Starmer reveals what he and Trump bonded over
Sir Keir revealed that Trump offered condolences following the death of his younger brother, Nick Starmer, on Boxing Day last year, and that their initial conversation was after Trump was shot at a rally before he became president.
The prime minister faced a humiliating climbdown on welfare reform, abandoning plans to restrict eligibility for personal independence payments (PIP) after admitting the system is not working.
Despite the welfare reform bill passing its second reading, Sir Keir suffered the largest rebellion of his premiership, with 49 Labour MPs voting against the legislation.
Sir Keir affirmed that he will always carry the can and take responsibility as leader when things do not go well, acknowledging the challenges faced.
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The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Streeting to resident doctors: ‘I deeply regret position we find ourselves in'
Wes Streeting has sent a personal letter to NHS resident doctors, saying 'I deeply regret the position we now find ourselves in' as they prepare to strike. The Health Secretary said while he cannot pledge a bigger pay rise, he is committed to progress to improve their working lives. He also said he does not now believe the British Medical Association's resident doctors committee (RDC) has 'engaged with me in good faith' over bids to avert the strike. Thousands of resident doctors are to walk out from 7am on Friday for five days. In the letter sent on Thursday afternoon, seen by the PA news agency, Mr Streeting said: 'I wanted to write to you personally about the situation we find ourselves in. 'This Government came into office, just over a year ago, with a great deal of sympathy for the arguments that resident doctors were making about pay, working conditions and career progression. 'I was determined to build a genuine partnership with the… RDC to make real improvements on all three fronts. 'We have made progress together. While some of my critics in Parliament and the media believe I was naive to agree such a generous pay deal to end the strikes last year, I stand by that choice.' Mr Streeting said he had agreed that pay deal 'because I believed it to be fair', adding resident doctors have now had an average 28.9% pay award under Labour. He added: 'Strike action should always be a last resort – not the action you take immediately following a 28.9% pay award from a Government that is committed to working with you to further improve your lives at work. 'While I've been honest with the BMA RDC that we cannot afford to go further on pay this year, I was prepared to negotiate on areas related to your conditions at work and career progression, including measures that would put money back in the pockets of resident doctors… 'Based on discussions with the BMA RDC leaders between July 8 and 19, I set out three substantive areas where I believed we could work together to make real improvements.' These included tackling the 'arduous' training pathway, and 'I made it clear that I was prepared to agree actions to reduce the costs you face as a result of training', Mr Streeting said. He said he had also been looking at the cost of equipment, food and drink, and 'was prepared to explore how many further training posts could be created – additional to the 1,000 already announced – as early as possible'. Mr Streeting said he had asked the BMA for strikes to be postponed for a 'few weeks so we could work together on a detailed package that could form an offer to you to end this dispute'. He wrote to the RDC on Monday evening setting out a way to avert strike action, which had been discussed with the RDC in draft form, he added. 'I had responded to their requests for where additional information was required,' he said. 'I no longer believe that they have engaged with me in good faith.' Mr Streeting continued: 'I deeply regret the position we now find ourselves in. The public, and I am sure many of you, do not understand the rush to strike action. 'I would like to thank all those that will be turning up to work and supporting their colleagues in providing care for patients despite the challenging circumstances. I urge you to join them. We can achieve more for both doctors and patients by working together.' Later, Mr Streeting said there is 'no getting around the fact that these strikes will hit the progress we are making in turning the NHS around'. He added: 'But I am determined to keep disruption to patients at a minimum and continue with the recovery we have begun delivering in the last 12 months after a decade-and-a-half of neglect. We will not be knocked off course.' Daniel Elkeles, chief executive of NHS Providers, told PA health staff will be working 'flat out' to see as many patients as they can during the strike, after NHS England made clear it wants as much pre-planned care as possible to continue. He said: 'Striking doctors should think carefully if they are really doing the right thing for patients, for the NHS and for themselves. 'NHS trusts will do everything they can to postpone as few appointments as possible… 'The strike will throttle hard-won progress to cut waiting lists, but NHS trust leaders and staff will be working flat out to see that as many patients as possible get the care they need.' The public have been urged to keep coming forward for NHS care during the walkout. GP surgeries will open as usual and urgent care and A&E will continue to be available, alongside 111, NHS England said. Elsewhere, the Health Service Journal (HSJ) reported that NHS chief Sir Jim Mackey had told trust leaders to try to crack down on resident doctors' ability to work locum shifts during the strike and earn money that way. Leaders have also been encouraged to seek 'derogations', where resident doctors are required to work during the strikes, in more circumstances, the HSJ reported. Rory Deighton, acute and community care director at the NHS Confederation, said: 'These strikes were not inevitable – the Government entered negotiations with the BMA in good faith to discuss improving the working and training lives of resident doctors… 'The impact of these strikes and the distress they will cause patients rests with the BMA.' The BMA argues real-terms pay has fallen by around 20% since 2008, and is pushing for full 'pay restoration'. The union is taking out national newspaper adverts on Friday, saying it wants to 'lay bare the significant pay difference between a resident doctor and their non-medically qualified assistants'. It said the adverts 'make clear that while a newly-qualified doctor's assistant is taking home over £24 per hour, a newly-qualified doctor with years of medical school experience is on just £18.62 per hour'. The BMA said Mr Streeting and his officials have refused to continue talks across the strike days and the minister's letter to them 'amounted to nothing more than vague promises on non-pay issues'. RDC co-chairs Dr Melissa Ryan and Dr Ross Nieuwoudt said in a statement: 'Pay erosion has now got to the point where a doctor's assistant can be paid up to 30% more than a resident doctor. That's going to strike most of the public that use the NHS as deeply unfair. 'Resident doctors are not worth less than they were 17 years ago, but unfortunately they've seen their pay erode by more than 21% in the last two decades. We're not working 21% less hard so why should our pay suffer? 'We're asking for an extra £4 per hour to restore our pay. It's a small price to pay for those who may hold your life in their hands.' The statement said Mr Streeting had every opportunity to prevent the strike, and added: 'We want these strikes to be the last we ever have to participate in. 'We are asking Mr Streeting to get back around the table with a serious proposal as soon as possible – this time with the intent to bring this to a just conclusion.'
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Taskforce calls for male role models to put boys on right path
A new 'Lost Boys taskforce', backed by Paul Barber and Alastair Campbell, has urged Sir Keir Starmer to protect young men from harmful online influences, such as Andrew Tate. The taskforce proposes a 'Trusted Adult Guarantee' scheme, aiming to train 10,000 adults to act as role models for young people, initially focusing on boys from impoverished backgrounds. Mr Tate, a social media influencer, faces charges in the UK including rape and human trafficking. The initiative follows warnings from Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner about the 'profound impact' on society of increased online time and new guidance to help schools combat misogyny. The government is also considering measures like two-hour app limits for children and teens on platforms such as Snapchat and TikTok to address compulsive screen time habits.
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
A replica Oval Office near the White House just got a Trump makeover
A replica Oval Office on display near the White House now looks exactly like President Donald Trump 's. But it is not the blingy version he is currently using. Visitors starting Thursday will experience the mock Oval Office as it was in the Republican president's first term, until it is redecorated again next year to incorporate the golden touches and other flourishes Trump brought to the workspace after he returned to power in January. 'Just like the White House itself, our Oval Office is a living space, so it changes and evolves as the actual Oval Office changes,' Stewart McLaurin, president of the White House Historical Association, said Wednesday as he led The Associated Press on a tour of the space as it was being revamped. The mock-up is inside 'The People's House: A White House Experience,' an educational center the association opened last year one block west of the Executive Mansion. Few regular people ever see, let alone step inside, the real Oval Office, for security and other reasons. But the true-to-life model offers visitors a chance to see and experience it. It will be updated to match the decor of every sitting president. When the historical association opened the center last year, the replica Oval Office looked like Democrat Joe Biden's office because he was the president at the time. The association has to get copies made of every item in the real Oval Office and that process takes time, McLaurin said. He also preferred to wait until there was a 'critical mass" of items instead of doing a slow, piece-by-piece makeover. Trump decorated his first-term Oval Office with a beige-patterned rug from the Ronald Reagan era, gold-colored draperies from Bill Clinton's tenure and a lighter, floral wallpaper that replaced a striped wall covering installed by his predecessor, Barack Obama. Trump kept these same designs for his second term. Trump also kept the Resolute Desk, which has been used by nearly every president since it was gifted to President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1880 by Queen Victoria. It was built using wood from the British ship HMS Resolute. Trump hung a large portrait of George Washington above the fireplace, flanked by portraits of Alexander Hamilton and Thomas Jefferson. He also displayed portraits of Andrew Jackson and Benjamin Franklin and had busts of Martin Luther King Jr. and Winston Churchill on tables on either side of the fireplace. The association is in the process of reproducing items in Trump's second-term office even as he continues to make changes by adding gilding, artwork and other objects. 'So probably in a year or a little more, we'll be able to make that transition when we have all of those items ready,' McLaurin said. The Biden items will be donated to his foundation for possible use in his future presidential library, and the same will be done in the future with the items reproduced for Trump's offices. The White House Historical Association was created in 1961 by first lady Jacqueline Kennedy to help preserve the museum quality of the interior of the White House and educate the public. It is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that receives no government funding. It raises money mostly through private donations and merchandise sales, including an annual Christmas ornament.
