Latest news with #No10
Daily Mirror
8 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Boris Johnson's wife Carrie rushed to hospital just a month after giving birth
Carrie Johnson, wife to former Prime Minister Boris Johnson, has been rushed to hospital amid soaring temperatures this week. The mum-of-four has sent a warning to fellow parents from her hospital bed Boris Johnson's wife has issued a warning to fellow mums after she spent two nights in hospital this week. Carrie and Boris Johnson welcomed baby Poppy into the world on May 21, with baby Poppy being Boris' ninth child. He and Carrie married in July 2021, and already share sons Wilfred, five, and Frank, one, and daughter Romy, three. Carrie Johnson has been treated in hospital for "severe dehydration, a little over a month since welcoming her fourth child. Carrie revealed on Friday how she had been rushed in for treatment and warned fellow mums to "eat and drink enough in this heat". Takign to her Instagram stories she wrote: 'Being hospitalised for two nights for my severe dehydration was not on my postpartum bingo card. Breastfeeding mums make sure you eat and drink enough in this heat. Especially if your babe is clusterfeeding." The 37-year-old added: 'This week has honestly been brutal. Mastitis (me), reflux (her), dehydration (me). What a pair we are! But thank you for all the kindest messages, especially all the brilliant advice on reflux. Really appreciate it and made me feel way less alone going thru it all.' Mastitis is an inflammation of breast tissue, common in women who are breastfeeding. The Tory former Prime Minister has always refused to talk about his family life but he is believed to have at least nine children, including four with his wife Carrie. He has been married three times, first to Allegra Mostyn Owen who he met at Oxford University. The couple were married for six years before they divorced and he tied the knot with lawyer Marina Wheeler in 1993. Their marriage lasted 25 years but they separated in 2018 amid rumours of his affair with his now wife Carrie, who had worked as a Tory spinner. The couple moved into No10 together after Mr Johnson became PM in 2019. There are 24 years between the former PM, now 60, and media consultant Carrie, who shares glimpses of their personal life through her stylish Instagram feed. On the surface the pair seem quite different. Carrie, 37, is a fashionable modern mum who loves posting about dreamy family holidays, thrifted Vinted finds, and lunches out with her wide circle of friends. Boris, by contrast, is known for his more traditional tastes — his love of classics, Shakespeare, and iconic leaders such as Winston Churchill has earned him a reputation as a British eccentric. On May 29, 2021, Carrie and Johnson tied the knot in a secret wedding at Westminster Cathedral, sticking to a low-key affair with just 30 guests amid the restrictions of the Coronavirus pandemic. Sharing a snap of herself in her thrifty £45 rented wedding gown, Carrie declared she was 'very, very happy'. One year after their first wedding, in the summer of 2022, Johnson and Carrie said 'I do' once more in a boho chic style ceremony held at the Grade I-listed in the Cotswolds - owned by one of the top Conservative Party supporters, JCB chairman Lord Bamford. Guests enjoyed an al fresco feast, while Carrie wore a garland of white flowers.
Daily Mail
15 hours ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Defeated team Starmer's fury at rebel 'pr**ks': PM benefits surrender triggers civil war that insiders claim could be the 'death knell of the party'
Keir Starmer is wrestling to restore his grip on Labour today as loyalists vent fury at rebel 'pr**ks' who forced his latest U-turn. Tensions are running high after a massive revolt saw the PM offer major concessions to salvage flagship legislation on health and disability benefits. Sir Keir was left personally begging MPs to back the government after more than 120 MPs vowed to kill the plans in a crunch vote on Tuesday. A deal announced after midnight includes guarantees that existing claimants will not lose money. It is expected to wipe out around £3billion of the £5billion savings the Treasury had hoped to get from the reforms - hardening fears that Rachel Reeves will have to hike taxes again in the Autumn. There have been claims of shouting matches between whips and rebels, with much fury targeted at Sir Keir's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and 'over-excitable boys' running No10. Some critics have even demanded 'regime change', eliciting an humiliating public denial from the PM that he might have to quit after failing to 'read the room'. A Cabinet source told MailOnline that No10 had been wrong to sell the plans initially as a package of cuts, even though polls showed that was popular with the public. 'They should have stressed to MPs it was the only way ensure the welfare state still exists in a few years,' the source added. Rachel Reeves was already struggling to balance the books with the economy stalling and the previous U-turn on winter fuel allowance There have been claims of shouting matched between whips and rebels, with much fury targeted at Sir Keir's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and 'over-excitable boys' running No10 One Labour veteran told MailOnline that new MPs had proved harder to talk around. 'There are some who think this is going to be their only term in government now, so why give up on principles,' they said. Government insiders were taken aback by the intensity of the revolt, but voiced optimism that the situation was now back under control. Acknowledging tempers had frayed, they suggested both sides had been engaging constructively by last night. 'It's the Parliamentary Labour,' one added. 'It has cleared the air.' Underlining the animosity that had erupted in recent days, a Cabinet source told the Times: 'I cannot express the disdain I have for these stupid pr**ks who knocked a few doors and think they're JFK because Keir ran the best election campaign in 30 years.' Another Downing Street insider reportedly said: 'It's deeply unserious stuff from deeply unserious people. They are sounding the death knell of the Labour Party and they don't even realise it.' Despite the sound and fury in Labour ranks, the concessions look like being enough to prevent a disastrous defeat for the government at second reading. However, the changes are estimated to wipe more than £3billion off the £5billion savings by the end of the Parliament. That would be made up of £2billion for Personal Independence Payment (Pip) and another £1billion for the Universal Credit tweaks. Ms Reeves was already struggling to balance the books with the economy stalling and the previous U-turn on winter fuel allowance. Ruth Curtice of the Resolution Foundation think-tank suggested Ms Reeves will not be able to find the money in existing budgets. 'That leaves only extra borrowing - which the Chancellor doesn't have much space for unless she were to change her own fiscal rules - or tax rises,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Asked if that effectively meant there would be tax rises, Ms Curtice said: 'Yeah. Unless the government were to get better news on the economy the next time the OBR does a forecast... but when we look at everything that's happened in the world since they last did that in March our estimate is that they will actually get bad news from the OBR as well.' Challenged how the costs would be covered, health minister Stephen Kinnock told Times Radio: 'The full details around what we are laying out, what I've summarised really today, is going to be laid out in Parliament, and then the Chancellor will set out the budget in the autumn the whole of the fiscal position and this will be an important part of that. 'But forgive me, I'm not in a position to set those figures out now. 'I think that is very much the Chancellor's job as we move into the budget in the autumn.' Unveiling the concessions overnight, a spokesperson for Number 10 said: 'We have listened to MPs who support the principle of reform but are worried about the pace of change for those already supported by the system. 'This package will preserve the social security system for those who need it by putting it on a sustainable footing, provide dignity for those unable to work, supports those who can and reduce anxiety for those currently in the system. 'Our reforms are underpinned by Labour values and our determination to deliver the change the country voted for last year.' The Government's original package restricted eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, and limited the sickness-related element of universal credit. Existing claimants were to be given a 13-week phase-out period of financial support in an earlier move that was seen as a bid to head off opposition by aiming to soften the impact of the changes. In her letter, the Work and Pensions Secretary said: 'We recognise the proposed changes have been a source of uncertainty and anxiety. 'We will ensure that all of those currently receiving PIP will stay within the current system. The new eligibility requirements will be implemented from November 2026 for new claims only. 'Secondly, we will adjust the pathway of Universal Credit payment rates to make sure all existing recipients of the UC health element – and any new claimant meeting the severe conditions criteria – have their incomes fully protected in real terms.' She said a ministerial review would ensure the benefit is 'fair and fit for the future' and will be a 'coproduction' with disabled people, organisations which represent them and MPs. 'These important reforms are rooted in Labour values, and we want to get them right,' she said. The change in Pip payments would protect some 370,000 existing claimants who were expected to lose out following reassessment. If the legislation clears its first hurdle on Tuesday, it will then face a few hours' examination by all MPs the following week – rather than days or weeks in front of a committee tasked with looking at the Bill. The so-called 'reasoned amendment' tabled by Treasury select committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier had argued that disabled people have not been properly consulted and further scrutiny of the changes is needed. She said: 'This is a good deal. It is massive changes to ensure the most vulnerable people are protected… and, crucially, involving disabled people themselves in the design of future benefit changes.' While the concessions look set to reassure some of those who had been leading the rebellion, other MPs remained opposed before the announcement.
Daily Mirror
19 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Mirror
Kids on 'cloud nine' over free school meals as they 'egg PM on' for more at No10
Schoolchildren were on 'cloud nine' as they today delivered a letter to Downing Street thanking the PM for the major expansion of free school meals - but they are fighting for more Schoolchildren were on 'cloud nine' as they today delivered a letter to 10 Downing Street thanking the PM for the major expansion of free school meals. Ann-Marie Ferrigan, a teacher at Liverpool's Monksdown Primary School, said the four 11-year-olds, Max, Josie, Ahmed, Arthur, were 'over the moon' that their years-long campaign had achieved a win. But she said the kids were also clear they 'want to fight' to ensure all kids in primary school have access to a universal free lunch. 'One of them, in true Scouse style, said: 'Well, if you just egg the Prime Minister on a bit, he might give it to everybody,'' Ms Ferrigan told The Mirror. 'So they were speaking about it being brilliant what he's done, but there's still people going hungry.' Keir Starmer earlier this month announced that more than half a million children will become eligible for free school meals after a major expansion of eligibility rules. The PM unveiled plans to extend the lifeline benefit to all kids in families who get Universal Credit in England, in a move that could save parents up to £500 a year. The expansion, which will come into force in September 2026, marked a victory for the Mirror's long-running campaign to widen provision to stop children being too hungry to learn. This newspaper has been campaigning with the National Education Union (NEU), who organised the No10 letter hand-in, for all children in English primary schools to get free hot meals, in line with commitments in Scotland, Wales and London. Ms Ferrigan said: 'Our children are very angry about the injustice of the fact that because we're from Liverpool, we don't get it, and I think they're right. If one area of the country can do it, why can't it be rolled out for all areas?' Speaking about the 'horrible' reality of child hunger at her school, she said she has seen kids bringing extra food in their lunchboxes to share it with their hungry peers, as well as kids being tired, switched off or disengaged in lessons. She said kids have also complained of stomach pain and said many suffer with toothache, with parents forced to turn to cheaper and less nutritious options like sausage rolls and a bag of crisps to fill their child's lunchbox. The Year 6 teacher, who is in charge of student voice projects, said helping families with food was the first thing her students discussed during a school council meeting two years ago. 'When I was a child, if someone asked me what we can do for our school, I'd have said: 'Let's put a swimming pool or a waterslide in,'' she said. 'The fact that they were saying 'Let's put something in where we can feed the other children' is disgusting." While she praised the significant expansion of free school meals, Ms Ferrigan said the cut off point would mean some families would still struggle. She gave the example of a family at her school, whose mum is a nurse and whose dad is a taxi driver, who got into debt after not being able to afford the price of school lunches, but are ineligible for free hot meals. In the letter addressed to Mr Starmer, which was delivered to No10 on Friday, Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the NEU, thanked the PM for his 'decisive leadership' in expanding free school meals. 'This is a major leap forward in the fight to end the national scandal of child hunger — and a moment of real hope for families across the country. There is more to do — but this progress shows what's possible. 'With continued leadership, we can go further and ensure every child in this country has the nourishment they need to learn, to grow and to thrive. Let's finish the job and deliver Free School Meals for All, to every pupil in every state-funded primary school in England.' A Department for Education spokeswoman said: 'This government has taken a historic step to tackle the stain of child poverty – offering free school meals to every single child from a household that claims Universal Credit. 'This means over half a million more children will be able to access free school meals, lifting 100,000 children out of poverty. We're putting money back in the pockets of working families, including rolling out free breakfast clubs and capping school uniform costs, helping them save up to £500 a year."
The Guardian
21 hours ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
Stephen Kinnock stares into the abyss as he carries can for welfare U-turn
You could have heard the cries of despair coming from Stephen Kinnock's house from the other end of the street. He had been safely tucked up in bed when he got the message from No 10 that the government was doing the mother of all U-turns on the welfare bill. The third U-turn in a month or so and by far the biggest yet. It was Kinnock's bad luck that he had been booked to do the government's morning media round. He had been told it would be a doddle. A chance to talk about better provision for people with poor mental health. The sort of good news slot a minister dreams about. Now he could forget it. No journalist would be interested in anything but the latest crisis. He would be the one left to carry the can. Even though it was really nothing to do with him. It was the price of being halfway up the food chain. Little power, but all the responsibility for the coming hours. This had better not become habit forming. He didn't want the No 10 communications team to get ideas. He wasn't about to become Labour's Mel Stride. On Radio 4's Today programme, Nick Robinson could barely contain his excitement. Nick lives for these days when everything a government tries to do comes crashing down around them. This was his idea of fun. The highlight of his Glastonbury weekend. Like headlining the Pyramid stage. He glanced into Stephen's eyes and only saw an abyss of human misery. Better and better. 'So,' said Nick, not bothering with any niceties. Like would you like some Valium? Or intravenous morphine? This late-night U-turn was a complete shitshow, wasn't it. The sign of a government in complete disarray. Stephen took a deep breath and mouthed the platitudes he had been coached to say by No 10. The U-turn wasn't a U-turn. Rather it was the sign of a positive and constructive debate. Even as the words escaped his lips, he could feel something inside him die a little. He felt grubby. Compromised. But he couldn't stop now. He was committed. His career depended on it. His ambition and self-worth on a fatal collision course. Here was the moment of weakness. Nick loved the smell of bullshit in the morning. Made it worth the 3am start. Time to go in hard. So let's think this one through, he continued. For months, No 10 had ignored the Labour backbenchers. Then they had panicked when they realised that 126 could kill off the welfare bill at second reading. First calling the backbenchers 'noises off'. Then caving in. How much worse could things get? There was a pause. Stephen was about to say: 'Hold my beer.' Instead he stared balefully at the miserable script he had been given and carried on. The chaos was a sign of order, he insisted. This was how grownup governments operated. Normally all the arguments took place at the committee stage. By having them now they were streamlining the process. Efficiency savings in action. A government delivering on its promises. Would that do? It wouldn't. Nick started to sound a little bored. This was all too easy. He had been hoping for more resistance. But Kinnock had all but caved in immediately. Still, there was more time on the clock so he might as well fill it. This wasn't about reform, it was about cost-saving. The changes in Personal Independence Payments had been inserted by the chancellor to balance the budget. 'This is about dignity and respect,' sobbed Stephen. Only just not for him. He had lost both at about the time the interview had started. So this was a pure Freudian slip. As if realising the hole he had dug for himself, he chose to throw Rachel Reeves into it as well. If he was going down, then she could go down with him. However much he was being paid to make himself look a halfwit, it wasn't nearly enough. Over to you, Rachel. You can explain where you're going to fund the £3bn the changes are going to cost. Nothing to do with me. By now the script that Kinnock had been given was drifting in and out of focus as his heart rate and blood pressure rocketed. Nothing to do but continue. The reforms would now be staggered. Another Freudian slip. He was losing control. The person doing the staggering was him. By now, only semi-conscious. Stephen Timms would be doing a review so why not ask him what he thought in a year's time. Nick went for the kill. This was the third U-turn after the winter fuel allowance and grooming gangs. Keir Starmer was more of a pushover than a leader. By now, Stephen was on autopilot. Keir was amazing. Had done great things. Was a fantastic listener. Positive and constructive. 'You're smiling,' said Nick. Sign up to Headlines UK Get the day's headlines and highlights emailed direct to you every morning after newsletter promotion 'I always smile when I come on your programme,' Kinnock replied. Especially when he had visions of doing unspeakable things to Nick. No hard feelings? Only a few … Earlier on Today, Meg Hillier had had her own mini-embarrassment as she tried to explain how she was now delighted with the changes the government had made. Meg is not one of parliament's natural troublemakers and had always been desperate for the government to meet her halfway. She had never wanted to cause a scene unless absolutely necessary and was thrilled a compromise had been found. Only halfway had turned out to be somewhat arbitrary. One rule for those already receiving benefits, another for those who may need it in a year or so. It all made sense to Meg. If no one else. In Megworld, the people with current disabilities are all that count. They should get the dosh. But it was quite right that future stroke victims should be made to suffer. The threat of less money would make them try that bit harder to dress themselves. Create aspiration in a demoralised nation. It all smacked a bit of desperation. The work and pensions secretary, Liz Kendall, sent a letter to all MPs, whose subtext was, 'Help! I don't know what I'm doing.' Meanwhile, No 10 declared it was a listening government. Everything was going entirely to plan. So that's alright then.
Daily Mail
a day ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Starmer loyalists vent fury at rebel 'pr**ks' who forced benefits U-turn as Labour threatens to descend into civil war
Keir Starmer is wrestling to restore his grip on Labour today as loyalists vent fury at rebel 'pr**ks' who forced his latest U-turn. Tensions are running high after a massive revolt saw the PM offer major concessions to salvage flagship legislation on health and disability benefits. Sir Keir was left personally begging MPs to back the government after more than 120 MPs vowed to kill the plans in a crunch vote on Tuesday. A deal announced after midnight includes guarantees that existing claimants will not lose money. It is expected to wipe out around £3billion of the £5billion savings the Treasury had hoped to get from the reforms - hardening fears that Rachel Reeves will have to hike taxes again in the Autumn. There have been claims of shouting matches between whips and rebels, with much fury targeted at Sir Keir's chief of staff Morgan McSweeney and 'over-excitable boys' running No10. Some critics have even demanded 'regime change', eliciting an humiliating public denial from the PM that he might have to quit after failing to 'read the room'. A Cabinet source told MailOnline that No10 had been wrong to sell the plans initially as a package of cuts, even though polls showed that was popular with the public. 'They should have stressed to MPs it was the only way ensure the welfare state still exists in a few years,' the source added. Rachel Reeves was already struggling to balance the books with the economy stalling and the previous U-turn on winter fuel allowance One Labour veteran told MailOnline that new MPs had proved harder to talk around. 'There are some who think this is going to be their only term in government now, so why give up on principles,' they said. Government insiders were taken aback by the intensity of the revolt, but voiced optimism that the situation was now back under control. Acknowledging tempers had frayed, they suggested both sides had been engaging constructively by last night. 'It's the Parliamentary Labour,' one added. 'It has cleared the air.' Underlining the animosity that had erupted in recent days, a Cabinet source told the Times: 'I cannot express the disdain I have for these stupid pr**ks who knocked a few doors and think they're JFK because Keir ran the best election campaign in 30 years.' Another Downing Street insider reportedly said: 'It's deeply unserious stuff from deeply unserious people. They are sounding the death knell of the Labour Party and they don't even realise it.' Despite the sound and fury in Labour ranks, the concessions look like being enough to prevent a disastrous defeat for the government at second reading. However, the changes are estimated to wipe more than £3billion off the £5billion savings by the end of the Parliament. That would be made up of £2billion for Personal Independence Payment (Pip) and another £1billion for the Universal Credit tweaks. Ms Reeves was already struggling to balance the books with the economy stalling and the previous U-turn on winter fuel allowance. Ruth Curtice of the Resolution Foundation think-tank suggested Ms Reeves will not be able to find the money in existing budgets. 'That leaves only extra borrowing - which the Chancellor doesn't have much space for unless she were to change her own fiscal rules - or tax rises,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Asked if that effectively meant there would be tax rises, Ms Curtice said: 'Yeah. Unless the government were to get better news on the economy the next time the OBR does a forecast... but when we look at everything that's happened in the world since they last did that in March our estimate is that they will actually get bad news from the OBR as well.' Challenged how the costs would be covered, health minister Stephen Kinnock told Times Radio: 'The full details around what we are laying out, what I've summarised really today, is going to be laid out in Parliament, and then the Chancellor will set out the budget in the autumn the whole of the fiscal position and this will be an important part of that. 'But forgive me, I'm not in a position to set those figures out now. 'I think that is very much the Chancellor's job as we move into the budget in the autumn.' Unveiling the concessions overnight, a spokesperson for Number 10 said: 'We have listened to MPs who support the principle of reform but are worried about the pace of change for those already supported by the system. 'This package will preserve the social security system for those who need it by putting it on a sustainable footing, provide dignity for those unable to work, supports those who can and reduce anxiety for those currently in the system. 'Our reforms are underpinned by Labour values and our determination to deliver the change the country voted for last year.' The Government's original package restricted eligibility for the personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability payment in England, and limited the sickness-related element of universal credit. Existing claimants were to be given a 13-week phase-out period of financial support in an earlier move that was seen as a bid to head off opposition by aiming to soften the impact of the changes. In her letter, the Work and Pensions Secretary said: 'We recognise the proposed changes have been a source of uncertainty and anxiety. 'We will ensure that all of those currently receiving PIP will stay within the current system. The new eligibility requirements will be implemented from November 2026 for new claims only. 'Secondly, we will adjust the pathway of Universal Credit payment rates to make sure all existing recipients of the UC health element – and any new claimant meeting the severe conditions criteria – have their incomes fully protected in real terms.' She said a ministerial review would ensure the benefit is 'fair and fit for the future' and will be a 'coproduction' with disabled people, organisations which represent them and MPs. 'These important reforms are rooted in Labour values, and we want to get them right,' she said. The change in Pip payments would protect some 370,000 existing claimants who were expected to lose out following reassessment. If the legislation clears its first hurdle on Tuesday, it will then face a few hours' examination by all MPs the following week – rather than days or weeks in front of a committee tasked with looking at the Bill. The so-called 'reasoned amendment' tabled by Treasury select committee chairwoman Dame Meg Hillier had argued that disabled people have not been properly consulted and further scrutiny of the changes is needed. She said: 'This is a good deal. It is massive changes to ensure the most vulnerable people are protected… and, crucially, involving disabled people themselves in the design of future benefit changes.' While the concessions look set to reassure some of those who had been leading the rebellion, other MPs remained opposed before the announcement.
