Can Starmer silence the rebels?
Beth Rigby, Ruth Davidson and Harriet Harman analyse Rachel Reeves's spring statement and how Donald Trump may have made things worse for her.
The chancellor has redone her maths to make sure she sticks to her own rules on running the economy - but in doing that she has got tougher on welfare cuts. Can Labour keep the dissenting voices within their own party quiet? Harriet has some insight on how they'll be trying to do that.
And do Trump's tariffs on US car imports (and the prospect of more tariffs looming) just put the chancellor on the backfoot anyway?
Also, after an American journalist was added to a US government Signal group, how much government business is done on apps? And how much loose-lipped gossip is on there?
Meanwhile, as Beth goes into the last few weeks of London marathon training, did we just start the Electoral Dysfunction run club?
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Powys County Times
6 minutes ago
- Powys County Times
F1 boss Stefano Domenicali: British Grand Prix should ‘stay forever on calendar'
Formula One boss Stefano Domenicali said he expects the British Grand Prix to be on the calendar 'forever' ahead of a meeting with Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer on Wednesday. Domenicali, and at least a quarter of the grid's 20 drivers – including British rookie Ollie Bearman and former Ferrari man Carlos Sainz – will be hosted by Starmer in a Downing Street reception ahead of this weekend's race at Silverstone. F1's American owners Liberty Media last year struck a new 10-season agreement with Silverstone to safeguard one of the jewels in the country's sporting summer until 2034 in a deal understood to be worth £300million. And speaking ahead of the 12th round of the campaign – where British driver Lando Norris is bidding to secure back-to-back wins – Domenicali said: 'I believe that Silverstone has the right characteristics to stay forever on the calendar because there is no other place where you can develop such a huge event in the UK.' Anyone aware of a small event we have going on in July? 😉 #BritishGP — Silverstone (@SilverstoneUK) July 1, 2025 During his meeting with Starmer, Domenicali is set to press home the importance of redeveloping the road infrastructure surrounding Silverstone and the significance of the motor racing industry to the UK as a whole, with an estimated annual worth of £12billion to the economy. Six thousand people are thought to be directly employed in the UK in F1, while seven of the grid's 10 teams are based here. Domenicali will also look to iron out visa problems for some of the sport's lower-skilled overseas workers following Britain's exit from the European Union. The 60-year-old Italian continued: 'I will highlight to the Prime Minister, 'What are the numbers related to Formula One?' And, 'What is the technology and the centres of excellence that are in the UK?' 'There are also things that we need to solve that with Brexit there are visa and movement complications. We cannot be limited by people having the chance to stay here for the weekend because they're coming from another country. 'I will also add the fact that because Silverstone will represent the biggest sporting event in the UK, there is a need to make sure that their plans need to be followed in the right way.' Domenicali, who has run the sport since 2019 and recently agreed a new five-year deal to remain in his post, also admitted that a contingency plan is in place for the final two rounds of the season – due to be held in Qatar on November 30 and in Abu Dhabi a week later – amid political tensions in the Middle East. He added: 'We are monitoring the area and in daily contact with the race promoters there. So far, we have not been given the signal (that the races are at risk). 'We are really hoping not and I don't want to even think about it, mainly for the bigger picture and not for the racing itself. 'We have a plan, but let's hope that this would not be even thinkable. Things are changing so fast. We are talking about races in December, and now we are in July. We just need to always be ready.'
The Independent
7 minutes ago
- The Independent
Sean "Diddy' Combs court case in photos
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference.
The Herald Scotland
15 minutes ago
- The Herald Scotland
Rayner to back plan to build 180,000 social homes in next decade
It forms part of a drive to build 300,000 new social and affordable properties by 2035, backed by a £39 billion investment announced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves in last month's spending review. Calling on the social housing sector to 'work together to turn the tide on the housing crisis together', the Deputy Prime Minister said the investment was 'the biggest boost to social and affordable housing in a generation'. She said: 'We are seizing this golden opportunity with both hands to transform this country by building the social and affordable homes we need, so we create a brighter future where families aren't trapped in temporary accommodation and young people are no longer locked out of a secure home.' But even the 180,000 new social homes set to be promised on Wednesday may not be enough to solve Britain's housing crisis. Housing charity Shelter has argued that the Government needs to build 90,000 new social homes a year for the next decade – five times the figure Ms Rayner has committed to. According to Shelter, building 90,000 social homes a year would clear waiting lists, which currently stand at around 1.3 million households, and end the use of temporary accommodation. Mairi MacRae, Shelter's director of campaigns, said the focus on social housing was 'a vital step in tackling the housing emergency and getting homelessness under control', but urged the Government to do more. She said: 'Now they must go further and ramp up building to 90,000 social rent homes a year – this means getting tough on developers, supporting councils to get building and having a clear, overall social rent target for all delivery.' Ms Rayner's target for social and affordable housing forms part of a wider long-term plan also due to be published on Wednesday, setting out how the Government both build more houses and improve housing standards. It is expected to include a commitment to implement minimum energy efficiency standards in the social housing sector for the first time and extend the decent homes standard to the private rental sector. The decent homes standard currently only applies to social homes, and includes requirements to keep properties in a reasonable state of repair, have reasonably modern facilities and be free of major hazards such as mould or asbestos. Currently, around a fifth of privately rented homes are thought not to meet the standard. Wednesday's plan will also include further reforms of the right to buy system intended to limit the amount of social housing that is sold off. Last year, the Government cut the discount available to social tenants looking to buy their homes under right to buy, and ministers have been consulting on further changes. Shadow housing secretary Kevin Hollinrake said: 'Conservatives actually delivered 700,000 new affordable homes when in office, but Angela Rayner can only manage a promise of 300,000. 'By slashing support for affordable home ownership and demanding more expensive social rent, Labour's approach will mean fewer new affordable homes can be delivered overall – and working people will suffer the consequences.'
