
Nigel Farage has urged Britons voting for Restore Britain to “come back to us” amid a drop in support for Reform UK.
Mr Farage, who was leading in the polls this time last year, suggested Rupert Lowe’s supporters could prove decisive if Andy Burnham calls a snap election on December 10.
Speaking to GB News, the Clacton MP admitted Reform UK is readying itself for an early poll by selecting hundreds of candidates across the country.
He said: “I’ve got in my bag, outside this studio, sheets of paper with the names of hundreds of candidates who have been through our parliamentary assessment centres.”
- Nigel Farage has warned of a ‘hammer blow’ to Britain’s pubs with John Healey’s latest move
An extra 2p on a pint in the Budget will be ‘another hammer blow’ for pubs, says Nigel Farage
Reform UK leader Nigel Farage has said that if the Chancellor adds 2p to a pint of beer in the Budget, it will be “another hammer blow” for pubs.
Speaking to GB News, he said: “On beer taxes, it’s worth reminding ourselves that George Osborne relentlessly put up beer taxes, and I mean relentlessly. Whilst at the same time, the big supermarkets were selling great big packs of tinned beer and lager that you could drink at home.
“There seems to be a total lack of connection from a government, a cabinet of 24 men and women, not one of whom has ever run or worked in private business. They see it as a cash cow, but actually they’re killing something that is culturally very much a sort of centrepiece of our country.
“I’m a great believer that every pub is a parliament. It’s where communities come together. It’s where they discuss things. And 2p may not sound like a lot, but it’s just yet another hammer blow, I’m afraid, for British pubs.”
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Andy Burnham will focus on UK-EU deals ‘already in the works’, Business Secretary says
Jonathan Reynolds has said a summit with the EU next month will focus on deals that have already been in the works, but did not deny reports of wider talks about a possible return of freedom of movement.
The business secretary told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The rules on food and agricultural products, on electricity trading, on how the emissions trading systems work – that is what is being discussed in relation to next month.
“I think you’re conflating two things. You’ve got the negotiations on the summit, but there have been no assumptions made about the the next stage after that.
“It’s the Prime Minister quite rightly saying he wants to set out to the British people what the options are to resolve some of the the tensions that exist.”
Pressed on whether UK officials are talking to the EU or planning to talk about to the EU about freedom of movement, he said: “They will be talking to them about what the future options for our relationship might be.
“But here and now, the focus should be on the summit and the tangible difference improvements we’re going to make.”
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John Healey set to announce inflation-busting minimum wage hike
John Healey is gearing up to announce an inflation-busting minimum wage hike as concerns mount over what could be included in the Budget.
The National Living Wage could rise by just under four per cent on Wednesday if Andy Burnham’s Chancellor goes ahead with the plans.
Such a move would push hourly wages to £13.18 – the highest rate Britain will have ever seen.
But the inflation-busting increase would soar above inflation, which is already bludgeoning hard-working businesses across the country.
Last week, figures revealed that inflation surged to its highest level in almost a year ahead of Mr Healey’s Autumn Budget.
- Cutting energy bills must be the Chancellor’s top priority this Budget, ahead of low taxes and increased NHS funding, polling finds
Cutting energy bills should be John Healey’s top priority, new poll finds
Cutting energy bills must be the Chancellor’s top priority this Budget, ahead of low taxes and increased NHS funding, polling finds.
Almost a quarter of those asked (23 per cent) cited lowering the cost of energy as the most important move for Chancellor John Healey when he delivers his Budget tomorrow.
It came above increasing funding for the NHS (19 per cent) and keeping taxes down (15 per cent), the poll, by Survation, found.
Cutting energy costs also topped reducing welfare spending (10 per cent) and increasing defence spending (9 per cent).
Revealed: Scotland set to go bankrupt if it votes for independence as seven ‘killer blows’ laid bare
Scotland’s bid for independence from the UK could result in its Government facing bankruptcy, a new report has warned.
Think tank Facts4EU, alongside Stand for Our Sovereignty and The Campaign for an Independent Britain, shared exclusively with GB News the seven killer blows for Scottish nationalists hoping for independence.
Facts4EU exposes how “implausible” the SNP’s case to the Scottish people really is, declaring it “game over” for the “independence-obsessed” Scottish Government.
Andy Burnham’s Brexit U-Turn Sparks Cabinet Civil War as PM Undermines Shabana Mahmood Again
Andy Burnham has triggered fresh tensions inside the Labour Government after reopening the debate over Britain’s relationship with the European Union, including the possibility of restoring freedom of movement. His comments have placed Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood in an increasingly difficult political position, exposing disagreements over immigration, border control and the direction of the Government’s Brexit policy.
The dispute comes at a sensitive moment for the Prime Minister, who has been trying to present a coherent approach to economic growth, migration and relations with Europe. While some Labour figures believe closer ties with the EU could benefit British businesses and workers, others fear that revisiting one of the country’s most divisive political decisions could alienate voters who supported leaving the bloc.
The immediate controversy centres on Burnham’s suggestion that Britain should have an open, evidence-based discussion about freedom of movement. The Prime Minister has argued that Brexit has not delivered the benefits promised during the referendum campaign and that the existing arrangements with the EU are not good enough. However, he has also insisted that he does not intend to take Britain back into the EU during the current parliamentary term. <Cite refs={[“turn129040search1″,”turn129040search2”]}/>
That distinction has done little to end the argument. For critics, even considering a return to freedom of movement represents a significant departure from the political commitments made to voters. For supporters of closer European ties, refusing to discuss the issue would prevent Britain from examining options that might improve trade, employment and economic performance.
Shabana Mahmood Faces an Uncomfortable Challenge
Mahmood’s position illustrates the difficulty of reconciling the Government’s competing priorities. As Home Secretary, she has been associated with a tougher approach to immigration and proposals to make migrants wait longer before qualifying for permanent settlement.
Her proposed reforms include extending the qualifying period for indefinite leave to remain from five years to as long as 15 years for some groups, alongside other changes to the immigration system. The details and final scope of those measures remain subject to the Government’s decision-making process. <Cite refs={[“turn129040search13″,”turn129040news16”]}/>
Burnham has publicly backed the principle behind Mahmood’s approach, arguing that permanent settlement should be earned through contribution rather than granted automatically. Yet his willingness to reopen discussion about European freedom of movement has created an apparent tension between the Government’s approach to immigration and its plans for a closer relationship with Brussels.
The two questions are not identical. Freedom of movement concerns the rights of eligible citizens to move and work across participating countries, while the Home Secretary’s proposals concern the conditions under which certain migrants can obtain permanent residence in Britain. Nevertheless, the issues overlap politically because both concern who can enter, work and settle in the country.
For Mahmood, the challenge is to explain how the Government can pursue stricter settlement rules while considering a different approach to migration from Europe. For Burnham, it is to demonstrate that discussions about European cooperation will not automatically weaken the Government’s ability to manage immigration.
Reports have suggested that Mahmood was not fully consulted before the Prime Minister’s comments became public. A government source quoted in reporting by AOL described her as furious, while another suggested the remarks had undermined her immigration strategy. These are reported accounts of internal frustration rather than a formal public declaration of a Cabinet split by Mahmood herself. <Cite refs={[“turn129040news3″,”turn129040news7”]}/>
Why Freedom of Movement Has Reopened Old Wounds
Freedom of movement was one of the central issues in the Brexit debate. Supporters of leaving the EU argued that ending the arrangement would allow Britain to regain control over immigration policy. Supporters of remaining in the bloc warned that departure would introduce barriers to trade, employment and cooperation.
Burnham now argues that the consequences of Brexit have differed from what voters were promised. He has said Britain ended up with a harder departure than was presented during the referendum campaign, and he believes the resulting arrangements have weakened the economy.
He has also challenged the assumption that leaving the EU necessarily improved border control. In his view, the loss of certain arrangements for returning people to European countries has complicated the Government’s response to irregular migration across the Channel. That argument remains politically contested, and the small-boats crisis has multiple causes that cannot be reduced to Brexit alone. <Cite refs={[“turn129040search1″,”turn129040news18”]}/>
The Prime Minister has said he wants an honest discussion about the alternatives, potentially including closer cooperation, changes to the existing trade relationship or, over the longer term, renewed EU membership.
But he has not announced a plan to restore freedom of movement immediately. Nor has he committed to holding a referendum on the issue. After suggestions that a public vote might be involved, Downing Street moved to reject the interpretation that the Government had decided to hold a referendum specifically on restoring freedom of movement. <Cite refs={[“turn129040news17″,”turn129040search1”]}/>
That clarification matters because a discussion about future options is not the same as a decision to implement one. The political debate, however, has already begun.