Who's having a worse week: Keir or Kemi?
But that's just the beginning of their collective woes. On the Labour side – despite Keir Starmer's charm offensive and ongoing talks with Labour MPs about potential changes to welfare policy – the number of rebels appears to be growing. The feeling increasingly is that someone might have to go, and calls for 'regime change' splash the Times. Is time up for Morgan McSweeney?
On the other side of the House, the Tories are in disarray, as Tim Shipman reports in The Spectator this week. In his scoop-filled piece, he writes: David Cameron thinks Robert Jenrick should be the next Tory leader, strategists fear the best they can hope for is to salvage 80 seats, and the blond bombshell Boris Johnson has a five-point plan for his return. Are the Tories toast?
James Heale speaks to Michael Gove and Tim Shipman.
Produced by Oscar Edmondson and Megan McElroy.
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ITV News
6 minutes ago
- ITV News
Water industry faces ‘root and branch reform' after landmark review
The water industry is set to be completely overhauled following the publication of a landmark review of the sector on Monday. Environment Secretary Steve Reed is expected to promise 'root and branch reform' of the sector in a bid to clean up England's rivers and limit rises in water bills. The commitment will follow the publication of the final report of the Independent Water Commission led by former Bank of England deputy governor Sir Jon Cunliffe. In a speech responding to Sir Jon's report, Mr Reed is set to describe the water industry as 'broken' and welcome the commission's recommendations to ensure 'the failures of the past can never happen again'. He is also widely reported to be preparing to abolish the industry's beleaguered regulator Ofwat, which has faced criticism for overseeing a sharp rise in sewage pollution while failing to crack down on executive pay and large dividends at debt-ridden water companies. In his interim report, Sir Jon criticised the way the sector was regulated, with duties split between Ofwat, the Environment Agency and the Drinking Water Inspectorate. On Sunday, Mr Reed would not confirm that Ofwat was in line to be scrapped, but declined to express confidence in the regulator either, saying it was 'clearly failing'. Both the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats have agreed that water regulation needs to change. Urging the Government to be 'transparent' about what would replace Ofwat and how it would work, Tory shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said: 'No one disputes that the water sector is under pressure, and we all want to see meaningful improvements. 'Reforming regulation must be focused on improving performance and guaranteeing water security.' Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has called for the creation of a Clean Water Authority that could 'hold these water companies to account' and 'fine them when they fail'. While Mr Reed has pledged to avoid the need for 'huge shock hikes' in water bills, such as the 26% increase seen this year, reform is unlikely to lead to a fall in costs for consumers. The Government hopes that investment in long-neglected infrastructure will make large bill increases unnecessary, but Mr Reed acknowledged on Sunday that there needed to be 'appropriate bill rises' to secure 'appropriate levels of investment'. He is also unlikely to commit to expanding social tariffs that could help households struggling with bills at the cost of higher charges for wealthier families, saying he was yet to be convinced that this was needed. Prior to Monday's announcement, Mr Reed had already committed to halving sewage pollution in England's rivers by 2030 thanks to a £104 billion investment from the sector in upgrading infrastructure. He has also announced the creation of a new, legally binding water ombudsman, expanding the role of the voluntary Consumer Council for Water and bringing the sector into line with other utilities. But the Conservatives have accused Labour of copying the policies of the previous government.
Scottish Sun
6 minutes ago
- Scottish Sun
Labour announces major pension review – what it means for your money
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) THE government will launch a new commission to ensure workers have enough money in retirement. Labour will bring back the Pensions Commission amid fears today's workers face a greater risk of poverty in retirement than their parents. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall has launched the commission amid fears people are not saving enough for retirement Credit: PA It comes as experts have warned that people looking to retire in 2050 are on course to receive £800 per year less than current pensioners. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) said 45% of working-age adults were putting nothing into their pensions. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said she was turning to the Pensions Commission, to 'tackle the barriers that stop too many saving in the first place'. The previous commission recommended automatically enrolling people in workplace pensions, which has seen the number of eligible employees saving rise from 55% in 2012 to 88%. While the introduction of automatic enrolment increased the numbers saving, saving levels have often remained low. Around 1-in-2 workers in the private sector only save around the minimum contribution level, which is 8% or less of earnings. DWP analysis suggested 15 million people were undersaving for retirement, with the self-employed, low paid and some ethnic minorities particularly affected. Around three million self-employed people are said to be saving nothing for their retirement. Meanwhile, only a quarter of people on low pay in the private sector and the same proportion from Pakistani or Bangladeshi backgrounds are saving. Women face a significant gender pensions gap too. Research found those approaching retirement are in line to receive barely half the income that men can expect. The commission will be led by Baroness Jeannie Drake, a member of the previous commission, and report in 2027 with proposals that stretch beyond the next election. Kendall's decision to revive the Pensions Commission has been broadly welcomed by the pensions industry. Pete Maddern, managing director for Retirement at Canada Life said: "There are many complex behavioural, social, and financial barriers that prevent people from adequately preparing for later life, and this needs to be understood and addressed before it's too late." "The reality is that people are living longer – and while this is something to be celebrated, it also means retirement income needs to stretch further than ever before." Meanwhile, AgeUK's Caroline Abrahams said the commission needed to address the state pension, which provides the bulk of retirement income for most pensioners. She said: 'If we're to avoid future generations of pensioners experiencing financial hardship, we need reforms that enable more people to build a decent standard of living, and we need them sooner rather than later to maximise the numbers who can be helped.' LABOUR PENSION REFORM The Government is currently planning some of the biggest pension reforms in decades. The Chancellor announced the first part of the Pensions Investment Review in July 2024 to significantly reform the pension system. The second phase will focus on developing a future-proof plan to give every worker an adequate income in retirement. The first phase explored new ways to boost investment, increase saver returns and tackle waste in the pensions system. In response to the issues raised in the review, the Government published the Pension Schemes Bill in June. The bill is currently making its way through Parliament and will help savers to combine small pension pots and help those receiving poor returns. The second part of the review will focus on improving outcomes for "future generations of pension savers". Under the current auto-enrolment rules, workers must pay at least 8% of qualifying earnings into their workplace pension every year. At least 3% of this comes from employers' contributions. A single person now needs £13,400 a year for a minimal retirement, or £21,600 if they are in a couple, according to Pensions UK. Previous governments have been nervous to increase the minimum amount you need to pay into your pension for fear that workers may opt out of their pension scheme altogether. Olly Cheng, Financial Planning Director at Rathbones, said: "There is a growing sense that more must be done to ensure that future generations of retirees not only survive, but thrive in retirement." Meanwhile, raising the amount employers need to contribute would pile further pressure onto businesses, which are already having to shoulder huge rises in the minimum wage and increase in national insurance. The pensions minister, Torsten Bell, has already ruled out forcing workers to pay more into their pensions in this Parliament. What are the different types of pensions? WE round-up the main types of pension and how they differ: Personal pension or self-invested personal pension (SIPP) - This is probably the most flexible type of pension as you can choose your own provider and how much you invest. - This is probably the most flexible type of pension as you can choose your own provider and how much you invest. Workplace pension - The Government has made it compulsory for employers to automatically enrol you in your workplace pension unless you opt out. These so-called defined contribution (DC) pensions are usually chosen by your employer and you won't be able to change it. Minimum contributions are 8%, with employees paying 5% (1% in tax relief) and employers contributing 3%. - The Government has made it compulsory for employers to automatically enrol you in your workplace pension unless you opt out. These so-called defined contribution (DC) pensions are usually chosen by your employer and you won't be able to change it. Minimum contributions are 8%, with employees paying 5% (1% in tax relief) and employers contributing 3%. Final salary pension - This is also a workplace pension but here, what you get in retirement is decided based on your salary, and you'll be paid a set amount each year upon retiring. It's often referred to as a gold-plated pension or a defined benefit (DB) pension. But they're not typically offered by employers anymore. - This is also a workplace pension but here, what you get in retirement is decided based on your salary, and you'll be paid a set amount each year upon retiring. It's often referred to as a gold-plated pension or a defined benefit (DB) pension. But they're not typically offered by employers anymore. New state pension - This is what the state pays to those who reach state pension age after April 6 2016. The maximum payout is £203.85 a week and you'll need 35 years of National Insurance contributions to get this. You also need at least ten years' worth to qualify for anything at all. - This is what the state pays to those who reach state pension age after April 6 2016. The maximum payout is £203.85 a week and you'll need 35 years of National Insurance contributions to get this. You also need at least ten years' worth to qualify for anything at all. Basic state pension - If you reach the state pension age on or before April 2016, you'll get the basic state pension. The full amount is £156.20 per week and you'll need 30 years of National Insurance contributions to get this. If you have the basic state pension you may also get a top-up from what's known as the additional or second state pension. Those who have built up National Insurance contributions under both the basic and new state pensions will get a combination of both schemes. What do the changes mean for your money? Currently, most workers in the UK are automatically enrolled into their workplace pension scheme. These are usually defined contribution (DC) schemes, which give you a retirement income based on how much you pay into the pot. The other type of pensions in the UK are "defined benefit" schemes, where workers receive a guaranteed income in retirement based on their years of service. The review will aim to make sure workers paying into a DC scheme are saving enough money for retirement. The review will also consider the role of the state pension in retirement income. This means changes will not be implemented until 2029 at the earliest. The Chancellor will appoint two commissions to lead the review into pensions adequacy and will look at auto-enrolment rates alongside the state pension. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
Daily Mirror
7 minutes ago
- Daily Mirror
Miners 'elated' after long and 'painful' battle to get justice with Battle of Orgreave inquiry
The UK Government has announced there will be an inquiry into the famed Battle of Orgreave, to the huge relief of miners who have spent 41 years demanding justice An inquiry into the Battle of Orgreave 41 years ago will finally be launched, with miners saying they now have hope 'the truth will come out in our lifetime'. Miners said they were left 'overwhelmed' and 'elated' with this victory after a long and hard fight for justice. The Battle of Orgreave was one of the bloodiest clashes in the history of industrial disputes which saw miners savagely battered by an army of police. The miners said they were thrilled the public will hear the truth about the most violent clashes in the year-long strike. Picketers were hit with truncheons and fled police mounted on horses in terror at the Orgreave Coking Plant in the hot summer's day of June 18, 1984. The late Queen Elizabeth is said to have described footage of officers charging into miners as "awful" - but in 2016 the Tories rejected pleas for a probe. The investigation announced by the Home Office today and set to launch in the autumn will look at the events surrounding the clashes which caused 120 injuries. In total, 95 picketers were arrested and initially charged with riot and violent disorder, but all charges were later dropped after evidence was discredited. Campaigners welcomed the Labour government's decision - but said it was important to remember the miners who had died before the historic announcement. Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign Secretary (OTJC), Kate Flannery, told The Mirror: 'We've waited 41 years for this and we now need the truth. We need it exposed and we need the public to be told the truth as well.' Miners told The Mirror how they had suffered decades of 'pain' - fearing they would all die before they got justice. Carl Parkinson, now 61, from Brampton in South Yorkshire, was one of the youngest to get 'drop kicked' by a police officer at Orgreave. He was so worried they would never get an inquiry, he had taught his grandchildren, aged 11 to 17, about the miners' strike, so they could carry his fight for him. 'All we want is the truth out there. I was educating all the four grandchildren about the strike just in case we didn't get the inquiry and I died so they could chase it up and carry on. They asked 'was it scar?' and I'd tell them; 'yeh, it were to be honest!' I was a young baby back then, 20 years old and I was the youngest to be set on.' Carl is convinced the 'police officer' dressed in a boiler suit, who attacked him, was 'military'. 'It's been very very painful to be honest, we knew when we went there that something was not right. It wasn't only the way it was policed - it was the aggression of the police. How nobody was killed or seriously injured amazes me. It makes me sad. I just want the truth and freedom from this pain.' He praised The Orgreave Truth and Justice Campaign and admitted to feeling 'a bit emotional but happy. I did have one or two drinks and might have one or two more after Monday.' Describing what happened, he said as he was in a field when he saw them 'starting to shove' with truncheons coming over their shields, so he turned back. As horses charged, he ran towards some banking with 'this Welsh lad'. But when they got to the top they were trapped, there were brambles and nettles below them and a live railway line. 'We just stood there and looked at each other. I put my hands up and surrendered and this 'policeman' with a boiler suit with no number, drop-kicked me in the chest,' he said. Asked if it hurt, Carl said: 'It was more of a shock than anything else. I thought he was coming towards me to arrest me not attack me. He didn't say a sausage.' 'I was still conscious. Next thing I saw was this Welsh lad who came down face first. We were cut to pieces and then crossed over the railway line.' He said as a result they ended up in the village of Orgreave itself. 'That's where we encountered horses again. I saw some miners beaten with truncheons by police on horseback. As they were on the floor, another element, the snatch squad police were coming up and picking them up and arresting them. 'They forced us to the village so they could get us for rioting. No shadow of a doubt with that. To be a riot and unlawful assembly, it had to be in a public place. The field wasn't but the village was.' 'All we wanted was the right to go to work in a coal mine which not many people wanted to do anyway.' Kate, from OTJC, told The Mirror it was 'important' the inquiry is carried out quickly 'because many miners are no longer around and the ones that are, are quite elderly. Also many of those are ill and this needs to happen in their lifetime'. About hearing the news an inquiry was finally going to be held, she admitted to feeling "overwhelmed" explaining: 'When you've fought so hard and so long for something and it's presented to you it's hard to believe it's true and actually going to happen. "I would say we were all very emotional and still are but now we need to be clear about what it actually means.' She said they welcomed the Home Office promising it will be quick. But she warned police forces not to destroy any documents relating to the miners' strike. 'We need all the secret documents that have been kept under wraps to be made public." She told of her shock when it recently emerged Northumbria police admitted last April they had destroyed miners' documents. It is believed those papers included the notorious footage of the miner being hit by a police officer over the head with a truncheon. 'We feel incredibly anxious about the fact that vital and important information has been destroyed and could be currently destroyed by other police forces. We urge all police forces to keep the information as requested by Yvette Cooper back in 2016.' She said this information, and Government documents, need to be made public so we can find out who "orchestrated it all "and "why they did". Kate, who was a member of Sheffield Women Against Pit Closures during the miners strike, helped launch the campaign 13 years ago. 'All our families worked in coal or steel and we knew what the closure of coal mines meant for the area and industry in Britain. 'We knew the impact it would have on communities if coal mines closed down. We also knew this wasn't about pit closures or uneconomic pits, this was about the Tory Government wanting to destroy trade unions and organised Labour. 'We've been going for 13 years but people have been calling for an Orgreave inquiry since it happened. After hearing the news, she said: 'I was overwhelmed. There are two expressions we used, which were 'cautiously elated' and 'cautiously optimistic.'" Former miner Kevin Horne, who was arrested at Orgreave, said he was 'elated' to hear the news but said it was "important" to remember those who have died before this historic moment. About hearing the news an inquiry was finally going to be held, she admitted to feeling "overwhelmed". 'When you've fought so hard and so long for something and it's presented to you it's hard to believe it's true and actually going to happen,' she said. "I would say we were all very emotional and still are…' She also warned police forces not to destroy any documents relating to the miners' strike. 'We need all the secret documents that have been kept under wraps to be made public." She told of her shock when it recently emerged Northumbria police admitted last April they had destroyed miners' documents. 'We feel incredibly anxious about the fact that vital and important information has been destroyed and could be currently destroyed by other police forces.' She said Government documents need to be released, so they can see who "orchestrated it all". Ex-miner Kevin Horne, who was arrested at Orgreave, said he was 'elated' to hear the news but said it was "important" to remember those who have died before this historic moment. Kevin, 76, from Mexborough in South Yorkshire, said he feared he himself would die, before hearing the news. 'I was getting worried as I get older. I was getting worried I was going to die before I got an inquiry but some have died," he told The Mirror. 'I've got a list of 95 miners arrested and charged that day and some of them have obviously died,' he said. 'I think I've got half a dozen down as passed away,' he said, pointing out that this number may not be up to date. The former miner, however, did praise the Labour Government for finally answering their relentless call for an inquiry by saying: 'Good on them!'. The announcement today delivers on Labour's election manifesto vow to bring the truth "to light". Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said: 'Every community should have confidence in their police, but we know what happened at Orgreave cast a shadow over communities in Yorkshire and other mining areas. "The violent scenes and subsequent prosecutions raised concerns that have been left unanswered for decades, and we must now establish what happened. 'I pay tribute to the campaigners who never stopped in their search for truth and justice, and I look forward to continuing to work with them as we build an inquiry that gets the answers they and their communities deserve.' The inquiry will have powers to compel witnesses and the release of evidence. It will be led by the Bishop of Sheffield, the Rt Revd Dr Pete Wilcox. He said he did not "underestimate the weight of expectation or the significance of the task". The National Union of Mineworkers General Secretary, Chris Kitchen, said: 'It is hugely welcome to see this government fulfil its pledge made in the Labour Party manifesto to the mining community…"
