
Story behind Keir Starmer's 'catastrophic' Palestine U-turn. Insiders tell DAN HODGES of 'straw that broke the camel's back' and how the Prime Minister was ambushed by his cabinet
Yesterday Keir Starmer announced Britain was preparing to recognise a Palestinian state. As one minister complained to me, the Prime Minister 'simply cannot hold a line on anything'.
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The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
Rachel Reeves admits Labour has ‘disappointed' people while in government
Rachel Reeves admits Labour has 'disappointed' people while in government. The politician said she understood that being Chancellor meant making unpopular decisions. She told an audience at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival that Labour had got the balance right between tax, spending and borrowing. But she said that balancing the books meant making tough decisions, even if the are unpopular. Appearing on the Iain Dale All Talk fringe show, she said: 'The reason people voted Labour at the last election is they want to change and they were unhappy with the way that the country was being governed. 'They know that we inherited a mess. They know it's not easy to put it right, but people are impatient for change. 'I'm impatient for change as well, but I've also got the job of making sure the sums always add up – and it doesn't always make you popular because you can't do anything you might want to do. You certainly can't do everything straight away, all at once.' Ms Reeves pointed to Labour's £200 million investment in carbon capture in the north east of Scotland, which she said was welcomed by the industry. At the same time, Labour's windfall tax, she said, was not liked by the sector. 'I can understand that that's extra tax that the oil and gas sector are paying, but you can't really have one without the other,' she said. Defending Labour's record, she said her party had the 'balance about right'. 'But of course you're going to disappoint people,' she added. 'No-one wants to pay more taxes. 'Everyone wants more money than public spending – and borrowing is not a free option, because you've got to pay for it. 'I think people know those sort of constraints, but no-one really likes them and I'm the one, I guess, that has to sort the sums up.' Ms Reeves said Labour had to deliver on its general election campaign of change, adding that her party did not 'deserve' to win the next election if it does not deliver the change it promised.


Reuters
26 minutes ago
- Reuters
Ukraine says it uncovers major drone procurement corruption scheme
KYIV, Aug 2 (Reuters) - Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies said on Saturday they had uncovered a major graft scheme that procured military drones and signal jamming systems at inflated prices, two days after the agencies' independence was restored following major protests. The independence of Ukraine's anti-graft investigators and prosecutors, NABU and SAPO, was reinstated by parliament on Thursday after a move to take it away resulted in the country's biggest demonstrations since Russia's invasion in 2022. In a statement published by both agencies on social media, NABU and SAPO said they had caught a sitting lawmaker, two local officials and an unspecified number of national guard personnel taking bribes. None of them were identified in the statement. "The essence of the scheme was to conclude state contracts with supplier companies at deliberately inflated prices," it said, adding that the offenders had received kickbacks of up to 30% of a contract's cost. Four people had been arrested. "There can only be zero tolerance for corruption, clear teamwork to expose corruption and, as a result, a just sentence," President Volodymyr Zelenskiy wrote on Telegram. Zelenskiy, who has far-reaching wartime presidential powers and still enjoys broad approval among Ukrainians, was forced into a rare political about-face when his attempt to bring NABU and SAPO under the control of his prosecutor-general sparked the first nationwide protests of the war. Zelenskiy subsequently said that he had heard the people's anger, and submitted a bill restoring the agencies' former independence, which was voted through by parliament on Thursday. Ukraine's European allies praised the move, having voiced concerns about the original stripping of the agencies' status. Top European officials had told Zelenskiy that Ukraine was jeopardising its bid for European Union membership by curbing the powers of its anti-graft authorities. "It is important that anti-corruption institutions operate independently, and the law adopted on Thursday guarantees them every opportunity for a real fight against corruption," Zelenskiy wrote on Saturday after meeting the heads of the agencies, who briefed him on the latest investigation.


Telegraph
26 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Labour council offers asylum seekers cooking lessons to ‘experience joy'
A Labour-run council is offering cooking classes to asylum seekers so they can 'experience joy'. Cambridge City Council announced a new set of grants for community groups including funding for the lessons and also gardening classes for migrants. It comes as the council became the second local authority to introduce a four-day week on full pay for staff. Sir James Cleverly, the former Tory home secretary, said the move 'speaks volumes that Labour councils are spending taxpayers' money on cooking and gardening lessons to asylum seekers, whilst cutting back on bin collections all the while hiking council tax to record highs.' 'In both Whitehall and your town hall, under Labour – you pay more and get less,' he added. The council denied any reductions in services such as bin collections, insisting that it continues to collect domestic waste, recycling and green waste. Resettlement Community Grants, which were launched on July 23, offer up to £30,000 for 'arts and cultural projects, community crafts, cooking and food, gardening and connecting with nature, sports and other opportunities to experience joy'. The council also pledged to 'extend support to enable more refugees or asylum seekers to settle in Cambridge' after deciding to increase the number of council homes made available to asylum seekers in March. Delowar Hossain, a Tory councillor, was the only member of the council to oppose the move and spoke out about the recent decision to introduce a four-day week. He said: 'Our residents work hard and pay taxes for full services. A four-day work week would mean they get only 80 per cent of the service for the same tax they currently pay.' 'Reducing inequality' A spokesman for the council said Cambridge was 'proud to offer such a range of grants' which allow for 'projects that will help to reduce social or economic inequality for Cambridge residents with the most need'. The Government has already faced criticism for encouraging the adoption of four-day weeks in public services. In November last year, Angela Rayner, the Deputy Prime Minister, did away with a 'best value' intervention issued by the previous Conservative Government against South Cambridgeshire. The intervention would have allowed auditors to stop the reduced working hours. Instead, her department stated: 'We encourage active and ongoing dialogue with the workforce and trade unions on any changes to local working arrangements.' However, trade unions representing civil servants have increasingly called for more public bodies to adopt moves towards a four-day week, and the PCS union has called for Rayner's own department to follow suit. Last year, its general secretary said: 'A four-day week would give workers an additional day to spend how they like.' The Government plans to introduce a 'right to switch off' for council workers, preventing contact on days off, alongside a potential four-day week rollout across Whitehall and local authorities if union demands are met. Tories argue the four-day week, union demands, and sanctuary city policies lead to higher taxes and worse services for taxpayers.