'The most beautiful rock star in history'
She also called Harry 'the most beautiful rock star in history,' before having second thoughts.
'Actually, Debbie, you've got to share it with Kurt,' she said, a nod to Nirvana's late frontman and her own husband.
'Kurt and Debbie. Can you really honestly think of anybody in rock and roll history …?' Love began. And then found out she could. 'Stevie!' (I'm presuming Stevie Nicks, not Little Stevie, though it could be Stevie Wonder, I suppose.)
'OK,' she concluded, 'Stevie, Debbie, Kurt.'
It's a decent shout, you have to say.
But back to the politics. After the horror show that was the last Tory government (a malign bunch of utter incompetents, and that's me being kind) I'm pulling for Sir Keir, but, let's face it, he's not making it easy.
To be fair he didn't have his troubles to seek. The economy is a mess, the world's at war. There are easier paper rounds.
And he has been under the cosh from the get-go. The left pilloried him for not being Corbyn. The right - and most of the media are in this camp - didn't like him because, well, he wasn't Tory. And because he wasn't their favourite current thing in politics; what we might call the 'charismatic a***ehole' as in Farage and Trump.
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But even so, he's hardly knocking it out of the park, is he? As Starmer's Stormy Year (Radio 4, Monday) reminded us, the last year has been one of U-turns, rebellions (currently ongoing), alienating your core voters, and shockingly poor public messaging.
The programme saw the BBC's chief political correspondent Henry Zeffman talk to some in the Starmer government, union leaders, civil servants and Moneybox's Martin Lewis to compile a report card on the Prime Minister's first year in office.
'Must do better,' was the main takeaway. In the plus column were the Prime Minister's authoritative handling of the Southport riots just weeks after coming into power, as well as his deft handling of President Trump and his support for Ukraine.
As for negatives, well, where do you start? The winter fuel debacle, the sacking of Sue Gray, the ongoing arguments over benefit cuts … The list goes on. As the Unite union's Sharon Graham pointed out, people voting for a Labour government were looking for change not managerialism.
That change has been slow in coming. Or maybe it's just not getting reported. There was a progressive story to tell here: higher taxes to fund public services, workers' rights, renters' reform, clean energy investment. 'This is Starmerite social democracy,' Zeffman suggested.
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But it wasn't something he seemed that keen to explore himself. Instead, the programme cut to Rain Newton-Smith, the director of the CBI, to have a pop at it.
Ah well. Still, this was a solid recounting of the first year of this Labour government; inevitably a bit Westminster bubbly and as much about personality as policy. But I can think of a few bigger BBC names who would have made a worse job of it.
So far Starmer's report card is a bit C+. Maybe B minus on a good day. Not great, but then again not Truss levels of awfulness. That said, any government of whatever salt has to be a bit more ambitious than just being better than Liz Truss.
Liz Truss
Over on Radio 3 Erik Satie was composer of the week. On Sunday Feature, music journalist Jude Rogers explored Satie's influence on 1970s and 1980s pop - from Kate Bush to Ultravox and Gary Numan - and his pioneering role in ambient music, via his furniture music.
Satie's work is familiar to all of us - even if you didn't realise it - through their use in cinema and advertising. His almost evanescent music is now everywhere.
This was a lovely documentary full of gorgeous minimalist music from Satie and others. It felt like sinking into a warm bath of sound.
Kate Bush
But there was a bit of gravitas in there too. At one point Numan summed up the challenge that faced all creative people: 'The problem is you create something that becomes popular and then the world expects you to just stop then and just carry on regurgitating that.
'If you think about it, that's the very opposite of what creative people want to do. They want to create another thing and they hope it's as good or as successful as that one. But in a way it doesn't really matter as you are moving forward. You are forever trying to move forward.'
A lesson for Sir Keir perhaps?
Listen Out For:
This Natural Life, Radio 4, Thursday, July 10, 3pm
Martha Kearney returns with a new series of This Natural Life. She starts off by dropping in on the singer Charlotte Church who now runs a healing retreat in a valley in Powys.
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North Wales Chronicle
3 hours ago
- North Wales Chronicle
Starmer ditches Pip benefit reforms in face of Labour revolt
In a late climbdown as MPs prepared to vote, the Government shelved plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), with any changes now only coming after a review of the benefit. The move will cause a headache for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who has seen a forecast £4.8 billion saving from the welfare budget whittled away through a series of concessions, leaving her to seek extra money through spending cuts, tax hikes or borrowing to balance the books. The Resolution Foundation's chief executive Ruth Curtice said the concessions meant the reforms would now make no 'net savings' in 2029/30 – a key year for Ms Reeves's fiscal targets – even if they did reduce costs in the longer term. The decision to remove the Pip changes from the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill was announced just 90 minutes before MPs voted on Tuesday night. The legislation cleared its first hurdle by 335 votes to 260, majority 75. Despite the late concession, there were 49 Labour rebels, the largest revolt so far of Sir Keir's premiership. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall insisted the Labour Party was '100%' behind the Prime Minister, but acknowledged there were 'lessons to be learned' after the rebellion. She also appeared to express regret over the handling of the issue, saying: 'I wish we had got to this point in a different way.' But Ms Kendall also insisted it was 'really important we passed this Bill', saying: 'We need to make changes, because too many people have been written off, are left to a life on benefits, when being in good work is so important.' The decision to remove key parts of the Bill is remarkable for a Government with a working majority of 165 and after just under a year in office. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused ministers of 'utter capitulation' and said the legislation was now 'pointless'. She said: 'They should bin it, do their homework, and come back with something serious. Starmer cannot govern.' Earlier, a Labour rebel attempt to halt the legislation was defeated by 179 votes. A total of 44 Labour MPs including two tellers backed the bid by rebel ringleader Rachael Maskell, who described the Bill as 'unravelling' and 'a complete farce'. A previous effort to kill the Bill had attracted more than 120 Labour supporters, but was dropped after the first partial U-turn on the legislation last week, which restricted the Pip changes to new claimants from November 2026. That date has now been abandoned in the latest climbdown, with any changes now only coming after disability minister Sir Stephen Timms' review of the Pip assessment process. Sir Stephen announced the climbdown in the middle of the debate on the legislation. He acknowledged 'concerns that the changes to Pip are coming ahead of the conclusions of the review of the assessment that I will be leading'. He said the Government would now 'only make changes to Pip eligibility activities and descriptors following that review', which is due to conclude in the autumn of 2026. The concession came after frantic behind-the-scenes negotiations in Westminster involving the Prime Minister, his Cabinet and wavering Labour MPs. Charlotte Gill, head of campaigns and public affairs at the MS Society, said: 'We thought last week's so-called concessions were last minute. But these panicked 11th hour changes still don't fix a rushed, poorly thought-out Bill.' But Jon Sparkes, chief executive of learning disability charity Mencap, said: 'The last-minute change relating to the review Sir Stephen Timms is leading sounds positive and we are pleased that the Government has listened.' He added: 'Disabled people should not have to pay to fix black holes in the public finances.' The Government's concessions have gutted the reforms, leaving only parts of the current Bill still on the table. Proposals to cut the health element of universal credit by almost 50% for most new claimants from April 2026 remain in place, along with an above-inflation increase in the benefit's standard allowance. In an earlier climbdown, Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Kendall said existing recipients of the health element of universal credit, and new claimants with the most severe conditions, would have their incomes 'fully protected in real terms'.
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Starmer ditches Pip benefit reforms in face of Labour revolt
In a late climbdown as MPs prepared to vote, the Government shelved plans to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), with any changes now only coming after a review of the benefit. The move will cause a headache for Chancellor Rachel Reeves, who has seen a forecast £4.8 billion saving from the welfare budget whittled away through a series of concessions, leaving her to seek extra money through spending cuts, tax hikes or borrowing to balance the books. The Resolution Foundation's chief executive Ruth Curtice said the concessions meant the reforms would now make no 'net savings' in 2029/30 – a key year for Ms Reeves's fiscal targets – even if they did reduce costs in the longer term. The decision to remove the Pip changes from the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill was announced just 90 minutes before MPs voted on Tuesday night. The legislation cleared its first hurdle by 335 votes to 260, majority 75. Despite the late concession, there were 49 Labour rebels, the largest revolt so far of Sir Keir's premiership. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall insisted the Labour Party was '100%' behind the Prime Minister, but acknowledged there were 'lessons to be learned' after the rebellion. She also appeared to express regret over the handling of the issue, saying: 'I wish we had got to this point in a different way.' But Ms Kendall also insisted it was 'really important we passed this Bill', saying: 'We need to make changes, because too many people have been written off, are left to a life on benefits, when being in good work is so important.' The decision to remove key parts of the Bill is remarkable for a Government with a working majority of 165 and after just under a year in office. Tory leader Kemi Badenoch accused ministers of 'utter capitulation' and said the legislation was now 'pointless'. She said: 'They should bin it, do their homework, and come back with something serious. Starmer cannot govern.' Earlier, a Labour rebel attempt to halt the legislation was defeated by 179 votes. A total of 44 Labour MPs including two tellers backed the bid by rebel ringleader Rachael Maskell, who described the Bill as 'unravelling' and 'a complete farce'. A previous effort to kill the Bill had attracted more than 120 Labour supporters, but was dropped after the first partial U-turn on the legislation last week, which restricted the Pip changes to new claimants from November 2026. That date has now been abandoned in the latest climbdown, with any changes now only coming after disability minister Sir Stephen Timms' review of the Pip assessment process. Sir Stephen announced the climbdown in the middle of the debate on the legislation. He acknowledged 'concerns that the changes to Pip are coming ahead of the conclusions of the review of the assessment that I will be leading'. He said the Government would now 'only make changes to Pip eligibility activities and descriptors following that review', which is due to conclude in the autumn of 2026. The concession came after frantic behind-the-scenes negotiations in Westminster involving the Prime Minister, his Cabinet and wavering Labour MPs. Charlotte Gill, head of campaigns and public affairs at the MS Society, said: 'We thought last week's so-called concessions were last minute. But these panicked 11th hour changes still don't fix a rushed, poorly thought-out Bill.' But Jon Sparkes, chief executive of learning disability charity Mencap, said: 'The last-minute change relating to the review Sir Stephen Timms is leading sounds positive and we are pleased that the Government has listened.' He added: 'Disabled people should not have to pay to fix black holes in the public finances.' The Government's concessions have gutted the reforms, leaving only parts of the current Bill still on the table. Proposals to cut the health element of universal credit by almost 50% for most new claimants from April 2026 remain in place, along with an above-inflation increase in the benefit's standard allowance. In an earlier climbdown, Work and Pensions Secretary Ms Kendall said existing recipients of the health element of universal credit, and new claimants with the most severe conditions, would have their incomes 'fully protected in real terms'.
South Wales Guardian
3 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
Labour rebels offered 11th-hour concession over welfare reform
Changes to restrict eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip) could be delayed until after a review of the key disability benefit instead of coming into force in November 2026 as planned. The latest concession follows a partial U-turn last week in the face of a possible defeat over the Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment Bill. The legislation faces its first Commons vote on Tuesday night and the 11th-hour concession on timing for the changes suggests the Labour hierarchy is still concerned about the scale of the revolt, which is set to be the largest of Sir Keir Starmer's premiership. Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms told MPs that the Government had listened to the concerns raised about the timing of the changes. The climbdown will cause a major headache for Chancellor Rachel Reeves as the welfare squeeze was originally meant to save £4.8 billion a year, which was subsequently reduced to £2.3 billion when the Bill was first watered down. Tuesday's changes leave any future savings uncertain as the scale of the squeeze on Pip is unclear. Sir Stephen's intervention, which came in the middle of debate on the legislation, followed frantic behind-the-scenes negotiations involving Cabinet ministers, Sir Keir himself and wavering Labour MPs. Some 39 Labour MPs have signed an amendment which would see the Bill fall at its first hurdle in the Commons. A previous effort to kill the Bill had attracted more than 120 Labour supporters, but was shelved after the first partial U-turn on the legislation last week, which restricted the Pip changes to new claimants from November 2026. That date has now been abandoned in the latest climbdown, with any changes now only coming after Sir Stephen's review of the Pip assessment process. Sir Stephen acknowledged 'concerns that the changes to Pip are coming ahead of the conclusions of the review of the assessment that I will be leading'. He said the Government would now 'only make changes to Pip eligibility activities and descriptors following that review', which is due to conclude in the autumn of 2026. The concession appeared to have won round some Labour doubters. Josh Fenton-Glynn, who was one of the 126 Labour MPs who signed the original rebel amendment to the welfare reform Bill last week, described the move as 'really good news'. He said he wanted to support the Government at 'every opportunity' and was glad changes to personal independence payment eligibility would be delayed until after the Timms review. But other Labour MPs appeared exasperated, with one telling the PA news agency that no-one 'knew what they were voting on anymore'. And rebel ringleader Rachael Maskell said she was determined to press for a vote on her 'reasoned amendment' which would halt the legislation in its tracks. 'The whole Bill is now unravelling and is a complete farce,' she said. This is an utter capitulation. Labour's welfare bill is now a TOTAL waste of time. It effectively saves £0, helps no one into work, and does NOT control spending. It's pointless. They should bin it, do their homework, and come back with something serious. Starmer cannot govern. — Kemi Badenoch (@KemiBadenoch) July 1, 2025 'What it won't do is stop the suffering of disabled people which is why we are determined to go ahead with the reasoned amendment and attempt to vote down the Bill at second reading.' Conservative Party leader Kemi Badenoch accused ministers of 'utter capitulation' and said the legislation was now 'pointless'. She said: 'They should bin it, do their homework, and come back with something serious. Starmer cannot govern.'
