What's really going on with Rachel Reeves?
Sky News' Sam Coates and Politico's Anne McElvoy serve up their essential guide to the day in British politics.
After Chancellor Rachel Reeves was seen visibly sobbing at PMQs, the prime minister last night confirmed she would be chancellor for a long time to come - but will that be enough to calm fears in the markets? And what do we think is really going on with the chancellor? Sam and Anne discuss.
And what about Keir Starmer's fate - are some in his own party questioning his longevity?
Also, the NHS 10-year plan includes the creation of 200 new neighbourhood health centres as well as improvements to the NHS app - but does it improve the fundamentals?
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
26 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
Keir Starmer says he understands what ‘anchors' Donald Trump
Sir Keir Starmer said he has a good relationship with US President Donald Trump because they both 'care about family'. The Prime Minister told the BBC Radio 4 podcast Political Thinking With Nick Robinson it was 'in the national interest' for the two men to connect. He said: 'We are different people and we've got different political backgrounds and leanings, but we do have a good relationship and that comes from a numbers of places. 'I think I do understand what anchors the president, what he really cares about. 'For both of us, we really care about family and there's a point of connection there.' Sir Keir said in the interview to mark a year in office he has a 'good personal relationship' with Mr Trump, and revealed the first time they spoke was after the then-presidential candidate was shot at a campaign rally in July last year. He said Mr Trump had returned the phone call a few days after the Prime Minister's brother Nick had died on Boxing Day. Sir Keir said he secretly visited his 60-year-old brother before and after the general election during his cancer treatment. He said: 'It's really hard to lose your brother to cancer. I wanted fiercely to protect him. 'And that's why both before the election and after the election, I went secretly to see him at home, secretly to see him in hospital. 'He was in intensive care for a long time.' Addressing recent political turmoil, Sir Keir said he will always 'carry the can' as leader after coming under fire over a climbdown on welfare reforms and that he would 'always take responsibility' when asked questions. 'When things go well… the leader gets the plaudits, but when things don't go well, it is really important that the leader carries the can – and that's what I will always do.' Sir Keir also backed Rachel Reeves and said she would be Chancellor 'for a very long time to come', after the politician was visibly tearful in the House of Commons on Wednesday following a U-turn to welfare reform plans that put an almost £5 billion black hole in her plans. "It was a personal matter." Sir Keir Starmer has told @bbcnickrobinson that Rachel Reeves' tears at PMQs had "nothing to do with politics". The prime minister has backed Rachel Reeves to remain as chancellor in an interview on BBC Radio 4's Political Thinking. #R4Today — BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) July 3, 2025 Ms Reeves said it was a 'personal matter' which had upset her ahead of Prime Minister's Questions. The Government had seen off the threat of a major Commons defeat over the legislation on Tuesday after shelving plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment, the main disability benefit in England. Sir Keir said he cannot 'pretend… that wasn't a tough day', and stressed the welfare system 'isn't working for the people that matter to me'. 'In the world that isn't politics, it is commonplace for people to look again at a situation and judge it by the circumstances as they now are and make a decision accordingly,' he said of the changes. 'And that is common sense, it's pragmatic, and it's a reflection of who I am. 'It was important that we took our party with us, that we got it right.
The Sun
32 minutes ago
- The Sun
Fresh hope for thousands of households suffering with extreme service charges planned by government law change
THOUSANDS of households will be able to challenge extortionate leasehold service charges more easily, the government has said. Households who live in leasehold properties pay fees to the person who owns the building or their managing agents for services including building insurance and maintenance. These service charges can include repairs and maintenance for things such as the roof, windows, drains and gutters. The payments are usually due twice a year and the exact amount can vary depending on the costs the landlord incurs. This can mean that they can be hit with surprise bills that can often run into thousands of pounds. Almost five million homeowners pay service fees, which have risen by 11% in the last year to an average of £2,300 a month, according to Hamptons. Leaseholders have been promised that the system will change by several governments and Labour when it was in opposition. The government is hoping to tackle this problem by forcing companies to be transparent about the fees they are charging, Sky News reports. The reforms will be introduced after a consultation, the government said. Leaseholders will receive standardised service charge documentation that will explain clearly and in detail how the fees are calculated and where their money is being spent. Other reforms will stop leaseholders from automatically having to pay for a landlord's legal costs even if they have won their case. The changes will allow homeowners to challenge unreasonable service charges more easily, housing minister Matthew Pennycook said. He added that the changes will put pressure on managing agents to reduce the fees. It will also introduce a strict new qualification system for managing agents to try and improve standards in the sector. Mr Pennycook told Sky News: "The system has some inherent inequities in it that do allow leaseholders to be gouged and particularly when it comes to managing agents there are unscrupulous people out there. "They are abusing leaseholders and there's poor practice. How do service charges work? Service charges are fees paid by a leaseholder or resident and are set by the landlord. The amount varies every year depending on costs to the landlord. The details are usually set out in your lease. Landlords usually calculate the fee based on what they think they will spend. At the end of the year they should provide a statement. Some leases allow landlords to ask for contributions towards a "sinking fund" which is a reserve that can be built up for larger scale works. These could include repairing the roof of the building or fixing issues with the foundations. "The reforms we are announcing today and reforms that are to come are going to bear down managing agents and ensure the sector as a whole is properly regulated." Unfair charges Some leaseholders have said that they have been charged unfair fees. Judges have made some landlords pay back up to £100,000 after the leaseholders took them to tribunal. In one example, the leaseholders were charged £135 to change two lightbulbs. In February 2023, it was revealed that landlords and insurance brokers were taking up to 60% of the £1.6billion leaseholders paid for building insurance as hidden commissions. New rules now stop insurance companies from choosing policies just to earn the highest commission. But brokers and managing agents are still allowed to take commissions. The government has previously promised to ban excessive building insurance commissions through the Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024. Instead, landlords will only be able to charge a straightforward and fair "permitted insurance fee" for the work they actually do, making costs clearer and protecting leaseholders from hidden charges. However, these proposed laws still need further legislation to come into effect, and the government hasn't yet provided a timetable for this. A spokesperson for the Ministry of Housing previously sold The Sun that "far too many leaseholders" are being hit with "unreasonable and extortionate charges". New rules planned by the government also plan to introduce commonhold agreements to replace leasehold ones. Commonhold allows flat owners to jointly own and manage their buildings, which cuts out landlords and property management companies. But the proposed rules only apply to new homes. How to challenge fees Leaseholders have the right to request extra information from their landlord within six months of receiving a summary of costs. You can challenge a cost if you think it's unreasonable, the standard of work is poor or you don't think you should have to pay it. For example, you could question why you need to pay for lift maintenance if you live in a ground-floor flat and it's not included in your lease. Or you can challenge for communal services, such as a garden that is always closed or a concierge that never has any staff. To challenge these services you need to apply to a tribunal which has the power to rule on whether the service charge is reasonable or payable. In England this is the first-tier tribunal (property chamber). In Wales it's the leasehold valuation tribunal. Applying to the tribunal usually costs a fixed fee of £114, but you may be able to waive it if you have certain benefits. If your case is transferred from court to the tribunal, you'll only pay the difference between the court fees and the tribunal fee - or nothing if you've already paid more than £114 in court fees. If a hearing is scheduled, you'll need to pay an additional £227 hearing fee. Speak to the Leasehold Advisory Service online at or call them on 020 7832 2500 to find out more and get free advice on service charge issues. You could also apply to the Housing Ombudsman if you want to complain about how your service charge fees have been managed. The Ombudsman said cases have jumped by 25 per cent in the last four years. .
Telegraph
32 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Steve Coogan claims working class is being ‘ethnically cleansed'
Steve Coogan has claimed working-class people are being 'ethnically cleansed'. The Alan Partridge actor told BBC Breakfast that the redevelopment of major northern cities did not 'actually benefit' the working class. Coogan, who endorsed the Green Party in last year's general election, appeared on the programme to promote co-operatives, which he said fought back against 'big business'. 'The problem with all these cities like Liverpool and Manchester is they've got all these big shiny buildings,' he said. 'But all the people who are disenfranchised have been ethnically cleansed from the area. They don't actually benefit. 'What the Co-operative movement does is tries to keep that money in the area and empower people and try to mitigate and push back against the effects of big business.' Coogan's remarks appeared to be a criticism of gentrification rather than mass migration. Going on to accuse Reform UK of ' racist rhetoric ', he added: 'What it's about is the system, the political system isn't really working for most working people. 'From the economy to public services, it just isn't having any kind of effect for ordinary people. 'The Government leans into big business and cosies up to them without actually delivering for working people. So people are struggling. They're ignored.' 'Reform's racist rhetoric' Coogan continued: 'We've seen all these benefits cuts from the party that is supposed to represent ordinary hard-working people and the Co-operative movement is basically the best way out of that. 'If the Government want to stop Reform making all these gains, instead of dealing with the symptoms of the problem by leaning into the racist rhetoric of Reform, they can deal with that by helping working people and the best way of doing that is to support the Co-operative movement.' Coogan is a former Labour supporter who endorsed Jeremy Corbyn in the 2017 and 2019 general elections. He signed a letter in October 2024 saying Britain was 'aiding and abetting' alleged Israeli war crimes in Gaza. During the interview, he also took aim at supermarkets and other large companies, which he said had 'driven out' smaller businesses in 'dying' post-industrial areas. He said: 'If you're a small business owner you're going to get driven out of business by people like Tesco who come along, build a huge. 'Any money that's generated [by a Co-operative] is kept in the local economy so it supports local business, supports social initiatives, so the money doesn't get sucked out by huge extraction that takes place on a global scale so that you create microeconomies where people support each other both socially and economically. 'And these towns in the post-industrial landscape that are dying can be reinvigorated. And the Co-op has demonstrably done that throughout the world and yet it started in this country and it's largely ignored in this country. 'So what I'm trying to do is shine a light on it and say local Co-operative movement. That's the best way out of any dire economic situation.' Coogan previously attracted criticism for calling Conservative voters 'ill-informed' and 'ignorant' before the 2019 election and saying earlier this year that Margaret Thatcher was so lacking in empathy that she would be diagnosed with a disorder today.
