Starmer

• Prime Minister Keir Starmer opened London Tech Week by announcing new government funding for specialist AI compute to broaden access to advanced AI tools. • The initiative is supported by billions in private pledges, including investments from AMD to fund compute infrastructure with the University of Cambridge and R&D with Imperial College. • This strategy aims to sharpen Britain's competitive edge in the global tech market by placing computing capacity at the center of the UK's industrial approach to AI.

As the Makerfield byelection and a potential leadership challenge loom, there is a sense the PM is looking to create impacts that lastAs the weeks ticked down to her departure from Downing Street in 2019, Theresa May had a plan. Not only did she want to put a net zero target into law, but she wanted the UK to be the first major economy to do so. And that meant beating the French.“It required the machinery of government to move more quickly than the French parliament,” a No 10 official from the time recalls. And it worked: the UK target came into force in June 2019, six weeks before May handed over to Boris Johnson, and five months before the French. She had her legacy. Continue reading...

Keir Starmer says he will fight on as prime minister, but behind the scenes he is said to be thinking about his legacy. He’s talking this week about tech companies and the shape of a social media ban, but he is also focussed on resetting the UK’s relations with EU and defence. Pippa and Kiran discuss what his legacy might be and the role Andy Burnham has to play Continue reading...

Companies such as Apple and Google have until September to install software or face legislation, says PMUK politics live – latest updatesApple and Google have been given until September to install software that blocks explicit images on children’s mobile phones or face legislation enforcing its requirement, Keir Starmer said on Monday.The prime minister said tech companies must activate nudity-detection algorithms or other technical solutions on smartphones and tablets to prevent users taking photos or sharing images of genitalia unless they are verified as adults. Continue reading...

Prime minister to give speech on the government’s technology policy this morning Good morning. Two weeks today, it seems more likely than not that Andy Burnham will be taking his seat as the new MP for Makerfield. A byelection win is not certain, but the campaign is definitely going his way. Keir Starmer has been saying he won’t just stand aside and let Burnham replace him as Labour leader, but these briefings are being received with a hefty dose of scepticism.The unnamed minister quoted in today’s Times splash gives a more realistic guide to what is happening. They say:Keir has entered his legacy era. The conversations are now all, ‘What is announceable in time before Makerfield?’No one doubts the huge potential of tech to change lives. But we have to decide who that change is for. This government’s choice is clear: the tech revolution must work for everyone, not just a privileged few.We’re backing British businesses to lead the way, driving growth and investment that turns into more jobs and stronger communities. And we’re using tech to bring opportunity to every corner of the country – helping people into work, tackling inequalities, boosting skills and building a fairer future.The tool will provide a 24/7 resource for people, offering guidance on topics such as career development, job searching and applications. The trial will last for around three months, to gather data and feedback on how people are using the service so that it can be adapted and improved as necessary. Continue reading...

Volodymyr Zelenskyy to attend meeting along with French president Macron and German chancellor MerzKeir Starmer will host Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Emmanuel Macron and Friedrich Merz for talks in Downing Street on Sunday to discuss support for Ukraine.The Ukrainian leader will visit the UK with the French president and German chancellor after a week of heightened hostilities and Vladimir Putin’s rejection of his proposal of face-to-face talks on Moscow’s war. Continue reading...

PM rebuffs US state department’s criticism, adding police response to murder of Henry Nowak is under reviewKeir Starmer has rejected the claim that the UK is subject to “two-tier policing” after the Trump administration suggested it was evident in the response to the murder of teenager Henry Nowak.The prime minister said the UK must not shy away from asking difficult questions of the police after officers handcuffed Nowak as he lay dying from stab wounds after his killer, Vickrum Digwa, had falsely accused him of racist abuse. Digwa was ultimately convicted of murder and jailed for life with a minimum of 21 years. Continue reading...

Downing Street responded after Andy Burnham publicly admitted that he would consider launching a bid to become Labour leader‘I wouldn’t flinch’: Burnham on social care, markets, Brexit – and the prospect of a general electionHello and welcome to our UK politics blog.David Lammy has come out in support of the prime minister, saying Keir Starmer would fight in a leadership contest after Andy Burnham said he would join one if elected an MP. Continue reading...

Peter Kyle says British politics fails to reward political accomplishment and Labour risks aping Tory instabilityThe Labour party has not learned the right lessons from the Conservatives about changing leader, a senior cabinet minister has warned, saying in a swipe at potential challengers that “entitlement is not a qualification”.Peter Kyle, the business secretary, said he was worried that British politics “rewards the wrong behaviour” and there was little credit for the work of his own department, including negotiating trade deals, rescue packages for companies and preserving British industry. Continue reading...

PM says Britons are ‘reasonable, tolerant people’ and backs MP’s legal action against Grok firm over fake sexualised imagesUK politics live – latest updatesElon Musk is “interfering in our politics” and attempting to create division, Keir Starmer has said in a significant toughening of government language about the X owner.It follows weeks of posts by Musk on his social media platform about the murder of Henry Nowak, many of which have used far-right themes and talking points. Continue reading...

Darren Jones’s messages include requests for advice on the reshuffle and remarks about former business secretary Jonathan ReynoldsThe prime minster’s close ally Darren Jones sent his commiserations to Peter Mandelson after he was sacked as US ambassador in messages that were not disclosed as part of the humble address release.Jones’s texts also included requests for advice on the reshuffle and disobliging comments about the then business secretary Jonathan Reynolds and the influence of trade unions. Continue reading...

Prime minister echoes family’s plea that case should not be used to target communitiesPoliticians and community leaders have called for calm amid fears that the populist right is using the murder of Henry Nowak by a Sikh man to whip up racist resentment against minority ethnic Britons.After Nigel Farage called for the public to respond with “pure, cold rage”, Keir Starmer condemned the Reform UK leader, saying Nowak’s family had explicitly asked that the case not be used to target particular communities. Continue reading...

Spokesperson says function is in line with official guidance as scrutiny of papers relating to Peter Mandelson continuesUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer’s WhatsApp messages automatically delete from his smartphone, Downing Street has confirmed, calling into question how full a picture emerged of his role in the appointment of Peter Mandelson from a recently released tranche of government documents.Asked at a briefing whether Starmer uses the function on his WhatsApp messages, the prime minister’s spokesperson said he “does use disappearing messages”, adding that this was in line with official guidance on the use of so-called non-corporate communications. Continue reading...

Shadow Cabinet Office minister Alex Burghart says it ‘beggars belief’ there were not more exchanges between Mandelson and the PMGood morning. Keir Starmer is chairing cabinet today as Labour MPs mull over the coverage of the Peter Mandelson files. In terms of revelations relating to Mandelson himself, the impact is probably not as bad as many MPs feared; Politico quotes one official as saying the mood last night was at the “top end” of expectations. Here is our main story about the data release, by Henry Dyer and Pippa Crear.There will be more coverage today.There’s a lot of stuff that’s missing. Anybody who’s looked at these 1,500 pages will see acres and acres of white space, these constellations of asterisks, huge amounts of redactions.Now, some of that is fine because it’s national security issues, our relationship with the Americans.It beggars belief that there were so few exchanges between Mandelson and the prime minister. There’s almost nothing in the record.So either this stuff is being deliberately withheld or it’s been deleted. Continue reading...

Criticisms revealed in major release of files relating to Mandelson’s appointment as ambassador to USUK politics live – latest updatesPeter Mandelson exchanged WhatsApp messages with a senior cabinet minister criticising Keir Starmer’s lack of “verve” and tendency to buckle under pressure, suggesting the prime minister should behave in a more “Trumpian” fashion.The former US ambassador said Number 10 was “beleaguered and bereft” and that the public were “crying out for leadership”. Continue reading...

PM says predecessor misunderstands government’s successes and ‘very different’ situation compared with 1997Keir Starmer has dismissed Tony’s Blair’s argument that his government is on the wrong track, saying he is implementing the policies needed for today, not the very different situation faced by Blair in 1997.“You won’t be surprised to know that I don’t agree with much that Tony says about what the government is doing,” Starmer said during a visit to an apprentice training centre in west London. Continue reading...

Former deputy Labour leader says Nigel Farage could say Manchester mayor is a ‘usurper’ and he may seek his own mandateUK politics live – latest updatesThe UK may find itself “tipped into a general election” if Andy Burnham replaces Keir Starmer as prime minister, Labour’s former deputy leader Harriet Harman said on Tuesday.If Burnham replaces Starmer as prime minister in the coming months, he may feel he needs to secure his own mandate, partly because Nigel Farage would accuse him of being a “usurper”, she told an audience at the Hay literary festival. Continue reading...

Former health secretary says he unsuccessfully argued for tougher action when in cabinetGood morning. The government has been consulting on whether to follow Australia and impose a ban on social media for under-16s, or whether to opt for other restrictions, and the consultation ends at 11.59pm tonight. Keir Starmer is expected to announce the government’s response soon afterwards. He has already said that there will be action of some sort. Last year ministers were sceptical about following the Australian example, but this is an issue where opinion – both in government, and in society more broadly – has been shifting very quickly.This morning Wes Streeting, the former health secretary who is running what is in effect a leadership campaign, has intervened. As the Guardian reports, he has said that a social media ban for under-16s “must be the start, not the end” and he has compared the sector to the tobacco industry.Streeting restated his claim that social media is like the tobacco industry and suggested that, just as tobacco bosses did in the mid-20th century, social media executives have been suppressing evidence about the full extent of the harm caused by their products. He said:What we’ve seen from Big Tech is behaviour akin to Big Tobacco … We know from whistleblowers that in the tech industry, among those who are responsible for designing technology, including social media platforms, that are changing every aspect of our lives, they know that the product they’re designing is addictive, they know that it is harmful, and the business model is orientated towards getting kids while they’re young, addicting them with the design features that are designed for addiction, to grab your attention and keep you on their platform for as long as possible.He said there was a “growing body of evidence” about the ways in which social media is harmful.And then we see the consequences beginning to emerge through the growing body of evidence about the impact of this technology on childhood, whether that is sleep, concentration, learning, health, wellbeing, including mental health.The harms are evident.He claimed governmments around the world had been “asleep at the wheel” on this issue. “Frankly, legislators, regulators, have been asleep at the wheel on this,” he said.He suggested that Keir Starmer had been “behind the curve” on this issue. While he was not overly criticial of the PM on this issue, suggesting that governments around the world have been slow to confront social media companies on this issue, he made it clear that he thought the Starmer government could have acted more quickly. He said that he was speaking out now because he was “liberated from the obligations of collective responsibility”. He said the arguments he was making in public today were the ones he was making privately in government, “in a number of cabinet committees and meetings”, and that he “pushed as hard as I could”. He said the government was now moving to a “better position”, but he suggested Starmer could have acted more quickly.To be fair to Liz Kendall, the science and technology secretary, she came into office [in September last year], she’s gripped this, she’s chosen to run a rapid consultation with the principle of how to implement restrictions, rather than whether. That’s all positive. And I trust Liz Kendall to act quickly following the closure of the consultation today.And we must, because, as I say, we’re behind the curve. Continue reading...

Senior lawyers call on prime minister to request Indian prosecutors drop charges that would breach double jeopardy ruleFour senior lawyers, including the former attorney general Dominic Grieve, have written to Keir Starmer urging him to request that Indian prosecutors drop charges against the British national Jagtar Singh Johal on the basis that continued prosecution would be in manifest breach of the double jeopardy rule which prevents someone being tried twice for the same offence.Johal has been held in an Indian jail for eight years, and in March last year was acquitted of the terrorist charges laid against him in a court in Punjab. The court found the prosecutors had ‘miserably failed’ to present any reliable evidence, despite having had seven years to do so. Continue reading...

PM’s former chief of staff, Morgan McSweeney, among aides who were briefed on investigation into journalists writing about Labour TogetherKeir Starmer’s most senior advisers were briefed about an “indefensible” investigation into journalists writing critical pieces about the Labour Together thinktank, according to a newly released document.Among the aides who received updates on the probe, commissioned by the thinktank’s director, Josh Simons, were Morgan McSweeney, the former chief of staff to the prime minister. Continue reading...

PM tells Commons extending the temporary 5p cut is a necessary response to cost-of-living pressuresUK politics live – latest updatesKeir Starmer has announced an extension to the temporary 5p cut in fuel duty, as widely expected, telling the Commons it was a necessary response to cost-of-living pressures.Before a wider package of measures due to be announced by Rachel Reeves, the chancellor, on Thursday, Starmer used prime minister’s questions to announce the extended freeze and a vehicle tax break for the haulage industry. Continue reading...

The former health secretary will give resignation speech after prime minister’s questions Good morning. PMQs is back, and there are at least two obvious issues for Kemi Badenoch to raise when she faces Keir Starmer.What Tories calls Starmer’s “Soviet-style” plan to curb supermarket pricesThis is more nuts than a squirrel convention!I warned Rachel Reeves prices would go up if she raised taxes and drowned employers in red tape. She didn’t listen and now she’s proposing Soviet style measures!After 18 months of “standing up to Putin” the Labour govt quietly issued a licence allowing imports of Russian oil refined in third countries.Yesterday Labour MPs voted AGAINST UK oil and gas licences.We are talking about our allies in Ukraine who have been fighting a war bravely against Russia for years and years with our support.They have looked to Britain as one of their most important allies, and they don’t understand, given that we promised that we would stop this loophole in October, and we still haven’t done it. In fact, it seems to have got worse. People feel very let down.There was a G7 announcement on the 19 May which said that they, the G7, had an unwavering commitment to put pressure on Russia including sanctions on the energy sector and actions against entities in third countries that materially support Russia’s war effort but we’re still saying that we’re going to take sanctioned oil but so long as it goes to Turkey first and then it’s refined, we will use it. Continue reading...

Campaigners warn against blanket restrictions and say focus should be on blocking teenagers from platforms with ‘risky’ featuresOnline safety campaigners have urged Keir Starmer to block under-16s from accessing social media apps that do not meet strict safety standards, instead of implementing a broader Australia-style ban.The NSPCC, Molly Rose Foundation and Smartphone Free Childhood said tech platforms should not be allowed to offer “risky” features to teenagers such as infinite scrolling, disappearing messages and push notifications. Continue reading...

Expected candidate in Makerfield byelection says party ‘needs to change if we are to regain people’s trust’Andy Burnham drew the battle lines for the future of the Labour party on Monday as the Greater Manchester mayor promised he would “change Labour” and win back the voters the party had lost.Burnham, who is expected to be Labour’s candidate in the Makerfield byelection, claimed it would be no ordinary campaign and said he would make it about national issues where Labour was failing, in a direct challenge to the prime minister. Continue reading...

Washington-based fund praises Rachel Reeves for aiming to cut budget deficit as it upgrades growth forecastsBusiness live – latest updatesThe International Monetary Fund has urged Britain to “stay the course” to cut government borrowing amid growing bond market concerns over a Labour leadership challenge.As Keir Starmer battles to cling on to power, the Washington-based fund said it was important to continue reducing the budget deficit “given market pressures and elevated implementation risks”. Continue reading...

Deputy PM says Andy Burnham would be ‘great addition to parliament’, but leadership row is an ‘own goal’ for LabourKeir Starmer is not about to set a timetable for his departure from Downing Street, David Lammy, one of the prime minister’s closest cabinet allies, has said, calling on Labour to get beyond the “spectacular own goal” of repeated leadership speculation.While allies of Starmer have suggested he is potentially willing to step aside if Andy Burnham wins next month’s Makerfield byelection and no other challenger emerges, Lammy insisted this was not being considered. Continue reading...

Ex-health secretary, who is expected to launch leadership bid soon, condemns ‘heavy-handed’ approachWes Streeting has launched a scathing attack on what he described as Keir Starmer’s “heavy-handed” leadership culture, which he claimed had stifled creative policy thinking in government.Streeting criticised the effectiveness of Labour’s first two years in power – all of which he has spent in cabinet – saying Labour “arrived in government underprepared in too many areas and lacking clarity of vision and direction”. Continue reading...

As continent faces tough headwinds, leaders are bearing brunt of delivering bad news to frustrated electorates“People hate you,” the adviser informed his leader. A think-piece in a daily newspaper noted that “almost everyone agrees on one thing: they don’t like him”.The recent disastrous set of local election results in the UK built on Keir Starmer’s longstanding reputational problem: only 11% of Britons believe he has been a good or great prime minister, and nearly 60% believe he has been poor or terrible, according to polling by YouGov. Continue reading...